Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-05-20
GOV. BROWNLOW'S CLEMENCY.
From the MurfreesbOro Monitor, 18th.
No social care the gracious lord disdains.
Love prompts to love, and reverence reyeI
ence gains"

1
| No social care the gracious lord disdains.
| Love prompts to love, and reverence rever-
| ence gains
Ned Spencer, col, who was convicted at a
late term of the Criminal Court, of this
county, of grand larceny, and sentenced to
the penitentiary for fifteen years, has been
pardoned by the so-called Governor, and re-
turned to this city, receiving the congratu-
lations of his superiors in robberies, and
enjoying the sympathies, we suppose, OF
those who secured his pardon.
Who could have ever seen any thing great
or good in getting pardon for him, is more
| hopeful of condemned thieves and robbers
being in power in the future than we are.
! Gov. Brownlow never knew or cared for
| Ned Spence until he had him brought to his
| consideration by some one outside of the
| penitentiary for the time being, butdoubtful
in the future.
Pardon has been extended to him through
| the recommendation of some one from this
county; and what their names are, if so,
| should not be left to die in obscurity, and
not receive that expression of public opinion
| which all such receive at the hands of n
| jnstly indignant and retributive public.
His case was the plainest that was ever
| given to a jury to decide. He had been
stealing for years had become an accom-
| plished thief; had stolen enough to COM
mand respect among the greater lights of
| the profession was living to extremes in
extravaganza; drove dashing span, and
was as liberal as a prOfligate inheritOr of
million. He was caught in the act of steal
ing by one of his own color, and it was
hoped that he would be made to suffer for
all the robberies that he had committed
when the sentence of the court was passed
on him. But alas, for human hopes, when
they are centred on punishment to a negro
| for crimes committed nowadays.
1t may be that Ned found special favor
with the Governor without any recOmmen-
dation, but we are compelled to admit that
~we can't see it." Perhaps he has been
pardOned with an express understanding
that he should come back to this city to live,
and to use his stealings to secure the election
ofsome Radical from this county at the next
general election, and to further the two
causes which are identical-for without such
help it is as hopeless as it is disgracing. 1t
is too plain that honest men shun and abhOr
it, with a degree of hatred which is only
equaled by the infamy in which they hold
its advocates and admirers.
The case is hopeless at present; and unless
thieves robbers and murderers enough can
be pardOned to secure success, their cause is
dead and damned beyond redemption, and
the leaders consigned to infamy, to be used
only comparatively when the lowest depths
of hell fail to furnish suitable comparison.
We caution the people everywhere 10 be
to be on their guard for the above mention
ed Ned Spence; grant him no privilege;
forbid him to be seen or come on your
premises; and in this way, if no other he
may be driven to seek shelter from those
who secured his release, and cause a fact to
be brought to light which might otherwise
remain undiscovered:
The pardoning of this robber was an in
tended insult to this community, which no
one cannot fail of seeing-and while we
may under the present rule of civil rights
be powerless to forbid pardoned thieves from
living in our midst; we can watch their acts
in the future, and as it has been proven that
our courts are pOwerless to punish such char
acters, when caught and convicted under the
present rue-it will not, we hope, be called
advocating treason or exciting to insurrec-
ton, when we tell the honest masses it would
be no more than right when you catch
thief in your house or about your premises,
under any suspicious, to shoot him down a.
YOU would one who had come to take your
life. Make stealing a capital offence, pun
ishable 10y death; and while it is known that
the courts are pOwerless TO inflict punish
ment-act on the premises as you would If
one were endeayoring TO take your life-and
they will not be slow TO clear in all such
cases.