The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1912-01-03
wMYsJOHNBLAeK,wAs PARDoNED
Gov. Blease Submits His Reasons to
the LEGISLATURE.

WOFs D1ShSb touuhltS HIS hedSOuS W
the Legislature.
Columbia, Dec. 27.-In accordance
with the law requiring him to give
to the legislature his reasons In cas-
power, Gov. Blease has prepared the
following statement with reference to
the John Black case:
After reading carefully the testi-
nony given in this case and the charge
delivered by the attorney presiding
as special judge in my opinion, John
black should have been acquitted.
have practiced law more than twenty
two years and made a speciality of
criminal cases. having defended many
capital cases and very many of smaller
nature, and as to my reputation as
criminal lawyer, | gladly leave that
to the people of the counties where
have practiced, and to the Judgment
of the circuit judges before whom
have appeared, and | think from my
experience, that | am as competent to
Judge of the testimony as that jury.
and as well posted on criminal law as
the lawyer who presided, and in my
opinion, when John Black was convict
ed and his codafendants acquitted. JUS
tice demanded that the verdict be set
aside, and in my opinion an impartial
and unprejudiced and we'll learned
presiding officer, who had no political
prejudice against the dispensary or
Black, would have so acted
"Others Let on.
Others have been let off by the nav
ment Of sum Of money who acknowl-
edged guilt, and of an offense involving
much larger sums of money than
Blacks transaction. They were saved
from the stripes and allowed to pay
back to the state a small, measly pit
tance of what had been received. while
this man, one of the states own sons.
was not allowed the privilege or Civ
en- the opportunity OF paying fine but
absolutely forced into stripes and in
to prison; but, forsooth. bee lusc he
was Sickly, the words without labor
We're added to meet, | presume. the
great command to show mercy; sucl
mercy as this is stencil in tho nos
trils of men and mockery in the sight
of God Notwithstanding the immun-
lty for pitiful sums given 10 these for
eiEners, who had sworn in public
court that they had bribci and had
rGDhed the taxpayers Of South Caro-
lima out of hundreds of thosuands of
collars, the money was given back 10
them, and all of it in the name OF the
state of South Carolina"
Thinks Black "the ScapegOat."
for these reasons, exercising my lc-
gal right under the constitution and
statute laws of South Carolina II
granted pardon to the defendant. there
by saving his brothers some of whom
arc now holding high political offices,
and his sisters, and his true and afith-
ful wife and innocent, sweet lite
children the humiliation of having
their brother, husband and father plac-
ed in stripes, and him the disgrace
that predudiced political and person
al enemies attempted to heap upon
him. If that jury had convicted all
would not have interefered, but
am satisfied that because of per
sonal difficulty with one of the state
officers of this state that this man
was made the scapegoat of the entire
dispensary regime.
"Why?n
Somebody must be punished to save
some peoples political reputation;
conviction must be had who shall it
be! or course the man who cursed
the learned attorney general to his
face upon the street, and it was not
personally resented. Why was the case
transferred to Chester? Why left
there? Why was it not tried in Co
Iumbia or in the same Circuit, at Ker-
shaw, or if it must be in the 9th Cir
curt, why not at Lancaster or Fairfield
or York? Why was it absolutely nee
essary to try it at that particular
court, by a specially picked and ap-
pointed attorney to preside? The news
papers were clamoring for somebody's
conviction. and yet many were given
Immunity, some of WON have since
come into the state and gone upon the
stand and swore as witnesses in 9th
er cases that they were allowed to go
free and none have since been prose
cuted.
Son OF Confederate Soldier.
John Blacks father was a brave
E---N