SHERIFF IS TOLD TO HOLD UP
Judge Speer Has Passmore Served With Citation of Appeal
Valdosta States Marshal George White Came Down This Morning and Served the Papers Upon the High Sheriff, Thus Staying the Executions of J.G. Rawlings and Alf Moore
(From Tuesday’s Daily)
It is not definitely decided that J.C. Rawlings and Alf Moore will not hang on Friday. A telegram to The Times from Atlanta says that Governor Terrell is conferring with the attorney general about the matter. Solicitor General Thomas this afternoon received a telegram from the governor asking him to come to Atlanta at once, as he and the attorney general desired to confer with him on the Rawlings case.
The governor and the attorney general realize that Attorney Cooper has presented a plea and has made an appeal from Judge Speer’s decision in order to delay matters. For that reason, they are not willing to grant another respite in the case, especially on those grounds. Solicitor Thomas will go to Atlanta tonight and will go from there up into the Nacoochee Valley to visit his family, who are summering there.
In one sense of the word, Rawlings is a prisoner of the United States, his case having been carried to the United States Supreme Court on a writ of habeas corpus, which Judge Speer denied. Having denied the writ of habeas corpus, Judge Speer could not refuse to grant the appeal from his decision, as the right of appeal is the constitutional right of every man. It is said that Lawyer Cooper would have had two grounds for appeal if Judge Speer had denied that.
United States Marshal George White came down from Macon this morning and served upon Sheriff Passmore the papers that will stay the execution of J.G. Rawlings next Friday unless Governor Terrell decides to ignore Cooper’s latest appeal on the ground that time has elapsed.
While Alf Moore’s name is not mentioned in any of the proceedings, it is very likely that the negro will share in the delay which is given to Rawlings. The cases are linked together so that it is almost impossible to separate them.
It is said that the U.S. Supreme Court will meet in October and an effort will be made to hurry up the hearing before that body. In the former hearing, the case was taken up without delay and the decision was announced shortly afterward. So, it looks now as if Rawlings will live to enjoy sugar cane from the fall crop if he does not hear Christmas firecrackers again.