The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-08-14
1 VERY TRANSPARENT DEVICE.

4 VERY TRANSPARENT DEVICE.
The Grant Party Making q Great
Show of P&rdoning Innocent Men
Convicted by Backed Jurfes and Ju-
dicial Jugglery-only the Whining
Hypocrltes to be Released-a stump
Speech In Disguise.
WASHINGTON, August l3.
Colonel Whitley, chief of the government
detective force, has addressed the following
letter to Attorney General Williams:
NEW YORK, August 9.
Sir-I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of communication from your de.
partment under date of the I'd instant, enclos-
ing copy of letter tron Gerrlt Smith, ad-
dressed 10 the President in relation to those
convicts in the Albany penitentiary who were
convicted OF violations OF the enforcement
acts, and requesting me to 90 to Albany ana
make thorough investigation into the conoi'
tion of these prisoners and report TO tne
i department my views as 10 lhs eApe-
diency o. exercising executive clemency
in regard TO any OF them. In accoroance Will VII
your request proceeded to Albany on the 1tn
instant ior the purpose OF fulhilng lne ouIy a.;
assigned. As means OF conducting my III,
i ouIri.s in way best adapted 10 arrive at all
| rne facts In the case, and also to LEAD tne
prisoners TO express themselves as freely as
nossIble. deemed it best to see each OF the
parties separately, without any hnoWleags go
| upon their part as TO my official character, or
| the object OF my visit. ln this received the
fullest aid of Mr. Louis D. Plllsbury, head
| keeper of the prison, who brought each pris-
ouer in separately, with the simple remark to
each that this gentleman desires TO talk with
you. The prisoners were mainly frank and COM
munlcative. Some of them are very poor and
unlearned, and have left large families behind
| them, and while acknowledging that they
were members of the various orders OF the or
ganiZation known under the general head or
the Ku-Klux Klans, and they had been Justly
sentenced as such, plead In e1tenuatlon that
they had Joined the order without full know
ledge of It's aims and objects, and had been In
cited to deeds of violence by their leaders, who
| had managed to escape from the country, leav-
i lag them 10 bear the responsibility and the
punishment OF their misdeeds. A number OF
i Them stated that they had been compelled 10
| join the order to save themselves and families
j from ylsitations OF the Klan; others had
entered into It's ranks under the sup
position that 1t was society organ
| lied for mutual protection, but learned sub
| sequenCly that Its real designs were the
determination OF the negro race and the
driving out OF such of the whites as were In
favor Of the political equality aud social eleva.
| tiou of the blacks. These severally expressed
| the heartiest contrition for their mtsdeeds;
stated that the organization was one inimical
| TO the best interests of society, and that the
government was fully justified In breaking 1t
up. In further extenuation OF having been
members Of the order, they stated that the
operations OF the kn-Klux were widespread,
embracing within ils folds men Of superior IN,
| telligence to whom they had been accustomed
| to look for advice ana counsel, and who they
did not suppose would lead them into any
combinations that contemplated personal
| violence and even murder, If these
! were necessary, for the accomplishment
of its ends. They were told that
1t was good institution 10 put down
! some meanness in the country, and they ac-
cepted the statement implicitly. Upward OF
forty examinations were made In the manner
above stated, neither prisoner knowing that
any one but himself fhad been called out, aud
none of them being aware, as before observed,
of my official position or the object OF my
visit. There was singular unanimity IN
their statements, aud general expression OF
regret that they should have been drawn Into
an order differing so entirely In the object
which they supposed 1t had in view when lney
joined 1t. In reply to the general question,
what was the objects Of the order, the answer
was almost invariably, when we Joined the
order we supposed iG 10 be- o society es-
tablished for mutual protection, but after
having been fully initiated discovered 1t to be
for political purpose, which purpose was en-
bodied IN an oath, In which We sWore TO op.
pose the Radical party In all its iorals, ana
prevent the negroes from voting IL was thls
great deception that misled us, and which has
brought US Into our present condition. The
contrition manifested by many Of these prison.
ers, the hearty penltence expressed by them
for the acts, into the commission OF which Lhey
claim they were betrayed by unscrupulous
and designing men oil more enlightened
minds, their mutual want OF Intelligence, ana
their extreme poverty, oil appeal for mercy.
NV views as to the expediency OF restoring any
of them to society, through the exercise OF
Executive clemency, are clearly In favor oi
such course with some portion oil
them, and believe IL may be done
In some of the cases not only with great safety,
but fully In the Interest OF the public gooo
OF those to which Intend respectfully TO call
your attention, the prisoners appear not only
truly repentant, but absolutely ashamed OF the
course which they seem 10 have unwilllngly
pursued. They express themselves as anxious
TO return to the peaceful pursuits OF Industry
whenever the opportunity Is afforded them,
and to become !aw-ablding citizens In their
respective con nunltles
Colonel Whlteley then names four persons
safely TO be considered as proper subjects for
the exercise Of executive clemency. "hey
are old men, poor aud unlearned, and were,
undoubtedly, led into the Kn-Klux order by
misrepresentation. In regard to others, should
It be the Intention OF the government to
make an extended exercise of It's clemency In
that direction he submitted the names of
eighteen persons whom he deems most worthy
of It's consideration. AS to the remainder OF
the prisoners, who entered the Ku- -Klux order
with full knowledge Of lis real object, Colo
mel Whlteley says It would not be entirely ex-
petient to exercise the executive clemency.
The names reported upon favorably are
| those of Collins and seventeen others from
South Carolina imprisoned. Collins was one
OF the persons Tor whom Gerrlt Smith had in
terceded, and is an lllterate, simple-mfnded
man. The seventeen other cases are onaa-
gous to that of Collins. Colonel Whitley re-
ports against the pardon of Mr.. Samuel Brown,
for whom recommendation was made by Mr.
Smith. It Ia understood that those recon-
mended for pardon will be released lmme-
diaielly.. -,
YELLoWJ4CKI IN NEW YORK KHARBOR.
A Scare Tor the Staten Islanders-a
Spanish Ram with Twenty Gases of
Yellow Fever.
asa. NEW YORK. August l3.
Some excitement has been caused among
the residents of Staten Island by the arrival,
L Ako ntah I'M Mn,