TEN REPRIEVES

Taranaki Daily News, 16 August 1929, Page 9

TEN REPRIEVES

MURDERER CHEATS ELECTRIC CHAIR. MAN WITH FALSE LEG. All America is talking about the most reprieved man in the world. Ten times the death sentence was to have been carried out and ton times he has escaped the electric chair. This elusive person is Juan Flores, and still his lawyers are hopeful of finally cheating the dread chair.

In fact, they have stated that they are more hopeful than they have ever been from the moment of the first reprieve two years ago, when the electric chair had been specially prepared for the execution.

The special preparation was made necessary because Juan Flores is a cripple and has a false left leg. In the case of Flores it was necessary to wire the chair afresh to make the connection available for the right leg. ANOTHER “FINAL DAY.” This has now been done twice, but each time, at the last minute ,the lawyers managed to get a further “stay of execution.” Since then the hour of death has been fixed eight times and each time has the order been cancelled. He was convicted of killing a boy of 15 under dramatic circumstances at San Antonio. Meanwhile the law reform party of the United States are quoting this case and similar cases as arguments for the complete reorganisation of the criminal law to prevent the scandal by which a man with money and clever lawyers can defeat justice for several years. The gamble with the death chair has reached such a pitch in many parts that books are made on such cases as that of Flores, odds being laid as to the chances of execution. -