The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-01-20
AN ANNOYING
CANARD EXPOSED
The Truth About a Big Fake
Story.
The LETTERS PRINTED
Gov. A, cock Merely Made Not Unusual Prop
osilion 10 Gov. Terrell, of Georgia, and
the Latter Explains the Whole
Situation.

Situation.
Canards seem to be the order of the
dav.
This one has just come to light.
On January 14th Governor Aycock
wrote the following letter to Governor
Joseph Terrell, of Georgia.
Dear Governor: Sometime since Fred
Chestnut, formerly q citizen of this
State was convicted of train robbery and
sent to the penitentiary in your State.
Chestnut had drifted away from his
carly training and through drink aud
had company reached the end which l
have named. He comes from one of the
best families in this State. His mother
is a widow living in Wilmington, North
Carolina, and l am assured that if pard
oned Chestnut will be taken home by
his mother and set in the wav Of making
an honest living. young man by the
male of Jordan was convicted OF the
same offence with Chestnut, and has been
.'arluncd. May l ask you ID give to
Young Chestnut 4 favorable inquiry 3bont
his case. l hope on account 0f mis-
family that he may be pardoned, ard l
believe if he is he will change his career.
Respectfully,
(Signcd) CHARLES B. AYCOCK,
Governor of North Carolina.
On Saturday. January 18th, the At
Ianta Constitution published under big
head lines a sensational story, "GOvcrncr
Wants to Trade Mercy" 1t was written
L &c,
as follows:
Constitution Bureau, Brown House,
Macon Ga, January 16.-fSpecial)-I
is a long time between drinks said the
Governor of North Carolina to the Gov
ernor of South Carolina.
''But that was a long time ago. and
since these days there have been many
changes.
"The newest phase of these changes
came about today, when the Governor
CT North Carolina skipped his neighbor-
ing State and leaped into Georgia with
proposition as unique and striking as
that old phrase.
In the Georgia penitentiarv there is
now serving q young Tar Heel. the son
- a minister. and a member of one of
the best and most distinguished families
Of the South.
Seeking the release of this convict.
hycock, governor Of the Tar Heel State.
presents to Terrell, the young, genial
and pleasant executive. an unique and
uLheard- of proposition. 1t is simply a
trade in pardons.
"Two years ago Fred Chestnut and
an associate boarded an express car at
the Macon Union depot. Before the train
had travelled a dozen miles the express
messenger looked into the barrels of a
pair of pistols
Life was dearer than the wealth that
expressman carried. Within a few min
utes he and the valuable packages with
which he had been intrusted were sep
arated Acquiring what they wanted, the
two men left the train.
within a short time the entire de-
tective and police departments of Macon
were upon the train of the two men,
and within short time both men were
under arrest.
The trial resulted in a conviction. Re-
Gently the friends and relatives OF Chest
nut in North Carolina-and they arc by
no means people without inf1uence-be
gan working for young Chestnuts par
don.
Had Chestnut been in Carolina
prison he would have been a free man
months ago, because Aycock was in
cIinCd to his pardon. But, being in the
penitentiary of another State, it was
naturally necessary that the pardon
should be signed by another executive.
Governor Aycock opened a correspond
ence with Governor Terrell, and in that
correspondence manifested an extreme
anxiety for the pardon of young Chest
nut. Many letters passed between the
two governors and each time the Tar
Heel executives interest grew more en-
phatc.
"Finally he came out with a broad
proposition. 1t was:
If you will pardon this man. Chest
nut. l will gladly write a pardon for any
Georgian now doing time in the prisons
Of this State you may Designate.
Before becoming Governor of Georgia
the Hon. Joe Terrell had made many
trades, but this was new proposition
and novel one to him. 1t required
study of the convict roll of the State of
No 'th Carolina, a roll which had been
sent him by Governor Aycock. to ascer-
tain the name of any Georgian doins
service in the North Carolina prison.
so far the Governor Of the Goobcr
State has been unable to find any one
in The prison of the Tar Heel State for
whom he may want executive clcmcucy.
1T is certain, however. that Governor
Terrell has not cast Governor Aycoch's
proposed trade into his paper basket.
Letters received here today from Gov
crncr Terrell inquiring into the oftcnse