THE SENTENCE OF DEATH.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16359, 23 February 1921, Page 8

THE SENTENCE OF DEATH.

PETITION FOR COMMUTATION. The sentence of death imposed on i the Tiraaru murderer, Reginald Mat- ; thews, will be carried, out inside a fortnight unless the Cabinet decides to . commute it. A petition is being cireu- > lated by some Labour organisations J praying for the commutation of the ! sentence. It says: “People may sign i this petition either because they ‘object | to capital punishment in general or because, believing otherwise in capital j punishment, they think that in this particular case the sentence should be j commuted in view of the prisoner’s ! heredity and environment.’ 1 An open-air meeting is to be held in ! support of the petition, the speakers I being the Revs Phiiio Carrington, 1 Clyde Carr and John Paterson, Mr E. : J. Howard, M-P., and Mrs Lissaman. ! No word has been received as to j whether the Cabinet has considered the matter yet, but the Minister of Justice is expecting petitions from Invercargill ! and Christchurch. If the death sen- I fence is to be carried out, it will be j within a month of sentence, as three I Sundays are usually allowed to the con- I demned man after sentence. No word ‘ has been received as to whether the execution, if it is to be carried out, will i take place at Paparua or Lyttelton. ; There have been no executions at Papa- i rua so far. but the prison is gazetted j for executions. The scaffold is port- j able, and could be erected anywhere.