The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-10-11
Lstssr. to 7ns Edito,
cAaD raon .uDan HUSTON. ,

He .Rsplles te Stafements Meos BY Col. 2. ". ysho. ,.o,< Editor The Advertiser: on the 2sth of September l received from MT. Borden H Burr 2 coRy of the petitIsn filed by Sol Sam VII John of Hirminghana with , the s ros G0vSfnC.. Inrr. :. ron, who was imprfsoned In the county jaii of shelby county.
 As to the pardon of Mr. Johnson. or the unusual courss pursued py tne 1oy.
 ,n \, ss; o shs nsS un iust and uncailed for statements m the petition which reflect upon me, as q mari and as judge. that address my. self. for the purpose cf corsscu,ni rssenta tions made bv Colonel John ccncerning my eeif. Mr. Burr and Mir. Fulton.
 Colonel John. in his petition. makes the following statement; s.Ik q short while the Solicitor that prosecuted him. Borden H.. Burr. Esq, and the Judge who tried hIrn, Hon. A. H Aston, corresponded with the snef- I m, 10 l am informed and believe, tnAt
 hnsS wa; si .0;ns Ssa sas S.ss Sy U hard labor. and that 1t was the inten- | tion Of the Solicitor at the next term of the court. which would pc neio py Judge Aiston. to move the couIL t0 senc nc the iudge had expressed the determin- ation to 90 order and adjudge.
 It is impossible for me to under. stand how any man with any fesala l for Justice to his fellow-man could maks a statement so absolutely unsup. 1 ported by the facts as the statement above quoted As will De seen py tne following letter from Sherin Fuiton, dated september go: lso! ,r aro ar nc cv, any subject up to the time of my writing to him after Johnson had been pardoneo, and after Mr. Burr had sent mo copy of the petition filed by Col. Sam Wih John. nor was anything ever said 70 mo about my holdinE the court Ins letter is as follows: s n ,.,t. Hon. A. H Aiston. Dadevtlie. Ala. .. aDear Judge:---I am in receipt or your letter of zsth inet., as to the John
 son controver.y tnsoyEh ,sf, ,as osrseM ana Mr. B. H. Burr. Solicitor. wrote me; o. fhat you wrote mo. or stated to me. that Johnson was losing time by remainshs in iaii.' is false. never TeceiVSu letter from YOU on any subject. ! am s,srnrised that such . statement could ret abroad, having no foundation wnss-
 ss You never wrote mo one word about Jol,neon's casa, and all the advice T hao in tfis matter vss sAscnsn MT. 1u.r. the Solicitor. and none of bis letters M eonfained any abatement akin to the one I am, informed Colonel John has In
 A with Kind regards to you: 2 am, tsigned, T. H. Eusscn; i.ss seo,r About the latter part of July, while I was in Georgia for q short while, iettsr was forwarded to me from my homs, which was from Mr. Burr. encios. .
 aheriff of shelby County. in which the
 Sheriff stated that Johnson came to him
 yoiuntariiy, after hts case, had been az
 f,rmed by the Supreme Court. and visa
 Cd to commence his sentence 70 in-
 snanded his release from jail before the
 time for which he was sentencsa ex-
 pired The Sheriff asked the Soiicisok
 for advice. The Solicitor referred tne
 matter to me, as tried the case, ana
 Jndrs Pelham was disouaiided. asking
 uas if thought proper. to advise the
 Sheriff I did not write to ene SneriM,
 but. did write to Mr. Burr, but declineo
 to make any order or give any aov.ce
 concerning Johnson. stated to MI
 son should insist upon being released
 from his voluntary confinement as ls
 ywas much better for him than nard
 labor for the county. No lnumaIlon ever came to me thnEit was the pur- pose oe wish of any Dne that Johhsoh should serve two sentences.
 Colonel John. in his remarkable peu.
 tion. states that the Solicitor, the
 aherief and myself 'are pursuing nlm
 unIawfuliy and with evil Intent, and IF
 not restrained by Q higher power, VIII
 wreak vengeance upon 9 dekenceless
 citizen" This statement charges con
 spiracy. and denounce the charge as
 heinr not onlv unjust to MT. burr,
 sheriff Fulton and myself. but IL n
 absolutely false.
 I am sorry that 1t has become necess
 snry for mo to make this statementi
 have done what ! could to avoid it, Dy
 writing Col. Sam VIII John as soon ss
 I received, through the kindness oi naI;
 Burr. a copy (of his copy) of Colonei
 John's remarkable petition to the Gov:
 ernor, | gave him the facts ana esksu
 him to refrsct the statements ne maue
 ,<hieh so uniustly reflected Upon me
 hut he has seen fit not to reply 70 elther
 ietfer. although the first was maiieo to
 him postage prepaid from Dadeviile on
 September 30. 1907, and the & ssconn nn T fhs
 norning of October s. Inst
 presume the copy of the petition I
 hays ia correct. and I tried 70 verity
 if huf was not allowed to see the oriG-
 inal. the Governors private secretary,
 aIthough I asked twice Tor U. salu ns
 preferred to first call the attentioh ot
 the 0oyernor to the matter on ms re-
 turn. ...,.4aS
 hv a desire to vindicate from an un- just and unfounded, as well as vicious. sffack. not only myself. but Soiicitor Burr. whom I know to be an honor. able. efficient and faithful Solicitor. ana Mr.J H. Fulton. the Sherin ok Sheipy | honorable gentleman and faitnhul anu .Aantanf afiCAr A, ii. AlSLOn.