Evening star., 1941-07-07
Georgia Jury Seeking
j. ). Probe Of Income
OF Former Governor
Rivers Chauffeur Indicted
On Charge of Selling
Purdons for SIS to $50
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
ATLANTA, July IA pardon
probing Georgia grand jury, in
dieting the colored chauffeur of ex-
Gov. E. D. Rivers on a charge of
peddling freedom at $25 to $50, has
requested a Federal inquiry into Mr..
Rivers income during his four-year
tenure.
The indictment of Albert Chandler
on a felony charge of influencing"
the chief executive to issue two par
dons on the eve of leaving Office
last January was the first concrete
action Gaping persistent charges of
a pardon racket" by half a dozen
Atlanta jurieS.
For many months charges have
flown from State court officials that
pardon brokers" beat a path from
the Capitol to convict camps in the
159 counties. that the work of prose-
cutorS was becoming impotent, and
that racketeerS particularly were
pets" of the system.
Rivers Defends Record.
Rivers, who vehemently defended
his pardon record just before his
term expired, said in California
where he was on convention tour
last week, This is obviously politi-
cal matter and 1 would not care to
comment on it at this time"
The grand jury said its request
for a check of Mr.. Rivers income
was made in justice to him and the
public" because 80 many rumors
are at large regarding various
sources of income received" by the
former Governor.
The indictment of Chandler, who
was arrested in Great Neck, N. Y,
and returned here last Thursday.
was foreshadowed by previous
grand jury, which called for a clean-
up of the pardon situation This
grand jury, last May, detailed
charges of how the former chauffeur
ellegedly peddled pardons in con-
vict camp near Atlanta.
The Jury said:
"One of the most significant in
stances is that of Frank Leonard
and Henry Wilburn. Leonard was
serving a sentence for assault with
intent to murder = Wilburn was
serving a life sentence for murder.
Albert Chandler reported to the
prison camp one day and asked to
see these two men. Upon INQUIRY
the warden learned that he Chan
dler) had pardonS for them, both of
which were signed by the Governors S
secretary. This strange procedure
was confusing to the warden but he,
nevertheless, permitted the two con-
VlctS to see the visitor.
Payments Reported.
chandler said he had their par
dons and asked how much they
were willing to pay for them. Some
what startled. they said they were
not able to pay anything. In that
case, replied Chandler, III take
them back to the capitol and have
them marked off.
The jury continued that Wilburr
said he had $50 which was accept
able to Chandler and that the
chauffeur accepted" S25 from Leon
ard
Asserting the man assaulted by
Leonard rushed to the capitol"
to see Gov. Rivers, the jury added:
The Governor claimed to be ig-
norant of the whole affair and
stated his secretary had, perhaps,
granted them. The Governor
recalled Leonard's pardon ana or
dered the money refunded. Chan
dler went back to the camp and
returned the S25."
Another accusation by this jury
was that the racket netted one
close adviser of the Governor
$4,000 in two years, including a
$1,000 fee from a lottery racket
operated with 16 previous convic-
tions."
Capitol records showed 203 par
dons issued the last week of Mr..
Rivers administration, and a total
of 1879 pardons for the four years
he was in Office. His successor,
Eugene Talmadge, was recorded as
pardoning 406 during four years Of
his previous regime.
In discussing his pardon record,
Mr.. Rivers asserted that for every
man he gave his freedom, he re-
jected 25 or 80 others.
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