Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-04-02

Just as our paper was going to press, we received
an extra of the American Citizen, Philadelphia, con-
tanning copy Oft letter addressed to the Governor Of
Maryland by the Rev. Mr. Phelps and Professor Cleve-
land in which they recite the steps which they have
taken in behalf of Mr. Torrey, and the course Of
equvocation and delay which the authorities Of Mary
land have seen fit to pursue They say the funds IN
their hands were raised under the express stipulation
that no money was to be paid until Mr.. Torrey was
restored to full liberty in Philadelphia. They then 90
to say, that afterwards, the applications of Mr.. and
Mrs Torrey the Massachusetts, letter. and other doc
uments were transmitted to the Governor before their
arrangement for satisfying the parties had been con-
cluded thus putting tire case on the Odd of February
wholly into the hands of the Governor, They say
"Our object in this effort, was to restore Mr. Torrey,
to continued life and usefulness and to give his wife
and children husband and father for years tocome;
and that more than two months since, when he might
have been 80 restored to himself and his family, we
were ready to pay all that demanded on his deliv
cry, in case Of pardon, in this city,
Since that period Mr.. Torrry has been brought to
the borders OF the grave and the question of his re-
lease has been placed, in the stated, in the
hands of your Exceencv. 1t has been there more
than three weeks. Meanwhile Mr.. Torrey has been
daily drawing near his end. Remaining where he is,
few weeks must close his eyes in death. Within
three days you have been urged by his venerable faith
er-in-aw to an immediate decision of the affecting
case. Yet your Excellency holds the question of his
release In suspense h, these circumstances ace beg to
say that so far as the application for his release has
been, or mqy be supposed to haze been made under our
direction and by our authority is hereby wh0hy cith-
druten,
1t would be a precious boon, we know, to Mr.. Tor
rey and his family, if he might die in their bosom and
they might have the melancholy pleasure of minister
ing to the dying wants, of closing the dying eye, and
of performing the last offices of affection to the life
less remains Of him they love and honor. All the sym
pathes Of souls plead that he and they may have
it. And pardon us, if we say respectfully, that itseems
to a boon which Maryland at such an hour can well
afford to give. Surely, when the prisoner has more
than borne the penalty of the law interest of Mary
land can suffer, no authority of Maryland can be i'm
paired, and no honor of Maryland can be furnished by
bestowing the small, but to him and them, precious
boon of dying in the bosom of his family
We would gladly bug this boon for them but we
cannot in sympathy for the dying, forget the vng
and in the emotions of the present. forget the dictates
of sober Judgment and the necessities of the future
We must remember the tiping and the future. They
at such an hour, might, and we have no doubt, would
forget both. We cannot. Our Judgment and sympa-
thy alike forbid. We remember the desoate wife and
the fatheress children. We think of them as they
will be when the death scene is over. We know that
their immediate friends are not able though fully dis
posed to give them such aid for the future as they
need. We have funds at our disposal, nwhch we
have no personal interest whatever but which may be
used for the benefit of those to whom those funds
cannot now, originally designed, give back hus
band and father for years to come. In these crcum
Stances after long and careful delberaton, we
not hesitate as to our duty We must care forthe V-
ing, and care for them as they will be when the dying
is in his grave.
In coming to this decision and thus leaving the dy
ing in your Eecellencys hands, is due to Mr. Torreys
immediate friends to say, that wehaye acted in entire
of them and wholly our own respon-
sbility, and according to our own Judgment
Submitting these statements to your excellency's
consideration and praying that in the great day of ac
count your excelency and we and all the parties in
this affecting case may be found to have exercised
such mercy towards our fellow men as to stand ac-
cepted and saved in the clemency of the infinite Ex-
ecutive
We are with due respect,
Your obedent servants,
A. A. PHELPS,
c. D. CLEVELAND.
Philadelphia, March 90, 1896