Salt Lake Tribune | 1915-01-14 | Page 6 | Refused to Act

REFUSED TO ACT Arizona leg slators and laws continue to occupy space in the publ c pr nts and the actions of some of the state offi c al3 have been given cons derable prominence ever s nee the adm ssion of the state into the union The gov ernor as s well known is opposed to capital pun shment and endeavored to have the leg slature repeal the law The legislature refused and a number of murderers under sentence of death were reprieved by the governor in o dor to give the board of pardons and re. prieves a chance to act Under a law passed by the, last legis lature the go ernor no longer possesses the power to pardon or repr eve and as the board has not been officially organ zed no such power exists in the state In view of all of which it was generally supposed that one Pamon Villabolo a Mexican who had slam a wh te man been tried and convicted and sentenced to be hanged on Janu ary 8 would meet his fate there be ing no power to save so far as known The fateful day passed however and tho Mexican still lives the warden of the state penitent ary where all the executions take place halving decided to g ve the murderer a last chance for his life The excuse of the prison keeper was that the Mexican was entitled (to make a final .appeal for pardon or commuta tion of sentence and that as there was no legally constituted authority ent tied to pass upon such appeal he had de cided to postpone the execut on until such time as the board organized The case is somewhat remarkable and it may be that the Mexican 11 now con tend that the sentence in his case not having been carried out at the ap pointed time he is ent tied to go free The warden certa nly tr fled with the law no matter how good his intentions