Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-06-26
MAssA MOSES.
A STORY OF RAPINE, As TOLD
IN A ROYAL CRONICLER.
How EkObber Governor Fastened
His Clutches upon south Carolina
Some Unexplained Feafs CT Cor
ruptiOn-An Ugly Chapter of Cur
rent History.


Some Unexplained Feats es Cor
ruptiOn-An Ugly Chapter OF Cur
rent History.
A special correspondent of the New
York Times, sent into South Carolina
to investigate the career of the roDber
Moses, tells in that journal the remark
able story Of his crimes. 1t appears
that Moses. during his canvas for
Governor, purchased the support of
the Union Herald for SO, 900, one-half
of which was "to be taken from the
State civil contingent fund, which had
not yet been appropriated.an and the rest
was to be paid in other State securi-
ties" In order to secure the payment
of the six thousand dollars, Moses APP
pointed a negro boy named Humbert,
who was not yet twenty-one years of
age, to be County Treasurer of Orange
burg county, with instructions to col
lect taxes to that amount and to hand
them over to T. @. Andrews, one of
the proprietoIs, at the same time as
surfing him that he would make the
matter ''all right and tie boy did as
he was directed.
Some weeks after, the Legislature
appropriated $4,000 as q contingent
fund for the Governor, and Moses
drew the whole amount while his sig
nature to the appropriation bill was
wet. A week or SO after, Herbert
went to Columbia to pay over the
taxes he had collected, and, as a vouch.
er for Sc, 900, presented the Governors
warrant on the contingent fund. This
the State Treasurer, Cardozo, refused
to except, stating that Moses had al
ready drawn the whole amount. The
boy, greatly alarmed, went to the Gov
erner, who told hin to say nothing
about the matter and he would pro-
tect him and see that he came out all
right. And he advised him to pur-
chase school claims against the State
which could be had at forty cents on
the dOllar-sufficien to cover the
amount he was short, promising to get
Carlozo to accept then at their full
value. The boy did as he was direct
ed. but the State Treasurer refused to
accept the claims at their face, and ar
rested the unfortunate negro on the
| charge of being a defaulter.
The boy was released on bail, when
| Gov Moses tried to induce him to sur
render the written evidence OF the re,
lation between them, and to plead
guilty of the charge, promising to par.
don him Immediately upon his convic
ton. But the boy declined to follow
his advice. State Solicitor Butts there
upon framed an Indictment against
Hun bert for breach of trust, fraud
and attempt ut grand larceny, and one
against Moses foI aiding, advising anC
abetting the crime, the law making the
punishment for these offenses the same
On the day fixed for the trial, Attor
ney General Melton appeared in cour
and prepared another Indictment
against Humbcrt, charging him with {
failure to return money collected tC
the State Treasurer. Had the boy
been convicted of this he would hav,
been sent to the penitentiary, aud thu:
made powerless as witness against the
Governor Buttz, however, had de
termined to allow Humbert to turn
States evidence, and he therefore oh
jected, and the case was put off unit
the next term.
Moses scatters his pardons freely by
telegraph, without consulting an attOr
ney. A number of instances are re
lated-one convict because he was al
active politician, another because he
was 4 "good political niger" W.
give entire the following account O
the most remarkable instance Of eek
ecutive clemency on record
Tie most remarkable misuse Of tn,
pardoning power q Noses, however
and perhaps the strangest story Of ex
ecutive clemelcy on record, is to b,
found III the case OF a man named Ben
iamin Hernandez, an old resident O
Charleston, Eto, after having defet
the law for years, was !eCnEicteQ ant
sentenced to Jail for two ,-an-.. ~oI oD
! canning ruuu6y by threat and under
false pretenses. At the time of his con
viction there ,gere no less than sever
other indictments hanging oyer him
One of them was for assault with in
tent TO kill. The lawyer who defended
him took an appeal from the ruling o.
the court that convicted hirn to the
Supreme Court of the State. Pend
ing the appeal, Hernandez com
mitted various other offences. Soor
after the Inauguration of Moses
| tor Governor he visited Charles.
ron, and while eiay Ing IT the house
of General William GhrGey, lie pes.
ent County Treasurer, sent for Her
nandez and gave him to understand
that the protection Of the executive
would always be with him, no matter
what he might do, and at the same
time, with his own hand, prepared and
! delivered to him the following com
! mission, Wi ten on q small sheet of
| note paper. =.
i.NEIlFTJyF t@rp On,