The Winchester weekly appeal. [volume] (Winchester, Tenn.) 1856-1856, 1856-08-30
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,,

~
Washington, Aug. s, 1856.
Dear Sir;-I have looked into the facts
in regard to the release Of Daniel Dray.
ton and Edward Saycrs who were con.
victed in May, 1919, for transporting
slaves at Washington, &c.
The facts are briefly these: Drayton
and Sayrcs were each convicted in sew.
cnty odd cases, and fined under the Act
Of the Assembly of Maryland Of 1906,
chapter G.. Drayton was fined $40
and costs in each case, and Sayrcs 500
and costs in each case, one. half the fine
going, under the act, to the owner of the
slaves, and it was part Of the sentence,
or order Of the court in each case, that
they be committed to jail here until the
fine and costs were paid.
In April, 1852, after the prisoners had
been in jail, at the costs Of the govern.
mont, four years, upon petition Of vari.
Gus persons throughout the country, and
proof of the poverty Of the prisoners,
and that the health of one of them was
greatly impaired by his confinement and
upon the written application, think, Of
twenty.one Of the lorty.one owners Of
the slaves transported, and law argu.
ment by Senator Sumner, as to the power
of the President to pardon, the President
was asked to pardon the prisoners.
All these papers were referred by the
President to the then Attorney General,
Mr.. Critenden, for his opinion as to
whether the President had power to par
don so as to lessen the rights of tic
owners Of the slaves to their portions of
the fines. In August the Attorney Gen.
eral laid before the President a very able
and lengthy opinion on the subject,
which, amongst other things, affirmed the
power Of the President in the premises
Upon this opinion, and the application
OF the owners alb owe mentioned, the Pres.
ident, Mr.. Fill lmore, directed the Secrc.
tary Of State, Mr.. Webster, not to par.
don, but to grant, both 10 Sayer and
Dray ton, remission from that part Of
the punishment imposed by the court
which ordered them to be imprisoned until
the fines and costs were paid, but express
ly reserving in the remission the right Of
all the owners, as well as those who pcti.
toned for the pardon, as those who did
not, the right TO collect the fines by any
lawful mcansother than the continuance
of the imprisonment, from which they
were thereby discharged.
Whether there was rcqnisition in the
hands of any one, issued by Governor
Smith four years before, does not appear;
but, if there was, the President had moth
ing to do with that, or the further aispo'
sition Of the criminals, after the official
signature and seal was put to the rcms'
sion.
learned these facts from perusal OF
the papers, on file in the Secretary oil
States Office, yesterday but the clerk
having them in charge said he had direc'
tons not TO allow copies or extracts to
be taken; and upon communicating that
fact to Mr.. Marshall, the House, on his
motion, made a CAN for the papers. As
soon as the papers are published you will
be enabled to see that, so far from any
improper act on the part Of Mr. Fillmore
he only performed an official duty that
any fair man could not properly refuse
In doing so he released the government
from a continually accruing expense IN
keeping and boarding the prisoners, and
in no way created any claim against the
government in behalf of the owners.
Any statement in the communication
signed "Quantico," and published in the
"Sentincl" on the I'd instant, Inconsistent
OF at VARIANCE with the above is incorrect
The above are the facts, as the papers IN
the case will show, and l hope gentlemen
will not do themselves more harm in mis-
stating the facts, than a true state OIL
them will do Mr.. Fillmore good, when
the public come to know what the lac's
are. Very truly. yours,
S. G.. HAVEN.
VEsPAsIAY ELLIS, Editor Organ.