New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-05-13
r..e Of BENJAMIN Rathbun.
EXECUTIVE DEPAKTsEST,
Albany, Nay 8, lsf@

EXECUTIVE DEP,KTNEST,
Albany, May 5, lef@
S.v.ral respectable CITIZENS, some OF whom &C.
i'd. IN Buffalo, aud odcr- 10 Batavia together
Win NOR than iity member. ct Legislature rep.
re..nting various parts Of iho STATE, nave uiiie"
in express wish that ! would reconsider ID!
decision made in May, 30, denying an 'pl"c"'
ton for a pardon to Boalamin BathDun'
The u.t,tio.er. admit that that Application wa
premature. and that me grounds uPoh WHO"
Wa. denied were .atisfac ;ory-but they express
bo,e ,b,, tim. NAV have wrought such chang
il, ,b ci,cun.fanccs of the case a. TO pcrialt thc
u,i.on,r'. release consistently with the public wei
arc Time often produces ,uch a change q CIR
,..,o.,a.ce. a. j. thus Supposed. and sucn result
wopd be- exceedingly agreeable 10 me IN the pre-
sent ca,c.
/, viii be remembered that !; appeared, when
rho admiration was considered, thar the prisoner
had bccn many years engaged ia mercantile trans.
actions banking, building, common carrying ana
purchasing. improving. AID selling real estate III
which mufifariou, busincs. be had employed Tor
II long time. two ths3-and a5of.f' De'i0'' near
an lnindr-l ases'- assistants, caf'meH a'u owl
seers--had the c1otrol oi several 5"h"'' an" Mp
financial ag.nts d. Buffalo AMI Nrf-i oiN' lN'' i"'
daily payments exceeded ten thoI'a'h uo'd'''
and III. wat fna cal operations ahcct'h t"e '-''
nc, market ihrOue hOut the whole c9uil! 'ha'
,Lr.c extensive financial operations were ior
long time carried b. means OF sAi.liuiiy Or
,anized system ior executing and putting into mar
ket forced checks, notes aud bIs oi exchange
purror,ing to oiargr more than twelve persons oi
Isrg,. estates and credit, and il fact drawing al
their credit into requ-iuon to sustain the prison
err embarrassed fortune at tho cNPcn.e oi ctr
zen. who rcp.,ed confidence IA lne integrity ct
the prisoner and the financial ability OF the per-
sons who-c signatures were thus tIauduleHtly used
So extensive was this system and 80 perfect the
management, that he prisoner was unable To dIs-
,ingush the spuriOu. paper from that when wa,
genuine without referring to private MARKS ana
memoranda When the discovery ct the crimes
took place, it was found that forged paper repre-
s.niing more thun million and halt OF dollars
Wa u circ.laiion, AID I'M, probably les THAI
Il thiu of the whole amount for winch false paper
had been issued by tbs prisoner
1t appeared also on the previous examination 81
the case that tie prisoner, if he did not initiate
hi. Younger brothcr- and 1.-Two nePhcws into tins
.ch me nf wickcdncss at least unhosltaitsly en-
conraeed them in it tor a long time, for his cHclu
sivc benefit. aud that when the exposure TOOK
place be- unjusdy cndeavorcd to make them re-
spon,iblc ior al the iorgcries, and to secarc hs
aronittal upon the erosnd Of Ia, entire ignorance
Of those transactions.
1t appeared farther that a, least ,N indictments
were pending against the prisoner, al that he
was exposed to similar prosecutions to an unlin-
tied extent Yet the prisoner MAS ony once con
yictcd nud VA held to answer 10 the laws Of hi,
count, for only one Of such a multitude OF high
offences.
Under these circumstances II was concluded that
the selection Of Byninnn Rath5un 10 be- rrciPi-
cnt Of Executive clcmency would have ol injurious
effect by impainus the public conhd'nce IN Inc
firm and equal administration oi justice. M
high excitement uadcr which the prisoner iapored
durn, the period when hi. offence wu' committed
his previous good character, his cn''rPr-i"S oi--
POSITION aud The great public u-einlncs', tn" deep
allliction of MS family AID rcln.cs AID thc sym
patlv of his fellow citizens. were all COZ ,idrfcd:
but they seemed Insufficient to justify III" InciPo-
-ition of the Executive department Is his behalf.
The chief feature, OF jh, ca,e remain Unchanged
and unhappy can never be- forgotten, and am
obliged. therefore, Ia conclude that the decision
before made oulht not to'hc reversed.
WILLIAM II. SEW ARD.
The Honorable Mr.. Casc,
OF the Assembly, Buffalo.