Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-09-02
The Pardon of the KidnnPpers-DraytO
and SaYers.

The Pardon of tin e X idnnPpers-DFaytOn
and Sayers.
The democratic papers and speakers are
attempting to make stir about the par
don of couple of kidnappers by Mr. Fill
more. The following article from the
Washington Organ puts quietus upon the
affair." "
The CASE OF DRAYToN AND SAYERs.-The
Richmond Enquirer OF yesterday, republishes
from the Alexandria Sentinel, certain anOny-
nous correspondence, over the signsture of
"Quantico," prepared with the manifest pur-
pose of creating q false impression as to the
propriety of Mr. Fillmore's course in dscharg.
ing these two men from Imprisonment, after
more than four years incarceration, for their
offence, in attempting unsuccessfully to depOrt
some seventy odd slaves from this District, in
April 1s48.
A plain statement of the facts of the case,
and of the proceeding which followed, will
enable every man to form his own opinion of
the propriety of Mr.. Fillmore's action in the
premises.
10 April, lS48, seventy-odd slaves were con-
cealed by the parties named, in a vessel lying
in the Potomac river, and they attem pied to
transport them to the North, but were over
hauled near the mouth Of the river and brought
back, and the SLdUeS returned TO their OoRsrS
In the Spring of l849, DraytOn and Sayers
were each tried and convicted, and sentenced
each to pay fines amounting in the aggregate
10 some 900 each, and to be committed to
jail till the fines and casts were paid.
The fines against Drayton were $l4G and
costs in each OF the seventy-tour cases and
those against Sayers were 500 each, and costs
ope-half of which fines were, by law, to be
paid TO the owners of the slaves. These men,
being unable to pay the fines, were imprisoned
for four yours, and were still in prison when,
in the month of May, 1852, petitions were
presented to the President for their liberation,
Oh the grounds that, they had beer sufficiently
punished for an unsuccessful attempt to de-
prive the owners of their property-that they
were poor ard wholly unable even to pay the
6nes-that the government was supporting
these men in prison, and had already incurred
heavy expenditure on their account, and that
one of the parties had already suffered greatly
in his health by the confinement.
With this preliminary account of the case,
we here republish letter from the Hon. S. G
Haven, who, having examined the papers in
the case, makes the following statement, to
wit:
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Washington, August 8, 1856.
DEAR SIR: | have looked into the facts in
regard TO the release of Daniel Drayton and
Edward Ssyers who were convicted in May,
lS49, for transporting slaves at Washington,
&c.
The facts are briefly these: Drayton and Saysrs
we're each convicted in seventy-odd cases, and
fined under the act Of the Assembly of Mary land Of
1896, chapter 81. Drayton was fined $40 aud
costs in each case, one half the fine going, under
the act, TO the owner of the slaves, and IL was
part Of the sentence, or order OF the court in each
case, that they be committed TO Jail IRE until the
fine and costs were paid.
10 April 1852, after the prisoners had been
in Jail, at the costs of the government, four
wears, upon petition of various persons
throughout the country, and proof of the
poverty of the prisoners, and that the health
Of one them was greatly impaired 10y his
confinement, and upon the written appca-
ton, | think, of twenty one of the forty zone
owners uf the slaves transported, and a law
argument by Senator Sumner, as TO the
power of the President 10 pardon, the Pre-
sident was asked to pardon the prisoners.
All these papers were referred by the Pre-
sident TO tie then Attorney General, Mr..
Crittenden, for his opinion, rs to whether
the President had power to pardon SO as t.
lessen the rights of the owners of the slaves
10 their portions Of the fines. 10 August
the Attorney General laid before the Pre~i.
dent very able and lengthy opinion on the
subject, which, amongst other things, affirm
ed the power Of the President in the pre-
misses.
Upon this opinion, and the application Of
the owners above mentioned, the President,
Mr.. Fillmore, directed the Secretary Of State,
Mr.. Webster, not to pardon, but TO grant,
both To SAyer and Drsyton, remission from
that part Of the punishment imposed by the
court which ordered them TO be imprisoned
until the fines aud costs were paid, but ex-
pressly reserviDg In the remission the right OF
al the owners, as well those who petit
toned for the pardon, as those who did not,
the right TO collect the fines BY any lawful
means other tbsn the continuance OF the inn
prisonmenL from which they were thereby
discharged.
Whether there was q requisition In the
hands OF ony one, issued By Governor Smith
four years before, does not appear; II there
was, the President had nothing 20 do with that
or the further disposed Of the criminsls, after
the Official signature snd seal was pat 70 the
remission.
learned these facts from Q perusa Of the