Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1892-01-21
THE JOHN WILSON CASE
DIR. J. l.. CARROLL REPLIES
TO CAPT. PATTON.

The Divine Protests Against Two
Statements Made by Capt. Patton
In HE Recent communicated
tOthe Raleigh "State Chronicle"
EDITOR THE CIrHEN:-I beg space
enough to respectfully protest against
two things in Capt. T. W. Patton's ar
tice in the State Chronicle of the 18th,
concerning the execution OF John Wilson.
The first thing to which | take excep-
ton is the imputation OF indifference cast
upon the Asheville ministry in regard to
this mans fate. know that many of
these were interested in the prisoner and
sought his spiritual good. He mentions
only the Episcopal and Methodist pas
tors as having visited him. also went
to see him, and talked with him, and
prayed for him. But the Captain com
plains that we did only this and then
left him in effect saying now let him be
hanged" What more could we do in
his behalf? We found him i'll the tolls OF
the law and we had to leave him there.
And he complains of five ministers for
| refusing to sign his petition for commu-
tation OF sentence. suppose they did
so because they felt that the officers OF
the law charged with the painful duty OF
passing sentence upon the prisoner are
thoughtful, conscientious men, and un-
derstood the case much better than they
did. signed the petition because OF my
belief in the prisoners mental weakness.
The ministers who did not sign it may
not have been so impressed. And did
1t, too. being then as am now ill full ac-
cord with the intelligent and worthy
Presby terian pastor in his belief in capi-
tai punishment.
The other thing to which take ex-
ception is the reference to the Baptist
minister who fell in with the sad process
sion on the way to the place of the exc
cution. 1t 10 in the following words
"Op the way Baptist clergyman met
him. "Ah! Wilson. have you been bap-
tized?" Yes, by an Episcopal clergy
man. stop, stop, that will never do {!
Sheriff, take him out. | will break the
ice in this river and immerse him." OH.
poor feeble body, who can tell the ago
MES you endured for the residue of that
freezing ride?
Now while having no information
about this incident except what is here
furnished, | venture to assert that this is
not fair statement OF the case. dc
not believe that any regular Baptist
minister would have spoken and acted in
this way. No sensible Baptist preacher
holds any such views as to the necessit Y
of baptism. No one of them would have
assumed the authority thus to stop the
sheriff in the performance of his
duty and order the baptism of the
prisoner. am very sure that no
baptist minister, worthy of the name
would have baptized him, under the
most favorable circumstances, unless
with his entire consent and upon his
special request. Our preachers do not
always baptize people when they insist
upon it. Like John the Baptist they re
quire that men bring forth fruits meet
tor repentance"
And, then, one would infer from thi.
statement that this poor prisoner wa.
not only the victim of baptism by
force, from which the sheriff and his at
tendants were either unwilling or unable
to deliver him. but that he was sent or
his way in his wet clothing, to endure
untAld agonies in his poor, feeble body
for the residue of that freezing ride.
What brute that Baptist clergyman
was! And what knave, or fool tha
sheriff was, thus to allow the heartles
preacher to maltreat this helpless pris
oner! Why did not Captain Pattol
have him prosecuted for malfeasance il
Office?
Moral
Tall oaks from little acorns grow,
Large streams from little fountains flow.
!. L. Carroll
| Tkoo Hi r. I,s 1900