The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-01-17
a x 3
Pink Franklin: Case.

We pub shs on the ! fourth page OF
this issue a very Intelligent discus
sion Of the Pink Franklin case by
the Augusta Chronicle. We doz not
}know':what, Il any, influence the Ma
tional Association for the Advance
,ment Sof Colored People had on Gov.
!Ansel in ID etermining his action IN
the Franklin case, but we do know
that some such society from the
North had: one or; more agents in CO.
.lumbia working in behalf OF: Frank
lin. Shortly after the agents arrived
in Colum bla, it was given out that
the two negro lawyers in the case.
Moorer and Adams, would be dis
missed, and Sawyer and Hagood, two
white lawyers, would be put in charge
Of the case. ..@: :..Es f.:. S:
u; 1t was also announced from CO.
iumbia that these white lawyers
would abandon the appeal to the, SUI
preme court, that had been, taken by
the negro lawyers in Franklin s be-
half, and that, an appeal would be
made to Gov. Ansel for executive clem-
ency for the murderer. a little later,
both The State and The News and
Courier editorially published articles
strongly. favoring Franklin, claiming
among other things, that when he
shot Constable Valentine he did SO
in deferce OF his home. because the
constable failed to make himself
known as an officer Of the law when
he went to arrest him. 81.
This Is where the Boston .Trai'i
script, ID, doubt, got what the Chroh-
;icle alludes to- as ..'un wise and 1 un-
founded statements. The Tran:
script said: .'IIe failed to make It:
known to. Franklin that he was an
officer of the law, and Franklin shot
him in defence Of his home" AS the.
Chronicle says, Franklin was not
protecting his home but himself, nor
was he ignorant of the fart that he
was firing On an officer OF the law
when he shot Constable Valentine.
AS. a matter Of fact Franklin knew
that an officer was going for him and
he prepared and deliberately mur-
dered that officer. when he did come.
+ After these articles appeared in,
The State and The News and Cour-
ier, petitions were circulated IN sew
eral counties asking Gov. Ansel to
save the murderer; But the people
who live where the murder took place
were not consulted. While all this
was going on, dispatches were: sent
out from Columbia and published
broad dcast, saying that: Gov. Ansel
would pardon Franklin or commute
his sentence. We do not know
whether these dispatches were in
spired by the agents Of the National
Association for the Advancement of
Colored People who had been. sent
to Columbia or not, but that they
were sent out is a fact.
The above facts we had known for
weeks before Gov. Ansel commuted
Franklin's sentence to life imprison-.
ment, but: the statement Of the Bos-
ton Transcript that Through the Ma
tional Association and ex-Attor1ey
General Bonaparte, President Taft
was interested in the case, and per-
sonally wrote to the Governor ask
ing him to commute the sentence II
possible, lis news to us. We could
not understand on what ground Gov.
Ansel commuted \the sentence Of
Franklin instead Of pardoning him
outright. He was guilty Of murder
or nothing. President Taft's REQUEST
must have Influenced Gov. Ansel to
save the negro's neck and make him
self misunderstood. 5t. b.