The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1875-07-20
A wi,e'. Ds,o,,.n,

Colonel q, NJ. llibbler who was ~
realed some months since aud taken 10
Mississippi, on requlnlllon from Tho
Governor of Mississippi, returned 10
this city Friday night, he having TO-
celyed u full aud unequlvocal pardon
from Acting Governor Davis Thh
IlERALp's Mississippi exchanges have
had much 10 my upon the iilbbler
question, aud attribute tho prompt NO.
ton Ia tho matter 10 the devotion, tact
aud perseverance, Of Mira Hlbbler The
following letter, with the comments,
IN reproduced FROM the Meridian Miss
lpsIppl) da1eltei
We print below the letter Of Mrs.
lllbbler 10 Lieutenant Governor DAVIS
praying for the pardon Of her husband,
Colonel George NJ, Hibbler u hh
n0hlc lcitor aud dooa great honor 10 u
puro aud faithful WIFE Upon the
strength OF this letter Governor Davis
Issued n pardon without hesitation,
Notwithstanding II was received W
him while u gave charge was prefer
red against HIN, aud u fierce war IN
certain Inpels wnged against him,
The lucls Ol Colonel lllbblcr's cnAe ARE
clearly aud touchlngly sol forth Ia the
letter below ana We need only add
that the whole public Ut Mississippi
without reference 10 color or party viii
sustain the Lieutenant Governor In
this exercise OF his Exepull I've clcmen'
~ FnlAasipolsr, Miss, jane INA,
Hon. A. X. Davis
DEAR Sill have been informed
that you are native Mississlppan,
aud IN such appeal 10 you 10 grant
TINT mercy which your state has III
ready extended 10 other unfortunate
men who were situated IN my husband
: now II.
am the wife OF George M. Hibbler,
who was recently arrested In Texas, on
charge Of MURDER alleged 10 have
been committed fifteen years ago.
Since then many changes have occur
rcd. You are aware that Mississippi
offered free pardon TO all men who
had committed oflenses whether great
vi NDOh tOhuittOu thNt tht1
would enter the Confederate army and
my husband accepted the offer aud ex-
posed his life for the good of his State.
He believed that no was then pardon
ell and has since been openly emerged
In business In Alabama and Texas, and
has never ut any time been fugitive
from justice In the law acceptance of
the term. More than this--under the
belief that he was a free man, he mar
ried and has now wife and helpless
infant, on whom alone the suffering
must fall II the vengeance Of the law
Is visited upon him.
lam told your State passed laws In
1867 and again In 1872, forever barring
all prosecutions that were not COM
menced In six months after An act
was passed, but am informed my
husband can not get the benefit OF this
amnesty act because u bill of indict-
ment was found against him In 1861,
before these acts were passed. know
nothing or law, but II seems hard, In
deed, that one man should be held to
answer upon IA mere technicality,
while thousands of Others who were
far more guilty have been pardoned by
these acts Of your legislature and State,
and still harder, that a case where all
the witness for the defense, and all but
one for the State have died, should
now be pressed to trial. The surviving
witness Is an old man, and though he
may be honest, he has made state
ment in the past very different from
this he now makes, and yet the men
who heard him make these statements
are not now to be found. And even
now states that (Jones) the deceased,
drew his pistol first, snapped the cap
at Colonel Hibbler before he fired, and,
at most, 1t could but be case of man.
slaughter.
Iappeal to you then in the name of
mercy to say why should the State of
Mississippi prosecute man under such
circumstances and bring sorrow and
shame upon an innocent wife and
helpless babe. If Colonel Hiboler was
indeed murderer 1t would be perse-
cution now to pursue him because by
mere technicality a prosecution was
commenced against him. Mississippi
cannot need such victim and you
cannot desire to bring unmerited suf-
fering upon me and upon my child. l
have heard that you were generous
and humane man and that you SYM
pathized with the unfortunate, and
that you were not one of those who
feared to do any act of humanity which
your heart approved.
There are some who look on the Bit
terest anguish, and coldly calculate
what effect that sympathy would have