Thursday, June 19, 2025

Governor Considering Clemency in Capital Cases, June 20, 1925

Governor Acts on Capital Felonies. . . Clemency Extended to a Mecklenburg County Negro

Raleigh News & Observer

Governor A.W. McLean yesterday took final action in two capital cases, announcing he would not interfere with the execution of George Love, negro, of Haywood county, who is to die by electrocution at 10:30 o’clock this morning, and granting a commutation to life imprisonment for Alex Rodman, negro, of Mecklenburg county. The governor issued lengthy statements in both cases.

After this morning at 10:30 there will be only two inmates of death row, Cheatman Evans of Nash, who has been declared insane, and who has been reprieved to September; and Arthur Montague of Burke, who has appealed to the Supreme Court from conviction for a criminal assault upon an inmate of the State institution for the Deaf at Morganton.

Love, who is to die today, killed Bill Brock, a white man, nearly three years ago, and has been twice convicted, the Supreme Court granting a new trial following the first conviction.

Rodman, who was commuted to life imprisonment yesterday, was convicted in February 1924 one year after Love’s first conviction, and has been reprieved four times, his case having been originally considered along with that of Jim Collins, Anson county negro, who was electrocuted two weeks ago. Efforts were made by disinterested parities to save both negroes, but there was not near the pressure for the extreme penalty in the Rodman case as there was in the Collins case. Collins killed A.C. Sedberry, member of a prominent Anson county family, and his relatives followed the case through to the bitter end.

In the Rodman case, Governor McLean comments on the fact that the negro was tried by Judge A.M. Stack, with little opportunity given counsel to prepare their defense.

From page 5 of The Concord Daily Tribune, Saturday, June 20, 1925

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1925-06-20/ed-1/seq-5/

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