Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-05-26
PARDON OF MORSE
Letters Let Out Some Sensational In
side Facts.
UGLY STORY COMES TO LltHT
Prosecution of War Fraud Gases Prom
ises Much Seandal-Looks Now That
They Are After Morse Because he
Failed TO Pay Fielder and Daugherty'

49, Failed TO Pay FIELDER ana Oaugne'ly'
Washington, May "a complete
account of bow Attorney General
( Daugherty and Thomas b. Fielder, At
lanta and Washington attorney, are al
! legged to have obtained a pardon ior
& Charles W. Morse from the Atlanta
penftentiary in 1912, was given in two
letters published exclusively here to-
day in the Washington Dali News
. Facsimilies of part Of the correspon-
,dencc were printed. ~
One of the letters appearing in the
News was written by 1T b. Fielder" TO
Leon o. Bailey, Hanover National
Bank Building, New York City, under
+ date of October IL, 1917, or nearly five
years after, Morse was free. Accord
ing TO this letter "Mr. Grafton John
son" had turned over to Bailey "for
collection or adjustment" $4,000 ct
common and preferred stock in the
Morse Securities company, upon which
Fielder had obtained loan from john
son.
Promised "Wealth."
,Tlre outstanding statements in the
letter above Felder's signature are:
1. That Morse after accepting the
alleged contrac. calling Tor $4,000
fee and a $1,000 retainer (the retainer
i was paid), promised to make Daugher-
ty and Fielder rich" by giving chem
100000. ~
2. That statements of doctors were
obtained that Morse was in poor
health.
3. That the pardon order was finally
obtained one day when Attorney Gen
''eral wickersham and "Mr. Bennett
editor -in-chie of the Washington
POST" called at the White House ana
Z after "a protracted conversation be-
!. tween the president ((TafD and Mr.
John r. Mclean over the telephone.
4. That Daugherty and Fielder later
when the case aroused considerable
unfavorable publicity, called on Attor-
.rey General Wickersham and urged
against his return to prison.
5. That Daughcrty became very an
gry with Morse when the latter after
!. .retprping from a trip to Europe, sought
: to pay the alleged fee in securities OF
his company, instead of cash. and that
he refused to accept the securities.
6. That Morse's release was "se-
cured by and through the efforts Of
Hon. H. NJ. Daugherty and myself and
by no other individual, corporation, or
, group of individuals, living or dead, on
the. earth or beneath it standing on
thcir,heads or on their heels, sitting up
or lying down.,
3 The other letter, under date of octo-
Der IS, 1917, was signed by f. L. Seely,
and confirms statements Fielder makes.
Seely, who was former editor of the
Atlanta Georgian, according to the Eel
der letter, induced Fielder to act as
counsel in the Morse case.
After telling how Seely interested
him in TIE Morse case, Fielder in the
letter says:
Offered S10OODO.
- -Srhis decision was communicated by
III, NJ ,Daugherty and, myself TO MI
: Morse, who had agreed to pay $4,000
cash to cover expense (this sum was
paid)-$25,OOO conditional upon our OBJ
tanning his release from the peniten-
tiary. When this result was reported
to Mr. Morse. he stated to us, in the
. presence of the penitcntiary guard
that if we would renew our efforts te
obtain his release he would pay US, in
\ addition to the amount> agreed upon
the sum of 100000 and exclaimed:
. "'Gentlcmen, | will make you bott
rich if you will get me out of here
The letter then tells of how medica
examinations of.Morse's condition were
made.
The alleged details of the issuing OF