Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-12-27
rardsns Granted.

M
The fd5owiIg petition was, on Christmas
day, addressed to his. Excellency, Gov.
John G. Brown: -
1.-THE undersigned, officers Of The Peni-
tertiary, respectfully ask your Excellency
for tie following Cristmas gift pardons, viz:
Abraham -Burchett, white, Of the county OF
Washington; j. c. Sealf, white. Of the coun-
ty eff Davidson; John S. Walker, white, of
the county of Knox; Ellis Mclean, col
ored, Of the county Of Henry; and Thos.
Caldwell, colored, of the county Of Maliry.
The above prisoners, by uniform good
conduct, have given unmistaken evidences
of reformation, and We believe the pardons;
for such reasons, viii have salutary effect
upon the morals and discipline Of the
prison. Very respectfully, 49,
i9.,,s T. a. ATcHIsON.
4. G. McNAIRY.
j. d. NANCY.
JOHN CHUMBLEY, Warden.
FRANK Y. Bench, d. Warden.
F JOHN L. BEAU1IAN, Supt.
w. ID. F. SAwRIE, Chaplain"
Fer the reasons stated in the latter part
of the above petition, il has been customary
for the officers of the prison to ask of the
Governor, each Christmas, pardoGs for those
who by good uniform conduct give signs OF
reformation. etc. ....-.-.,.s.
In reply to this petition, Gov. Brown sent
letter to the officers of the prison, refusing
to pardon Burchett, who had committed
the murder for which he was sentenced
without any p-ovocation, and while in a
state of intoxication. .The jury had given
him credit for being drunk, inasmuch as
they spared his life, by returning a verdict
of twenty years Imprisonment, of which
he has served five." The Governor, among
other reasons for not granting the pardon,
stated that ssthe last five or six years had
developed such disregard for human life,
| that mercy to murderers must be
| melted out with a sparing hand" and
that while he could not doubt the honest yof
the officers in asking the pardon for. reasons
given in the petition, he had received infor-
| nation from other sources that led him to
| know there had been no cause for and no
palliatiOn of the murder, except whisky"
Burchett, who is thirty-three years of
age, was sentenced to twenty years i'm
| prisonment, at the July term of the Circuit
| Court of Greene county for killing a man
named Josiah Conally. t eva
| John C.. Scalf, fromDavidson county, was
sentenced by the Criminal Court to five
years Imprisonment from which having
taken an appeal to the Supreme Court the
sentence was affirmed at its July term in
1868.
John S. Walker was convicted Of horse
stealing by The Circuit Court of Knox
county at its June term in 1866, and
sentenced to ter years Imprisonment.
| Ellis Mclean, for receiving goods stolen
by his wife, was sentenced 10 four years i'm
prisOnment, upon conviction of the
above offense by the Circuit
Court of Henry county, at its October term,
| 1868.
Thomas Caldwell, for a like offence,
was convicted by the Circuit Court of
Maury county, at its January term, 1868, to
five years Imprisonment. In addition to
the uniform good conduct as evidences Of
reformation, other reasons, such as bad
health and non-complicity in the crimes for
which they were convicted, were urged by
the officers in their petitions for pardons,
which were granted to the other four per-
sons.