Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-01-05

by saving his brothers, some of whom
are now holding high political Office
and his sisters, and his true and faith
full wife and innocent, sweet littl,
children, the humiliation Of having
their brother, husband and father plac
ed in stripes, and him the disgrace tina
prejudiced political and personal enc
mics attempted to heap upon him. I
that jury had convicted all, I woult
not have interfered, but / am satisfied
that because Of a personal difficulty
with one Of the state officers Of thi.
state that this man was made the
scapegoat of the entire dispensary
regime.
Somebody must be punished to save
some peoples political reputation; q
conviction must be had; who shall Il
be? OF course, the man who cursed
the learned attorney general to his face
upon the street-and 1t was not
personally resented. Why was the
case transferred to Chester? Why
left there? Why was 1t not tried
in Columbia, or In the same cir
cult, at Kershaw, or II 1t must be
In the Sixth circuit, why not at Ian
caster or Fairfield or York? Why was
1t absolutely necessary to go to Ches-
ter? Why was 1t necessary to try II
at that particular court, by a specially
picked and appointed attorney to pre-
side? The newspapers were clamor-
ing for somebody's conviction and
yet many were given immunity, some
Of whom have since come into the state
and gone upon the stand and sworn
as witnesses in other cases that they
were guilty Of the lowest and most
corrupt bribery; yet they were allowed
to go free, and none have since been
prosecuted.
John Blacks father was a brave
Confederate soldier; served as sherifi
Of his county for more than twenty
years and was holding that position al
the time Of his death. A man highly
honored and of the highest character
His mother was one Of the purest and
noblest of Christian women, and from
the best of families. His brother, a
state senator from an adjoining coun-
ty: another brother, the auditor Of his
own county; another brother, the
mayor Of his own city; a sister, the
wife Of an ex-senator, and one of the
states most prominent lawyers; Black
himself having for many years been
highly honored by his people as
mayor of his town: as sheriff Of his
county to succeed his father; as ma
jor Of his regiment in the militia. and
having been otherwise honored by the
people Of his state.
why should he be kept for the
slaughter. when foreigners from out
side Of the state, who came into the
state, were turned loose and given
immunity, Notwithstanding the fact
that they admitted that they had at
tempted to bribe and did bribe state
officers, and Notwithstanding the fact
that In all trials upon such testimony
the juries have heretofore acquitted
or failed to agree, except in the case
of John Black?
'In my opinion, the pardoning
power was provided for the preven-
ton of just such travesties upon JUS
tice as this. and to relieve men from
the oppression Of the courts by politi-
cal enemies and prejudiced jurors
and partial and unlearned judges.
These are my reasons. gentlemen. for
pardoning John Black. They may not
be sufficient in the minds Of some
people, they are to me, and have
no excuses to offer. and no apologies
to make."-W. F. Caldwell in the
News and Courier.