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Show . I - . A i . . ... V. .4 . I W m 1 f ' 1 J iull.. - i !r:yer .-Frcm II::rt- The family of James McPhereon E'-ockley, confessed alayer of Uotorman Amasa' L. Gleason ; and Conductor Thomaa B. Brighton, whom be killed on the nlsht of January 6th of this year w hile attempting: to rob them of their day's receipts, have not yet given up hope of aavlng him from execution by the mandate of the law. They have, with other persona, writ ten tt The Telegram, and have asked f that open letters which they inclosed be f printed. In these letters they speak of Shock-ley's- early life, which they say was clean, and ask for pity for him because of his past good record, because of his youth, and because of his heart-broken relative.- ' The following letter was written to The Telegram by his sister, Mrs.. Eliza Poe: ' Lister llak.es Appeal. ' ; BELLE, Mo., March 24. People of Utah: I take this the only way possible to address you and would to God I could take each of you by the hand while I appeal to you for mercy In behalf be-half of my poor erring, misguided brother, James McPherson Shockley. Fathers, who have your sons with you where you can advise and guide them, possibly they have escaped, the temptations, the snares and the pitfalls of the world. God grant it may be so. Pause for a moment and think of this father here in Missouri, whose only son is at your mercy. This father strove both by example and precept to guide a his son in the paths of honesty and up-11 up-11 rightness, but the boy wandered away ' I from -home and its blessed Influence and strayed from the paths of right. Think of Hotlier'g Lore. ; Mothers, who day by day see yonr sons around you and can lie down at night and know they are safe from harm, think ofthls mother whose only eon. though stained with sin. is yet the dearly-beloved child. She still feels for him that mother-" mother-" love a love that abides and endures than which there Is no greater, and which none but mothers can fully realize. Each and all who have a brother know what my sister and I feel at this time. He Is young and there is a hope that if his life is spared he may. by right living In the future, atone for his sins. . -. May God in his infinite wisdom move ' your hearts with compassion, and may He put it into the minds of those who have the administration of your laws in their power to temper Justice with . mercy. Is the prayer of his heartbroken slater, - ELIZA POE. A number of citizens of Shockley's old liome, who knew him in . his boyhood and early youth," have also Bent the fol-.. fol-.. lowing open letter: Citizens Give Views. BELLE, Mo.. March 24. We, the undersigned, un-dersigned, desire to make a few statements state-ments relative to James McPherson Shockley, whom you have In custody. . A statement written and signed by Rev. C. H. Logan. Dr. I. M.. Owens and , G. D. Underwood, cashier of Belle bank, has already been published In Salt Lake City. That statement gave ;a sketch of his family and of the high ? esteem in which they are held here, , - and in this statement we shall speak only of the young man himself. We do not seek to Justify his crime, but we think that a wrong impression has been made In the minds of the people peo-ple of your State concerning his early life, and we sincerely desire to let you know the truth in the matter. We have lived neighbors to his parents pa-rents since his early childhood and can ; truthfully make the following statements: state-ments: As a child he was bright and quick to learn and as he grew up he was a favorite fa-vorite with his teachers, schoolmates and companions. At school his deport-: deport-: ment, as shown by reports, given him by his teachers, was good. He was never a vicious boy. and while I sometimes engaged in boyish pranks ,j tricks, even these were of such a na ture as to exhibit traits common to boys, and were not in the least lndlca-' lndlca-' tive of inherent wickedness or crime. Knowing these to be facts, we think it Justly due not only to his family, but to the young man hlmeeif to let it be ' known to the people of your State, and we send this, kindly asking you to publish the same in your paper, and as It is a case of life and death and as his '.: trial comes off so soon, we would re-' spectf ully ask you to publish it at your very earliest convenience. Most sln-i sln-i cerely yours, C. L. OWENS. S. A. CRIDER, ' ULYSSES CRIDER. CELIA STOCKTON. ! . WILLIAM MITCHEM. |