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■ itvirfTHE RALEIGH HERALDThe Official Organ of the Republican pur of Raleigh county.Published Every Thursday Morning.E, WINIFRED BROWN, : : : : Own.PRICE ONE DOLLAR THE YEAR IN ADVANCNews items of interest front ilifftretil points in the comity pie enines 10 Hot ted from the readers mid friends of Tin- 1 le raid, lml obituary m*tk «nd cards of thnnks ivill tie charped for; the former at the rate of 2 1 -2 c per printed line and the latter at the rale SO cents i-afclt.All correspondence should he addressed to The ttaleiph HetaHl. Heckle Wes'. Virfciiiiit.Registered at Uie iost olTtct .at Iicckley, \y. vn„ as second class matter.BEOKLEY, W.'VA.. THURSDAY, I'lAY 2, 1912.DEMAND FOR DENUNCIATION OF PARDONLi as much as there was such a large clertianc for last week's Herald denouncing the the at tempt Of Dr.. FI 0. Thornhill's slayer to secure a pardon, we coukl not- supply the extra copies, so we are reproducing the editorial. This shows the high esteem in which Dr. Thornhill was regarded in this section of the state.xAraong other congratulations, the Herald congratulates itself upon voicing the sentiments of the lawabiding citizens, who know the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.SHALL PARTY COURT DEFEAT?' Never was feeling more intense in Beck ley and surrounding towns where the victim was known when the news of the “manslaughter” of Dr. Thornhill reached here on the day of his death. The particulars of the crime are too well known to peed the repetition, and there was talk of mob Violence.The press dispatches stated that the-convicted pan’s friends and relatives considered his sentence of four years in the penitentiary for “manslaughter” a light one, and we have not been able to learn of another opinion; but people, who have no respect for either the laws of God or man, always expect to escape the penalty of these laws, and Willis Hatfield is no exception tci this rule, and to escape a sentence which a court would not impose upon a man without his earning it, is now making an effort to secure a pardon.Hatfield pleas pardon for his crime on account of being a tuber, his attorney’s paper does not state whether he trumped up the malady before or after the “manslaughter • of that gentleman whose life he took. If a man earn a place in the penitentiary, it is as good a place to die as any other, and is just as near heaven or- hell, so they should not worry on this score.The pardon is signed by three doctors, a. juryman, a judge (but not Judge Miller, but Bennett, pf Fayette} and a number of lesser lights—and i some are so little they do not amount to one I twentieth candle power. We wonder what could! Jiave been the motive for these people to become! so anxious in his behalf; could it be cowardice, or' more possibly, they were victims of a cheap char-1 Jatan, who values his fee more highly than the I honor of the state.The reputation of both men and their families pxe known throughout this section. Dr. Thornhill : and his people are above reproach; whereas, thej. perpetrator of the crime, which he now implores : Clemency from the governor, to escape man’s/ penalty, bears the name which is the darkest blot'1 upon the scutcheon of West Virginia. i1If a petition for the enforcement of the sen-, tence of the court were circulated among the people among whom Dr. Edwin 0. Thornhill labored, j among those who knew him, and recognized a true1 man when they meet him, the affair which thei? governor is now considering would appear like a*1 puny baby in the presence of a giant. iIf Hatfield is pardoned, the law seems an in-!1 effectual thing i.o the multitude, so is disrespected, -c and in another similar case, mob violnce is cn- 1 couraged. If a Republican govcrnor shows the! * weakness, or moral cuwardice, in pardoning this ' creature, he has made as great a scandal in the c party of the stale, as the democrats when th«\\! sold the seats in the U. S. senate, and the demo- '1 crats will make the most of ii:. ^
Newspaper Details
Raleigh Herald
Beckley, West Virginia, US
Thu, May 02, 1912
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
David W.
NA, NA 23 Feb 2024
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