The leader., 1899-05-24
THE IyO MILLER PARDON.


courts was not intended to be used a
a mere appellate proceeding The gov
ernor of State is not made a court o
appeal by being given the power h
sit in review of a case once tried by tn
courts; but the pardoning power wa
vested in the governor to provide fol
the release Of convicts, though guilty
under the technical letter of the law
whose punishment, under the pecu
lialiar circumstances, would SO shocl
the public conscience as to bring
the administration of justice into
reproach.
Under no circumstances was it ever
conceived by the makers of the con
stitution that this great power to par
don should be the subject of contract
and barter.
1t is reported and believed by many
that the governor of Mississippi, in ad
vance of Ivo Miller's trial, uncondi
tionally promised Miller's attorney, or
one of them, that he should be prompt
ly pardoned on his plea of guilty.
impeachment of the governor for a
laws, which would remove him from
office.
Miller claims to have killed Nc
Donald because he had dishonored his
sister, and asked for pardon on that
single ground.
The pardon was opposed on the
ground that this was untrue; apd on
the contrary that Mcdonald was the
innocent victim of designing and
shameless woman, and her murderous
brother, and lost his life in resisting
the schemes of Miller and his sister to
successfully blackmail him.
Thus the real issue was joined.
If the truth lay with the opposition
to the pardon, then Ivo Miller was a
deliberate assassin, and his pardon
was highhanded outrage upon truth,
public justice and the constition. If,
on the other hand, Miller's contention
was true, he was entitled to a pardon,
and that without condition, and with
out having his sisters character pub
licly branded for all time.
Now then, on which horn of this
dilemma is the Governor of this State
riding.
He has pardoned Ivo Miller; but, in
so doing, he has found on facts submit
ted he publicly announces, in "d search
ing inrestigation,' that, the only CON
cetrable ground upon ,chtch he ,cas en-
titled to a pardon ,rds absolutely false.
Thus he has not only branded Miller
as an assassin, and his sister liar and
an outcast, but he has conviced every
intelligent and right thinking man
and woman in Mississippi, and else
where, that if this finding was true, that
he, Governor McLaurin, has acted en-
tirely without excuse, and in fragrant
violation of the constitution and the
law he was sworn to enforce.
Now, it will be remembered, that
Immediately after the killing of Nc
Donald, in the little city of Greenwood,
where Mcdonald had long lived,
powerful financier, a wealthy man,
with unbounded influence, and num-
berless influential friends, Ivo Miller,
a mere boy, poor and defenseless
stranger, was put upon preliminary
public trial, bitterly prosecuted by the
ablest talent in the State, and where
his sisters story Of her purity, and her
awful outrage at McDonald's hands,
supported as it was by other evidence,
not only convinced the people of her
innocence, and of her great wrong, so
that Miller was discharged without bail,
but aroused sympathy for her in her
misery and misfortune wherever the
thrilling recital of the story was told
by the press of the State and the I'm
ion.
People will be long time believing
that the governors investigation was
less impartial and just, behind closed
doors, and in star chamber style as it
was, than the public trial in Greenwood.
A man has legal right to refuse a
pardon. Ivo Miller should have rot
ted in the State penitentiary rather
than have accepted the pardon on the
degrading terms to his manhood and
his defenceless sister, in which it came.
Surely it must bring the blush of
shame to the cheek of every man in
Mississippi, and righteous indignation
to the heart of every woman, to wit
ness the unparalleled spectacle of a
poor, weak, helpless, defenceless girl,
whose honor and whose character
had been vindicted by court of JUS
tice, stricken by the hand of the States
chief executive, and that too in the
dark, without being confronted with
the witnesses against her.
The governor either violated the law
in pardoning an assassin, or violated
every instinct of fair play and justice
in branding Miller and his defenceless
sister. Dare he deny the justice of
the conclusion? He is challenged to
do so.
Strange times indeed have we fallen
upon!
God pity Mississippi, for the page of
history has been written of her bitter
est shame Courier.