| Show The Case of Harry Brewer Salt Lake City Utah Oct 7 1916 Editor The Telegram I have been following the Harry Brewer case closely through the columns of The Telegram Judging from the tone of the stories in the paper and the letters you have published you must favor the commutation com corn mutation of the condemned young murderers murderer's sentence to life ImprIson ImprIson- m mint ment nt For the enlightenment of your readers will you please state your position on this case calli that is creating so 10 much interest and discussion dis- dis cUllion in in Utah TAXPAYER We Ve will gladly answer Taxpayers query as we believe it the duty o op a a newspaper to make mako known its views on subjects affecting pu public lIc policy I The Telegram has expressed no opinion heretofore that would Justify any one In thinking that we believe the law should be set aside for Harry Harr Brewer This paper has been free with the use of its columns for those readers reader wild wished to express sympathy for the young slayer whose right to live was wa declared forfeited by twelve citizens of Utah sitting in Judgment on his case The same space would have been gladly given to other readers had the they wished to argue the question from the standpoint of law enforcement The Tho Telegram has endeavored to give Brewer an absolutely square deal dea In Its stories stones and If those stories have seemed to express this papers paper's belief belle that sentiment should block the course of Justice they have baTe been misinterpreted In discussing this case we wish It to be known at the start that we are not expressing any opinion whatever on the great problem as to whether capital punishment should be retained or abolished We We are not even CONSIDERING THE SERIOUS PROBLEM OF WHETHER SOCIETY HAD THE RIGHT TO TAKE HUMAN HUMA LIFE TO PROTECT PRO- PRO PROTECT PROTECT ITSELF In replying to Taxpayer the editor of The Telegram will confine h himself him m meU sell self to a discussion of the Brewer case as compared with cases of other men condemned to death In tn this state Not the right of the state to demand the extreme penalty but the question of Whether Brewer Is entitled to SPECIAL CONSIDERATION AND MERCY will wUl be discussed Brewer went forth to commit robbery He took an older man with him I Both u carried earned guns why SO THAT IF ANY ONE HAD TO DIE IN THE COURSE OF THEIR r r THIEVERY IT WOULD BE NEITHER OF THEM Like all aU burglars who seek without labor to live Uve off ort the earnings of or honest hones t folks Brewer and De Pretto made up their minds that they would klU j if necessary ary to get et their loot EVERY BURGLAR BURGLAR MUST kEACH THAT DECISION BEFORE HE GOES FORTH FORT TO BREAK I- I ITO INTO TO ANOTHER MANS MAN'S HOUSE And Ind to that degree murder is S premeditated when he commits Jt it When cn in deliberation a a. a person sets out to do an evil deed and ends enda by 1 r LL commuting a u graver g graver vel crime the laws b holds hIm of maliciously committing committing com com- the one that calls for the more severe severo punishment This Is Just No Noone Noone Noone one can deny its fairness Why does Taxpayer suppose the law does not make burglary punishable punishable puniShable punish punish- able b by death What About There is a good reason for not doing so If U that called for the death penalty then burglars would kill ALL those they robbed Their punishment would be no harder their chances of escape would be improved for dead men tell no tales tale Therefore when a burglar does kill kilt the law feels that he should be more severely than the one who runs rons when his presence is detected ThU view of It discourages murder The attorney for Brewer Drewer told the pardons board that thousands of Salt Lakers Latera would do the same as Brewer did if tr placed In a similar position OF COURSE THEY WOULD PRACTICALLY EVERY MAN IN THE CITY WOULD WOrLD THINK OF IllS HIS OWN SAFETY FIRST EVEN TO THE POINT OF SHOOTING A FELLOW A-FELLOW HUMAN WHEN FEAR GRIPPED HIS HEART AND HE CONSIDERED IT A QUESTION OF 01 HIS LIFE OR OH THE TilE THEOTHER THEOTHER OTHER MAyS MANS Who placed Brewer in a position where he lie had to make the decision that cost poor Eugene Allen his life and left his aged mother a widow without the support she had learned to lean upon No one dragged him into the store that Allen was serving lie He went there thereof of his own free will wilt And he went armed with the deliberate intention to kill if tr caught in a trap Allen had no choice in the matter Unarmed he I caught Brewer committing theft and lost his life because Brewer Drewer feared him Brewers Brewer's youth is brought into the case That always appeals to women We will ask them if it isn't a a. little late to bring up that point as a reason reason rea rea- I son why executions in Utah should cease What about Julius whose bones long ago were turned to ashes by bythe bythe the quicklime in which murderers' murderers bodies rest Why didn't his tender years snatch Harry Thorne Thome from Crom the death chair He was little more than a mere boy when the riflemen ended his career of crime was inoffensive gentle in manner manner AND AND A GENIUS He had no such record of profligacy and crime as Brewer has lIe He had spent more of his days in honest toll toil No diamonds glittered on his fingers but in his hands showed that he had earned his bread by hard labor Temi Temporarily out of a Job went forth to steal BUT DUT HE WAS VAS NOT OF THE TIIE DAREDEVIL kind reckless with OTHER PEOPLES PEOPLE'S LIVES I What did he take on his fateful trip to steal food money Nothing fn the world but a harmless saw the tool with which he often worked went in inthe the day time and did not count on having to kill If necessary ary sary sary to secure the loot he was after THE GUN USED WAS IN TilE THE HOUSE OF HIS VICTIM VICTIM- NOT IN POCKET He He- was not only surprised and ami frightened but he was attacked by a strong strong trong courageous athletic young man He had to fight Brewers Brewer's victim laid no hand upon him In prison made friends and won sympathy by the gentleness of his lis nature by the genius he displayed as an artist and as an inventor lIe He demonstrated by his ability that his life was valuable BUT IT WAS VAS NOT SPARED HE DIED TO SET A AN EXAMPLE THAT WOULD MAKE OTHERS DREAD THE HE CONSEQUENCES CONSEQUENCE OF SLAYING THEIR FELLOW MEN Pleas Plead are made for Brewer because he was early in life thrown in n with evildoers tenths Nine-tenths of the men mep who have paid the death penalty in Utah had lad the same excuse Hundreds now in this city are prowling about at night with rowdies refusing to heed any warning scorning the pleas of their mothers to leave the path they are following to certain ruin Harry Thorne went that route But he was much younger than Harry Brewer when the firing squad faced him Thorne and a 1 much older man named Riley went to the George Fassell grocery and meat store to rob the cash register Brewer Drewer and his older companion com corn panion anion De Pretto went to the store in Bingham to loot it Thorne thought Fassell assell was reaching for a gun and killed him Brewer Drewer thought Allen might have a gun and killed him Both Thorne and Rile Riley were shot at the state prison though Riley Hiley cursed his lis young oung pal for Cor bungling the Job at the store Sentiment vs Justice The law held both guilty guilt of premeditated murder because while the they had set out perhaps only to commit robbery their scheme ended in a killing Asboth As Asboth Asboth both planned the robbery both were held equally guilty of the major crime The cases of Thorne and Brewer are practically identical only Thorne had lad a better excuse for life than Brewer Drewer has if youth is to be considered Sirma had many more excuses in his favor than Brewer Drewer has The principal prin cipal one was that he did not enter the Karrick home armed UNLESS THE PARDONS BOARD HAS ADOPTED A NEW POLICY FOR THE TREATMENT OF MURDERERS IN UTAH THERE IS NO REASON REASON REASON REA REA- SON THAT WE CAN SEE WHY ANY EXCEPTION SHOULD BE MADE FOR HARRY BREWER won lIas He has won sympathy purely on sentimental grounds His pictures in the l' l newspapers newspapers' would appeal to many for Cor a handsome man like a pretty girl always has admirers and always gets the best of it Brewer has a delightful personality Even the newspaper reporters blase as a rule role cynical calloused to the usual appeals of mere sentiment havo have Invariably wanted to give Brewer a shade of advantage in every line they have written about him He has a WINNING PERSONALITY HE HAS HASGOOD HASGOOD HASGOOD GOOD LOOKS At the board of pardons meeting he made a fine showing Brewer is a romantic adventurer a good dresser a dashing sort of fel fel- low Thorpe was blessed with none of these characteristics He lie had no ability to make friends or win sympathy BUT WAS THIS ANY REASON WHY HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SHOT WHILE BREWER WAS TO BE DE FAVORED of Justice has always been pictured blindfolded as she held the scales In her hand This typified the fairness and lack of Impartiality expected I I of the law Justice Is not suppo supposed ed to know whether a person up for judgment judg ment Is agreeable or disagreeable In personality whether he is good to look upon or ugly whether he Is sorry for his crime or defiant whether he would be useless as a citizen If given another chance or whether he would be valuable to the world If Utah is to adopt a new policy and follow follo the theory that the state no longer has the moral right to take a human life as warning to others criminally crimi crimi- criminally nally inclined then a different field for argument Is opened and the law must be changed If H the policy is to remain th the same and Brewers Brewer's case is merely considered considered considered con con- on its own merits compared with previous cases handled in this commonwealth commonwealth commonwealth com com- the editor has to answer Taxpayer b by saying that he can see no le legal al reason wh why the sentence of the trial court should be set aside We are not thinking of Brewer when we say this If we did we might beas be beas beas as sentimental as some other people No normal human being could contemplate con con- contemplate template such an ending for a mortal without having pity for him regardless regardless regardless regard regard- less of his deeds We are thinking of the thousands who deserve protection who toil for their living as Eugene Allen AUen In Bingham toiled who have a a aright right to what they earn without constantly being in fear of meeting a burglar in their I home with a gun In his hand and murder In his heart |
