Daily American organ., 1856-08-23
The Case of Drayton and Savers.

|
The Richmond Enquirer of yesterday, re.
publishes from the Alexandria Sentinel, GER
tain anonymous correspondence, over the sig
nature Of "Quantico," =" prepared with the man.
| ifest purpose of CT eating false impression as
to the propriety of Mr.. Fillmores course in
discharging these two men from Imprisonment,
after more than four gears incarceration for
their offence, in attempting unsuccessfully to
deport some seventy-odd slaves from this Dis
trict, in April l849.
A plain statement of the facts of the case
and of the proceedings which followed, will
enable every man to form his own opinion of
the propriety Of Mr.. Fillmores action in the
premises.
In April, 1S48, seventy-odd slaves were con-
cealed by the parties named, in a,vessel lying
in the Potomac river, and they attempted to
transport them to the North, but we're over
hauled near the mouth of the river and brought
back, and the Sldoes returned to their osoners
In the Spring of 1849, Drayton and Sayers
were each tried and convicted, and sentenced
each to pay fines amounting in the aggregate
to some $4,000 each, and to be committed to
Jail till the fines and costs were paid
The fines against Drayton were $40 and
costs in each of the seventy-four cases, and
those against Sayers were 800 each and costs,
one-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 gears, and were still in prison when,
| in the month of May, 1862, petitions were
presented to the President for their Liberation,
on the grounds that, they had been sufficiently
| punished for an unsuccessful attempt to de-
prive the owners of their property-that they
were poor and wholly unable even to pay the
fines--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 repubsh letter from the Hon. S. G..
Haven, who, having examined the papers in
the case, makes the following statement, to wit:
! HOUSE or REPRESENTATIVES,
4 Washington, August 5, 1855
DEAR SIN ! have looked into the facts in re-
| gard to the release of Daniel Drayton and Edward
porting slaves at Washington, &c.
The facts are briefly these Drayton and Sayers
were each convicted in seyanty-odd cases, and
fined under the ct of the Assembly of Maryland
of 1896 chapter 67. Drayton was fined 81 40 and
costs in each case and Sayers 800 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, 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 government, four years,
upon petition of various persons throughout the
country and proof of the poverty of the prisoners
and that the health of one of them was greatly i'm
paired by his confinement, and upon the written
application, think, of twenty-one of the fortyone
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
I to the then Attorney General, Mr.. Crittenden,
D for his opinion, to whether the President had
power to pardon SO as to lessen the rights Of the
owners of the slaves to their portions of the fines,
In August the Attorney General laid before the
President very able and lengthy opinion on the
subject, which, amongst other things, affirmed the
b power of the President in the premises.
Upon this opinion, and the application Of the
q owners above mentioned the President, Mr.. Fill
more directed the Secretary of State, Mr.. Web.
:, ster not to pardon, but to grant, both to Sayer
d and Drayton, 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 expressly reserving in the remission
the right of all the owners, as well as those who
! pettoned for the pardon, as those who did not
the right t. collect the fines by any lawful means
I other than the continuance of the Imprisonment
! from which they were thereby discharged.
Whether there was requisiton in the hands o
any one, issued by Governor Smith four years
before, does not appear; but if thers was, th'
President had nothing TO do with that or the fur
ther disposition Of the criminals after the ofica
signature and seal was put to the remission.
n learned these facts from perusal of the pa
y pers, fe in the Secretary of States Office yes
: terday; but the clerk having them in charge saiC
he had directions not allow copies extracts te
q be taken; and upon communicating that fact tc
! Mr. Marshall, the House, on his motion, made a
call for the papers. As soon as the papers are
: published you viii be enabled to see that, SO Gar
from any improper act on the part Of Mr., Fillmore,