September 27, 1920, to Doherty

Dear Sir,

I write to ask your clemency for the miserable woman Mrs. Gagnon, condemned to be hanged this week. I do not minimize the horror of the crime for which she has been condemned but I have been convinced ever since I read the reports of the trial that the woman is not normal. In my capacity as a clergyman I have come into contact with human nature in its various manifestations and have seen a good deal of the seamy side of existence. From this and considering the evidence at the trial and the condition in which the woman was I am quite convinced that she is not normal. The further fact of her present motherhood would seem to me to make her hanging a greater horror than even that of which she has been guilty.

I hope it may be possible to commute her sentence to life impriso[illegible] and so give her time to repent. We have been so long as the justice [illegible] fail. I beg to remain sincerely yours.

R.Y. Overing, Rector, St. Mary's Church, Montreal.