Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-12-29
An JI,L.ADyIsED PARDON.

An H.L-ADNlSED PARDON.
Among the most remarkable and justly
odious of the numerous pardons by which
Gov. Stephens of Georgia is Signalling his
goyernorship is that of "CaEjldln' Cox. Cox
was sentenced to imT risoHfent for life some
two years ago, for w murder of Col Aston
The circumstahe.cs of the crime will lie re-
membercd by m'',ny. The two men were
native Georgians near neighbors, and BOTH
we think, had been Confederate soldiers. The
State of Georgia has convlt,. law, similar
to those passed in several OF the cotton
States by the Democrats, as soon as they
came into power, after the war. These laws
place the colored persons, who constitute the
great mass of the convicts, in a condition
worse than their old state of slavery. Under
these avs, the prison authorities practically
without supervision or restriction, may and
do lease the labor of the convicts to persons
who, after making the lease, become in fact
their masters aud owners, with full power to
work them anywhere in the State under
such conditions as may be most profitable, and
to feed aud house them or to s!arve and NAL
treat them as suits their will.
The aJominabe treatment accorded 10 the
convicls under this system attracted attention
several years ago, aud an investigation was
ordered in Georgia, which disclosed the facts
that the male and female conviCts of Georgia
were worked and lived together; that there
were among them many illegiimate children,
and many of the women were about to be-
come mothers; that the prisoners were kept
and worked in what are known as convict
camps and scau,ily supplied with food OF the
coarsest kind If they died their places were
soon taken by fresh Triggers" aud their. lives
had no value in the eyes of the men whose
aim was 10 get out of them the greatest pos
sibe amount OF work at the least possible
expense The result of the system, it was
stated, was an average annual death rate of
10 per cent from disease, and large death
rate, under the significant head, ''Dicd or
lost while trying to escape" In view OF the
statement that bloodhounds are used to track
and capture the unfortunatcs who try to fly
from fate worse than death, the full mean.
ing of the quotation will be understood.
Aston was member of the Georgia legis-
lature and Of committee, which made re-
port which disclosed some of these damnng
facts, and bore hard on some of the contrac-
tors of convict labor. Cox was one OF these
and 10 crafty his own revenge and to
warn all others that this telling of unpleasant
tales about white Southcrnors had got
to stop, he determined to kill Aston.
lie followed him about all of one day, to
fasten mortal quarrel on him. Aston was
fully aware of his purpose, but kept about
his business. The two men met toward
nightfall in the office of the State Treasurer
Cox insisted upon a fight Aston said: 81
do not want to have any difficulty with you
about this matter. 1t will do YOU no good
to kill me, and do me none to kill you
But Cox would fight, and both men drew
pistols, one with murderous intent, the other
in self defense. Several shells were cxchang-
ed, one of which hit Cox in the mouth,
knocking out several teeth. Aston en-
hausted his revolver first, when Cox aimed
deliberately at him and shot him in the right
temple. Cox was tried, defended by able
counsel, found guilty of murder, and SEN
fenced to Imprisonment for life. Such was
the brutality of his crime that his sentence
was pronounced just in a community which
looks with great lcniency upon homicide of
| all kinds. The decision was confirmed by
the Supreme Court of the State, and he was
committed to prison. Now, after serving
less than three years of his sentence, he is
given an unconditional pardon.
| The reasons which Governor Stephens
gives for his clemcncy are that many
emincn. citizens, lawyers, jurists, merchants,
bankers, ministers of the Gospel, journalists,
mechanics and farmers, and including ma
jorty of the House of Representatives and
two-thirds OF the Senate of the present Gen
| eral Assembly have asked executive clemcn
cy, that there existed IN the minds OF scverA
distinguished lawyers, jurists and others, at
the time of the conviction, doubts as to the
grade of the crime, and that his own views
coincide with those of a majority of the pc
titioncrs. Therefore he gives full pardon
| The weakness of these reasons IS apparent.
If there were any force IN what the Governor
says, it would only show that Cox ought &c
have been sentenced for voluntary man
slaughter" instead of murder, and the ex.
IRENE penalty for that crime in Georgia is
imprisonment for twenty years. AS it is
Captain Cox goes free to make new convict
lease, and matreat the convicts as he choos-
cs with tolerable security mat no Georgian
will hereafter make disagreeable reports
about the death rate in his convict camps.
The whole thing is as dscreditablc as posi-.
BILE to the 'many eminent citizens, the ''dis-
tinguishcd jursts 'and to Governor Stephens,
for whom the only possible excuse can be
that his years and iMirmitics have weakened
his mind as well as his body.
| Perhaps the Garfield Doctors Will Set
| the Point.