Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1872-04-11
Chief Clerk read as follows

-latain. .tAe Senate.on the Amnesty Bill
we abserye with surprise and lndlgna-
ton that we have been charged directly
srfd indirectly with heing connected with
the Ku-Klux organization in South Car
DINA.
it has been declared on the floor OF the
Senate that there is now IN the posses
sion Of the Executive Departments OF the
Gc%efnm eit Of Tire United States, eVl-.
dsnce wfiich showss that! we are at thisE
moment. OF were a m6H.h ago; tho ad-
yisory board Of the Ku-KluX KAN. Ihese
are grave charges, cmanating as they 90
from a Senator of tho United States, and
promulgated as they We're before the
highest legislative tribunal of the conn
try. Appfeifeating that 9ttr silence ON
the subject, which so nearly touches our
honor and reputation, may be construed
into an admission Of guilt, we have re-
paired to the Capitol. to meet these char
ges andseel tlrough you, the represen-
tatiyes of south Carolina IN the Senate,
onr Sindieationfro sthesenegradmgim-
putations, by the presentation, IN some
proper way, Of this comnnnncatlon pe-
fore the same trlbunai III "aich. siie5
were announced.
Any charge that we, or either Of US,
have ut any time aided, allotted, coun-
seled, countenanced or approvedthe Ku-
Klux or any unlawful association In
South Carolina, in any violation OF lazy
or the rights :of citizens Of any class is,
utterly and entirely false, whatever be-
the evidence on which the same is based.
IF the Executive Departmenthasi in Its
possession, as is alleged, the evidence OF
our cemplicity with these otfenses, we
can only say that we hold ourselves In
readiness, rat all times, to establish our
innocence before tho proper legal trf1u-
nal and the enlightened public opinion
of the country.
Very respectfully,
Your obedieAt servants,
J. b. KERSHAW,
Nd. C. BUTLER.
To Hon. II. ]. Robertson and Hon. +. A.
Sawyer, United States Senate.
Mr. Robertson, Mr.. President, this let
ter has been in my hands for some time,
but ON. account Of indisposition, and on
account of other matters interfering, !
have not presented it at an earlier period.
had hoped to bring up the Amnesty Bill,
ON which matters pertaining to my State
would come up, and would have the let
Ter rsad at that time. ! know these gen
tieihef, -as T said before, and think them
incapable cf being engaged m any way as
members of the Ku-Klux-Klan. / mere
" wish the letter read to put them on the
record as they desire to be put:
Mr.. BLAIR. In connection with the let
terwhich has Just been read and the state
ment made by the Senator from South
Carolina, l desire to say to the. Senate
that upon the same occasion 1T was an
nounced here in the debate which occur
red then that Hon. Reverdy Johnson and
Mr.. St.nbery, who were counsel for the
prisoners charged with being Ku-Knx In
South Carolina, had abandoned their case;
that they were so disgusted With the atroc-
tiles proven that they had abandoned the
case. l have in my hand q letter from
Mr.. Johnson, which I desire in this con-
neetion to have read.
The Chief Clerk read as follows:
BArrIMoRE, February 10, 1872.
Ma Deur GeneraI:-Your letter of the
18th instant has lust reached me. 1t
yiyes me the first information have had
fi,at Hon.;Mr: Ednlnnds, OF Vermont,
made the statement in the Senate which
YOU quote as reported in the Globe ofthe
10th instant. 1t is utterly unfounded and
untrue. Neither my colleague, Mr.. Stan
berry. nor myself abandoned Or thought
of abandoning the cases to which the
Senator referred Tor the reasons assigned
by him on for any other reasons. So tar
from having done so, We remained in
Columbia taking part in the trials until
we had accomplished all that we had
hoped for or endeavored to accomplish,
which was to get the constitutional ques-
tions arising under the Acts OF lSiO.1!
before me Supreme Court OF the Cmteo
States. This we did, and the questions
are to BE- argued in that tribunal OH the
18th Of .iarch next.
Since the receipt of your letter, hare
under TODD that in the debate to.which
you rrier the same Senator and others
made imputations against you and Cen
erals Kershaw. and Butler. There cor
taiRly was no preof given or proffered
while was in Columbia which implica-
ted either OF you, and although l saw
there persons of every political opinion,
and COW ersed freely with them, l never
heard the least intimation that either OF
you had any connection whatever with
the Ku-KluX organization.
From my knowledge of Mr.. Edmunds,
7 am satisfied he has received his lnfor-
nation from q source which he thought
he might contide in; but Whatever 1t
may have been, he was grossly deceived,
and induced to make charges which are
utterly untrue.
remain, with much regard, your obo-
"'eAss 90 - REV ERDY JOHNSON.
Major-General Wade Hampton.
The Yice-Presiaent. These papers have
been presented by unanimous consent.
Mr.. Edmunds. | ask unanimous con-
sent to present myself, as seem to be on
trial
The Vice President. The Senator from
Vermont asks unanimous consent to make
q statement. The Chair hears no objec-
{. ton.
Mr. Edmunds. did not hear the first
part of that letter, which seems to have
arrived here by the way Of South Carroll
ma, starting at Baltimore; but the sub
stance of it seems to be that stated un-
truly the disappearance of Mr.. Johnson
and Mr.. StanberY from the celebrated
trials at Columbia. What stated was
that public report was 50 and so, which
appeared in all the newspapers and l
inst as muck believe at that timethat they
did abandon those trials and came away
before they were ended, as believe that
the trials took place; and | must say IN
frankness that believe it yet.
The question that Mr. Johnson seems
to send to US in this way, by way of South
Carolina and Missouri, is one Of the pre-
else meaning of words It.seems accord
ing to his letter, that l used the word
abandoned" He says he did not aban-
don he stayed until he had accomplished
his mission, which was to raise legal
question, and came away then / called
it abandoned" That is a choice Of
spithets or adjectiyes. It reminds me
very much of criticism that was made
upon the bravery Of the American soldier
~ at Plsdensburg on a certain occasion
during the war Of 1872, where some OF
the participaters in that noble cxploi!
which abandoned tue capital iii | may use
the word abandoned again to the mercy
Of the British, fed One of the officers
was being complained of about it, and he
said nos The Amy did NOT fee by any
means, but the Americans did not Seem to
take any interest and went away. Laugh
ter 80
Now, think l am justified again in
Il - f<,H Hf,f