Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-10-23
CHARLEY MOSES.
HOW A NOTORIOUS "BIIND TIGER IS
MAN COR PARDoNED.
A Clear Case of Misdirectcd Clemency
and OGicial Iilunherinr.

tiger" man in the community, and
nine out of every ten would have re-
sponded without hesitation, Charley
Moses This negro Moses was CON
victed in the Circuit Court for selling
liquor about five years ago, after con-
siderable effort by the Prohibition
Committee to secure reliable testimo-
ny against him, and there have been
charges of the same nature against
him at nearly every meeting of the
Court and grand jury since. The fol-
lowing is copied from the minutes of
the last term November, 1899 of the
Circuit Court
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
VS..
CUAS. MOSES
This day comes the district attorney,
who prosecutes for the State, and the
defendant being placed at the bar of
the Court and arraigned on the indict-
ment charging him with selling intox-
icating liquors, pleaded guilty. 1t is
therefore considered by the court that
for such, his ofense of selling intoxi-
eating liquors, he be fined the sum of
fifty dollars and cost of this prosecu-
ton, and stand committed to the coun-
ty Jail until such fine and cost be paid.
Here is the proof of Moses selling
liquor on his own testimony. He paid
the costs of this prosecution, and got
certain negro friends to so his securi-
ty and keep him out of Jail by giving
mortgage to Deputy Sheriff Will
loughby on certain real estate for the
fine.
Meanwhile, however. Charley Moses
has net "quit his meanness." Since
the above judgment of the Circuit
Court was pronounced against him, he
has been arraigned three times in the
Mayors Court for selling liquor and
on one of these charges was cOnvicted;
but he took an appeal, and that appeal
is now pending to come up at the
approaching term Of the Circuit Court.
There is good ground for believing
that at least one of the bloody TRACE
dies enacted in this community last
winter was precipitated under the in
fuence of whisky sold by this very
negro, Information in possession of
The LEADER justifies the belief that
he is still plying his nefarious bust
ness, whenever he thinks he can make
sale without exposure.
In the light of all this it was no
small surprise to many who have been
interested in breaking up blindtiger-
ism in this community to learn some
two weeks ago that Moses had escap-
ed the penalty pronounced against
him in the Circuit Court on the rec
ommendation, to the Governor, of a
majority of our chief local officials, in
Guiding the Judge himself On learn
ing that Moses had been pardoned,
City Marshal Hurst, who deserves
much credit for his Jealous efforts to
suppress this class of criminals. wrote
to Governor Stone to ascertain the
reason for such action III view of Mo
ses VIGOROUSLY bad reputation, and re-
ceived the following answer:
JACKSON, MISS, Oct. Sth. 1891.
A. Hurst Esq, Marshal, BrooIhaycn, Miss;
DEAR SIR:-Replyins to your letter
in regard to the remission Of the fine
assessed by the Circuit court against
Charles Moses for retailing, | must de-
cline to send you copy of the petition
for the reason that it requires more
work than | have time to do, unless
the necessity was greater than there
seems to exist in this case | will say,
however, that there are few of the pc
titiOners who are known to me, and
that the signatures of those unknown
petitioners had no influence. whatever,
in securing the remission of the fine.
The petition was brought to me by
Moses himself, with a letter from Hon.
A. c. McNair and one from Judge Nc
MILAN. The petition was signed by
Sheriff McNair and others, and favor
ably Endorsed by Judge Chrisman. !
presume the names given are suffi-
cient, as these alone influenced my ac-
ton in favor of the negro. There we're
about fifty names to the petition, but
dll VI ucdIiy all, UelUS eutlfelV I'M
known to me, their names added moth
ing to the strength of the same.
Yours very truly,
j. NJ. STONE.
p. S.-The petition is ON file in this
office subject to the inspection of any
one who may call to see it, but l can
not undertake to make copies of such
papers. 1t would entail endless work
on the Office which | am not prepared
to do or have done. J. NJ. S.
The names of the signers to the petit
ton, which have been since obtained,
were as follows:
w M Turnbough, II Hudson,
j w Bartlett, Staten Baker,
S r Roberts, A Garvey,
r w McNair, George Jones,
II Cantoni, Joe Butler,
F May, A Cox,
G G Crawford, Lige Smith,
Isaac Cayse, Adam Richardson,
j w White, j Embry,
Sam Lightfoot, G ID VIM,