The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-07-14
An Innocent Man Kept in Prison
Twenty-One Years.
WANTS RECOMPENSE.
4 Veteran Falsely Convicted OF Murder
Goes to Atlanta Pennlless and Bent
with Age. Can General AS.
sembIy of the Safe of GeOr.
gla Meet His Claimp

The Atlanta Journal says bent with
age, penniless, and Just out of hos
pital after months OF illness, Charles
franklin, the man who was sentenced
for life to the penitentiary for murder
by Bibb county jury, and who serv.
ed twenty. one years before his limo
cence became known when the real
murder confessed his guilt, came to
Atlanta last week to appeal to the leg
islature for recompense for his twen
ty.one years false imprisonment.
Franklin Is 65 years Of age. He liv
ed In Griffin twenty fl we years. served
In the confederate army as a private
In the Griffin Volunteers, Of the -Four.
teenth Georgia regiment, and then
moved to Macon, and followed the
trade Of carpenter.
He met on the sire 9 s one day Fred
Knight, a man, whom he characteriz
es as having been absolutely worthless,
and the two engage d in quarrel. A
fight enSued, and Franklin came out
the victor. Knight could not forget
the humiliatitn n Of that whipping he
received, and he swore vengeance, and
he got IT,
One morning, on one OF the main
thoroughfares Of Macon, the dead body
Of Mitt Bryant was found, his throat
having been cut almost from ear to
ear. Several negroes Appeared, and
said they saw Franklin commit the
murder.
Though Franklin had served faith
fully In the civil war, and had always
had u good reputation, In the face OF
the positive testimony OF the negroes,
he was convicted Of the murder and
the penitentiary. One of the negroes S
John Dayhawk, as ne was testifying,
dropped dead on the stand.
REAL MURDERER CONFESSED.
In February, 1901, Fred Knight,
while on his death bed In Augusta,
called for his sister, al d asked her to
write down his dying confession
which was, In effect that he had kill
sos Br7Gnt ana nssu puuiu Cn FrauKnI,
because he was mad with him, He
committed the crime and got John
confession closed with the appeal:
Turn him loose, turn him loose,
for l am dyicg, and l am miserable. y
The letter was sent to the proper
authorities and the wronged man was
given his free dom after having served
exactly twenty one years and eleven
days. At the lumber camp at Adrian
Franlin fell in the machinery and lost
his left hand.
When franklin came out of the pen
itentiary his health was broken. Mos,
Of the time Of the two years and more
that he has been free has been spent
in the hospital. III nearly all the time
and with one hand gene, he has bcel
compelled to depend on charity for hi
scant living.
APPEAL TO LEGISLATURE
Franklin got cut Of bed to come t,
Atlanta to appeal to the legisatur,
for some manner OF recOmpenSc for hi
Imprisonment. He spent his last cen
lasD night for supper. and was forced
to appeal to the desk sergeant at tht
police station for lodging last wecl
which was cheerfully given him.
Franklin was seen at the station b.
a representative OF The Constitution
He did not haYe word Cf lebuke fo
the man who wrongcd him, or the jur,
that sentenced him,
i have a wife In Griffin, and
married daughter in Fernandina
Fla" he said. These arc the onl
relatives l have left. | wish I was abl
to earn ny own living, but that is i'm
possible.
Hon. Joe Hall, the reprtscntatv
Of Bibb county, is going to appeal t
the legislature to aid me, and [ fee
sure they will not refuse. | don't as
for any certain sum; but want the LEG
islature TO give me what they think
deserve.
"Since Knights confession my innt
cence has never boen questioned. II
had grudge against me, poor fellow
Almighty God had ruled that the nj
gro, DayhaWk. should not tell that Ii
on me. There was not anything els
the natter with him.
''There is no use In going into til
awful days l spent while imprisoned
the torture OF both mind and body, f
that thank God, is over could ha,
begged the money for lodging, but pr
ferred to come here"
----------------------
Drinks Poison.
At Fulton, Mo-, James r.. Pcnl
real. estate and insurance agent ar
one OF the best known business men
that part OF the state, has commlttt
IL tn. II VI Ia Afng