Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-01-07
Pardon of Another Cuban Prisoner

Pardon of Another Cuban Prisoner
In September, the following touching
letter was addressed by Mrs. Ophelia p.
Talbot, of New Orleans, to President Fill.
more, soliciting him to intercede with the
Spanish Government for the release other
son, James M. Wilson, one of the Lopez
expeditionists, who was captured and sent
to Spain:
NEW ORLEANS, Sept "a, 1851.
Dear Father Of orr Coaafly To you
] look for help. My dear son is one of
the unfortunate prisoners TO Spain. He
is all the child 1 have; is only nineteen
years old--not twenty-five as stated
He was innocent and transporting and
the more easily duped. He saw no means
of making support for himself and me-
we being poor could getn employment;
my health was bad he therefore hoped
to do something by going to Cuba, But,
alas, / am worse than poorl Death
would have been more welcome. His
father died when he was very young, ia
Texas, which makes him more dear TO me,
OIL cruel fate, why have lived TO see
this I? Perhaps to suit some wise design.
Gods win be done, not mine have
prayed for his life from the time he left
lit was spared, Dear President, viii it
be possible for you to do anything 2 Can
you comfort me? am wearing away.
Methinks cannot bear up under the idea
of ten years imprisonment-perhaps exc
cuted, or detained for life, or the climate
cause his death, feel for all of them.
and pray for all 1t was not my win that
he should go; he was seduced into 1t by
others. Dear father of the land of my
birth, can you do anything? Will you
ask for their released Methinks you will,
and it will be granted. Will you feel of
Tended with me for appealing to you for
comforts If so beg pardon. My dis
tress has stimulated me to venture to dare
to address the President. To whom else
could look for comfort? If you could
but see me, know you would pity me.
If any one knew had approached you,
they would think presumed too much;
Perhaps 1 do; yet methinks you will
view it in charity. Will you try to do
something for their releaseT With all
due respect to your eXcellency,
OPHELIA p. TALBOT.
To his excellency President FILLNoRE.
This letter was sent by the Secretary!
oil OLaLe 10 Tue spanish tulnASIcIb III w dSu-
ing ruu, aud The lvth ,alt,, Mr., webster
addressed letter to Mrs. Talbot, con-
graduating her that the Queen of Spain
had not only pardoned her son, but had
furnished him also from her own private
purse the means to return speedily to his
home.
The note from the Spanish Minister, to
which Mr.. Webster refers, says:
"The simple and touching terms in
which the letter describes the despair of
the mother, deprived of her only son, have
not failed to affect the benevolent heart Of
Her Majesty, ever ready to stretch forth
the hand of mercy to the unfortunate
whilst the religious resignation of the wri-
ter still more strengthens Her Maiesty's
desire to confirm her in her pious conf
dence. Therefore, setting aside, in this
case, every other consideration than that
of restoring happiness to an unfortunate
mother by restoring to her the son, it has
pleased the Queen to make use of tho pre-
rogative conceded to her by the laws. and
to pardon the prisoner James M. Wilson.
And her majesty, wishing that no delay
may occur in the execution of her kind
design, has given orders that the expen-
SEES of the voyage of the prisoner Wilson
to New Orleans shall be paid out of her
own private purse, so that the inexperien-
ced and erring young man may return as
soon as possible to the arms of his discon-
ISOLATE mother"