Mercy in Michigan

Before it modified its habitual criminal law, Michigan had sent six persons to the penitentiary for life as four-time violators of the State Prohibition Act. Last week Governor Fred Green, as an act of executive mercy, commuted the sentences of five of the six prisoners, to terms of seven-and-a-half-to-15 years. The sixth lifer had already committed suicide.

When, in December 1928, Mrs. Etta Mae Miller, mother of ten, was sent to jail for life for selling two pints of 'shine, there was such public outcry, within and without the State, against the severity of the law that the Legislature last year made changes which took liquor law violations out of the category of life offenses. For a fourth liquor offense the penalty was fixed at the term to which Governor Green has now reduced the sentences of the five "lifers."

Next day Governor Green instructed his Attorney-General, Wilber M. Brucker, to investigate the State's enforcement officers for negligence in executing the State Prohibition Act, with its minimum mandatory jail sentence of one year for first offenders. Likewise he prepared to secure the necessary appropriations to equip his State police on Prohibition enforcement duty with three bullet-proof automobiles, a dozen bullet-proof vests, six Thompson machine guns, a large supply of tear gas.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.