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Christmas Pardons.There is an old man of near threescore and ten and his son in the Indiana state prison. The old man has dark hair, is straight and strong, and a fine type of the frontier Kentuckian. His eye is umliaimed and could dash true along a ritie barrel yet. His son’s spirit lias chafed against the prison bars and couilnomeut has inude a deeper mark on him than on the father. The beginning -of his life was blighted, while his father’s had borne its fruit. And these two were sentenced to imprisonment for life, and have already been In prison eight years. Why are they there ?In the winter of 1RG3 Lieut. Hampton exercised a sort of special command in that part of Kentucky, where this father and son lived the quiet life of farmers, respected by all their neighbors. There is evidence on filo among the court records that a number ot persons in Kentucky and Illinois were seized and put to death by Hampton's order. Among those 6hot in Kentucky were Elijah and Ilenry Browning, brothers, the eldest not twenty and the younger only fifteen. This was near Vanderburg, Webster county, and shortly afterwards Hampton and his men weutoverinto Illinois, and in the vicinity of Elm Grove seized and shot two brothers, James and Joseph Quinn. The next day Hampton shot Thomas Carlisle, while at work near Scotts-villc. Thomas Carlisle was the eon of John M. Carlisle and brother of Cyrus Carlisle of Webster county, Kentucky. There was no reason for the killing of the Brownings, Quinns and Carlisle, excepting their supposed sympathy with tho Soutn. Lieut. Il iiupton and roar of his men wero subsequently indieted iu the Webster county circuit court for the murder of tho Brownings, and a warrant was issued for their arrest. John M. and Cyrus Carlisle, father and son, armed with this warrant, as they assert, crossed the Ohio river and seized Lieut. Hampton in the stare of Indiana. They started with their prisoner for the county seat of Webster county, and after landing on the Keutuckj* shore tho Carlisles left Hampton in charge of Davidson aud Me Daniels, two assistants, and started to take the skiff to its owner, a few hundred yards tip the river. On their way they hoard a pistol fired aud returned at once. Lieut. Hampton was missing. The assistants above named toll them that Hampton had attempted to escape by swimming across the river. They shot at him. and called to him to come back and they would not injure him. He turned to come back, but sank aud was seen no more. There was mystery about Hampton’s seizure and death—his arrest by tho Carlisles, who mourned a son and brother slaughtered by him: a boat ride across tho Ohio by night: his attempting to swim tho river; the pistol shot in the absence of the Carlisles, and the disappearance of the assistants, Davidson and McDaniels. Gov. Morton called tho attention of the Indiana legislature to the case ami secured a special appropriation from that body to conduct tho prosecution. Tho Carlisles were arrested in Kentucky, taken to Indiana for trial and sen teneed to imprisonment for life. John M. and Cyrus Carlisle are the father and son wearing out their days in the Indiana state prison. Eight years have dragged themselves away, and Cyrus Carlisle has just come out of tho penitentiary hospital—where he lay some time from a pocket-knife stab given him by a “trusty”— Buck McKinney. Buck had been in a dozen years, and expected to be pardoned this Christmas. Ilia affair with Cyrus Carlisle has pot him in disgrace and he is no more a “trusty.’* It will take years to wipe out tho stain. No pardon for him this Christmas.But the Carlisles have not been forgotten. The governor of Kentucky, ninoty members of the Kentucky legislature, all of the Carlisles’old friends and neighbors, prominent men or both political parties in Kentucky and Indiana, the representative in congress from the district where the Carlisles resided, aud many others ofinlluenee and power, recommend to Gov. Hendricks of Indiana clemency and pardon for the Carlisles, with the sentiment that their offence was rather “a vice of the time3 than the men. ” And this is Gov. Ileuilricks’ reply:General amnesty and forgiveness of offences growing out of the war has become the poliov of tho country, supported by the sentiment of the people. Experience has demon.strat**d the wisdom of the policy and we all feel its humanity.Its tendency has been to cement and strengthen the union of the people in all sections and to 1 * promote their happiness. In harmony with this policy it would appear proner now *to pardon John M. Carlisle and Cyrus Carlisle. Others who committed like offences during that period have either been pardoned or not punished at ail.And John M. and Cyrus Carlisle, father and son, will go forth from tho Indiaua state prison and cross the Ohio river for their old Kentucky home this Christmas dnv.
Newspaper Details
St Louis Republican
St Louis, Missouri, US
Thu, Dec 25, 1873
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 18 Mar 2024
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