The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1832-11-14
From The National Gucttte.
ARINET LITER ATITR r..

A private letter of Mr.. Gowen to the
President was issued last week. in the
Washington Globe aud the original, or n
copy, must have been furnished for puh'ca-
ton bv the President. This has provoked
the publication of the Presidents letter.
We take bnth as we find them being assured
that the Presidents is exactly given. Who
ever induced him to 40 what might warrant
the printing and diffusion o: ii, is no very dis
Greet friend. the general structure, snh
stance, grammar, orihography, of this Hit
crate compoSition,-whichI IS equally ill-con-
ceived AMI il-wron.ht, form u luhicrous
contrast with the fine rhetorical messages
and letters, the elaborate, sophistical rea-
sonings, and the abstract doctrines, which
have been palmed upon the country with his
signature. Those who have written for
him have never studied dramatic proprie;v
they have gone, almost MS vile as possible.
Of his well-known characteristics except
in the Bank Veto Message, where the claims
of prerOuative, The nnti-cons,tulional no
tions, the arrogant tone, are doubtless il
" good keeping. "-rontormahle Ia his ma
ture and habits. But we must still admire
and worship! Great is the oracle, whatev.
er sounds and pretcnsions it may he made
to utter.
GEN. JACKSON TO Mr. GOWEN.
HERMIrAGE, July %, 1880.
My DR. Sir,
| have just received yours of the Sd in
slant, and hasten 10 answer i. ] regret 1t
learn the great excitement thai has beer
produced on the pardon of WiIson-The
ahsurdly that | should have pardoned vii
son because he was an american. and per
mitted Porter to he hung, hersnse he wa.
an lrshnlan, is too palhahle TO Deserve one
single coamen; from me, when ii is know
my parents were Irish.
The facts as presented in favor of Wilson
were these, upon which he received the
/ pardon.
I Wilson's confession led to the npprehen
( sion of Porter g. associates in the mai! rob
J cry, and to their ultimate convicton-that
! this confession had been licited from WI
son by assurances that it should not be us
/ ed against hun, which promlses.wrre dent
ed upon the trial, and instead of Wilson be-
ing made the witness, lie was convicted up.
/ on his own confession. thus ilicited-that II
/ appeared upon the trial that Wilson was a
/ yonng man, and cucrCed into this daring
/ ROBBERY by Porter & associates, and that sew
I en- OF the jury who tried him, united with
! hundreds of respectable citizens for the par
/ don OF his life. Under these crcumstan-
ces, to have permitted Wilson TO have been
/ hung, would have left an indelihe STAIN up
/ on the character Of our government VIII
sons life was spared. and he left subject to
I 90 years Imprisonment, poor hut nccessa-
/ ~ hoon.* What was Porter's situation as
I preseuted-Not only mail roher, bml
one of the most hardened villansi and cold
blooded murIerers, who had confessed to
the murder of two men for their monyt--
one man near the city of Washington, on
whom he had found but three ninepenHy
pcaces, which so much enraged him that he
cut off his head could such monster in
human shape, let him originate from what
country he might, he pardoned, when rob
cry and crime had become so frequent, that
an example for public safety, bad become
necessary. | do not recollect whether in
any Of the petitions for pardon, the country
of their berth was named--be this rs it may.
! never shall regret my action in this Case
am, very respectfully,
Ni,t