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ROBERT ALEXANDER WASON,
SUHTZUSS HOUSE,
NORWALK, CONNECTICUT.

The Governor of Utah,
Salt Lake City,
Utah,

Dear Sir:-

I have tried to show my appreciation of your kindness in sending me a copy of the decision in the Hillstrom case, by reading it with as unbiased a mind as I could bring to bear; but it does not impress me as convincingly as it did the Supreme Court.

Much of this circumstantial evidence is merely coincidental, and I am led to believe that the man's own appearance and manner must have been against him, for an unbiased jury to give him the death sentence. I do not doubt that from a legal standpoint, the Supreme Court, at least I take it that this a supreme court decision, was right; but our legal system is an unwieldy survival of England under monarchial rule in the dark ages, and some of its mistakes have been rather horrible.

From Merlin's testimony, the motive was clearly revenge and not robbery, as the assassin's first words were, "We have got you, now"; and he immediately fired. A robber would only have risked attracting attention after his demand for spoil had been refused and resistence had been offered. To make the revenge motive convincing, it would be necessary to show some former relation between Morrison and the defendant. It is not uncommon for police officers to win enemies.

The real weakness of the case, to my mind, was in the failure of Mrs. Seely to positively identify the man. Untrained persons do not remember, or rather do not recollect distinctive features so accurately as they do the impression of identity in its completeness, and she had every advantage for accurate observation. On the other hand, some natures are too weak to be positively affirmative, and her evidence read to me like honest testimony----with the man's distinctive features impressed upon her mind by the prosecuting attorney.