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Show Buried Alive Very windy, Governor Young commutes the death sentence of Allen Ellis to imprisonment for life without parole. It is because Ellis was not 13 years old when he slew a Fresno merchant, during a hold-up. No doubt as to the guilt or as to the brutality of the crime; and, a reader writes to ask. "What satisfaction is there in this murderer's escape from hanging to the widow and children of his victim?" There could be no satisfaction worth while to the dead man's family in the hanging of Ellis.. That there is no substantial sub-stantial satisfaction to that family is the fault of society. Justice .should devote the murderer's life to earning money to contribute to the support of the living victims of his crime. In that there would be some satisfaction for the slain man's family, and, possibly, for the murderer himself. A life is a life. It is either useful or useless. Why decide that Ellis' life shall be. useless, for instance? |