The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-09-03
THE PARDONING NUISANCE
Petitions Filed With No Grounds
For CIemency.
INDlSCRIMlNATE SIGNING
Of Applications For Pardons the Root of the
EviI-An Example Yesterday in the
Case of John Long.
snecial TO The Age-Herald.

Special to The Age-Herald.
Montgomery, Sept 1.-The emptihess
of the average petition was attested by
an instance in the governors office today
Gov. Johnston passed on the petition of
John Long, of Mobile for a pardon. He
is serving a term for assault with intent
to murder. The governor refused the
petition. This case illustrates the
abuse that the petition custom is sub
jected to. '3-
Petitions for the pardon containing the
signatures of over 1000 of this foremost
citizens of Mobile, among them practi-
cally all of the county and municipal
officers, were presented eleven of the
twelv@ jurors begged the executive to
exercise clemency, the Judge of the cir
cult court and the county solicitor Joined
in and no person appeared to Oppose the
granting of the pardon.
The facts in the case are fully recited in
the following letter to the governor from
Longs attorneys, Messrs. Mcintosh and
Rich, of Mobile.
We send you by today's express appli-
cation, proof of publication ard petitions
addressed to your excellency for the par
don of one John Long, who was convicted
in the June term, 1897, of the city court
of Mobile, for an assault with intent to
murder one Emanuel Washington, col
ored, and We respectfully ask your ex-
cellency's most favorable consideration
of the application.
The facts of the case as developed in
the trial, as we remember them, are, that
John Long in company with three or
four others was going from the city Of
Mobile to thsir home in Cottage Hill on
5 the afternoon of Dec. "a, 1896; that they
had been drinking some and were more
or less under the influence of liquor when
thsy reached the head of Government
street, about three miles out from The
city. AT this place there lives a COLI. ed
woman who keeps an eating house and
quite crowd of negroes, who also lived
in the western part of the county, had
stopped there and were eating and drink
ing and having a time of it. The man,
Emanuel Washingtons was driving
cart which was the property of on+ sgd
ney Hughes, and he was one of the ne
groes who had stopped at this place with
this cart of Mr. Hughes. After Long
and others had passed beyond the negroes
some few hundred yards, Sydney Hughes
asked John Long to go back and get his
cart or have Emanuel Washington to
bring his cart along. Long went lack
and told Emanuel to get the cart and
come along-that Mr.. Hughes wanted
him. The negro told him he was not
ready to go and was not going. 1t seems
Long had a pistol in his hand and told
the negro if he did not come he would
shoot him and said: you do not believa
/ will shoot you, do you?" yes, Mr..
Long, but l am not ready TO go and am
mot going; but will when I get ready"
With that Long fired his pistol at random
to try to scare the negroes and the negro,
Washington, ran and Long ran after him
and shot him three TINS, but when he
caught the negro he still had loaded
cartridge in his pistol and desisted from
further shooting without anyone stop
ping him. He could have killed the ne
gro without any trouble If HI had SO de-
sired.
The attorneys then state that the de-
Tense attempted to prove that when
Long demanded of Washington to come
along with ths cart, the negro threw
his arm behind him as though to draw
a pistol and also cursed Long.
The attorneys conclude their letter with
a plea for this pardon of the prisoner
represe nting that he has a wife and s4v-
eral children dependent upon him and
that his father is an estimabie citizen.
Gov. Johnston Endorsed on the petition
this following: 1.-The fact that the petit
tion in this case for pardon is signed by
the judge of the circuit court eleven of
the jury, and very great number of
the best citizens of Mobile, many of them
my personal friends, and my sympathy
for the wife and little children of the
applicant, all strongly incline me to Glenn
ency, but the facts are that petitioner
was drinking, carrying a pistol and shot
the negro when in no sort of peril and
without amy lawful excuse or provoca-
ton. cannot, under these circum-
stances, set aside the verdict of the jury
and the judgment of the court.