The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-02-03
The Mercy Of Evans.
How ho Exercised Clemency
In One Case.
To the Editor of The State

To the Editor Of The State
When the poet wrote, &The quail
ity of mercy is not strained he.
of course, had in view TIE wise and
beneGcent exercise Of this attribute
as pertaining to the Creator in his all
wise wisdom.
Nor, am convinced, did Shake
speare ever dream that the quality of
mercy could be so strained as to sub
serve political ends and be made the
reward for party services Yet, this
is precisely what John Gary Evans,
late governor of South Carolina, has
seen fit to do.
Nearly two years ago the most
brutal and cowardly murder that ever
disgraced the criminal annals of
South Carolina was perpetrated in
Aiken county, when Marion Toole
deliberately shot and killed Capt.
Julius NJ. Rhett, in a trifing dispute
over line ditch
Toole was indicated and tried for
murder in the first degree, but jury,
of whom, perhaps. the least said the
better, saw fit, in the face of the
most overwhelming evidence, and
contrary to the law as laid down by
the Judge, to find verdict of guilty
of manslaughter with recommends
ton to mercy Toole was sentenced
to hard labor for eight years in the
penitentiary, trifing estimate Ger
tainly of the sancity of human life,
when it is remembered that negro
was sentenced for the same time at
the same session of court for stealing
chicken.
TooIe's lawyers made a bluff of
appealing the case, but it never got
to the supreme court, and really new
er was intended to come before that
tribunal the whole proceeding was
an effort to block the wheels of JUS
tice at least for time. for these legal
gentlemen we'll knew that second
trial would have resulted in the
prompt conviction of their client OF
murderer in the first degree
After almost year Of delay. Toole
was finally taken to the pentitentiary
to serve his sentence This was no
sooner done than his friends began
to stir themselves actively in circula-
ting petition for his pardon The
Judge and the solicitor both refused
to sign this petition, but the friends
of Toole were not discouraged. They
appealed to the governor they knew
their man. And here comes the
disgraceful part of the whole mise
rabIe Transaction Evans, after faith
fully promising the friends of Mr.
Rhett that he would in no way inter
fare with the sentence Of the court,
has at length, after ten months i'm
prisonment, accorded to Murderer
Toole full and free pardon thereby
setting premium on homicide, and
debauching his exalted Office in or
der ID reward political services. And
this is the governor of South Caro-
lima, the would be successor of
Hayne aud Calhoun !! Verify have
the mighty fallen, indeed, when such
man could have become their
ruler !
And why was this travesty on jus
tice committed ? For the sake, as
have said before, of rewarding poll
ticaI services. and on account of
petty personal spite against the dead
But the people Of South Carolina
have risen in their majesty and re
legated Mr. Evans to the obscurity of
the political graveyard. There let
him rest, aud with all law abiding,
honorable men let me gratefully mur
mer, "Thank God !"
W. B Rhett
Montgomery, Ala