Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 November 1887 — SPIES'S LAST APPEAL. [ARTICLE]

SPIES'S LAST APPEAL.

He Rapreasr* » Willingness to Din lor the , Good of the Cans*. Spies’s appeal to the fl-overnor for executive clemency, made at the last moment almost, is somewhat remarkable and is appended: Cwsieo, Nov. «, 1887. fiov. R. J. Oglesby, “Springfield, 11l : Sir-The fact that some of us;have appealed to you for justice, under the pardoning prerogative, while others have not, should not enter into consideration in the decision of our wise. Some of my friends have asked yon for an absolute pardon. They feel the injustice dona them so In tensely that they cannot reconcile the idea of a commutation of the sentence with the consciousness of innonenee. The others, (among them myself] while jkis- eased of the same feeling of indignation, can, perhaps, more calmly and dispassionately look upon the. matter as it stands. They du not disregard the fact that through a systematic course of lying, distorting, inventing and slandering, the press has sucee ded in creating a sentiment of bitterness and hatred among a great portion ok the populace that one man, no matter how powerful, how courageous and just he lie, ho can uot possibly overcome. They hold that to overcome that sentiment or influence would almost bo an impossibility. Not wishing, therefore, to place your Excellency inastlll more embarrassing osition between the blind fanati- I cisrn of a misinformed public on one hand and justice on the other, they could do to submit the ease to you unconditionally. I implore you not to Ist this difference of action have anv weight with you in determining our fat®. During onr trial the detdr® of the prosecution to slaughter me and let off my eo-def®nd®nt® with milder punishment was quite apparent and n. ,ife®t, It seemed to me then,and to a great many others, that the prosecution Would be satisfied with one life. Btate’s Attorney Ortnnell, in his argument, intimated this very plainly. I care not to protest my innocence of any crime, and of the one I am accused in particular. I hav® done that, and leave the rest to the judgment of history. But to you-1 wish to address myself now, as the alleged arch-conspirator (leaving the fact that I never have belonged to anv kind of conspiracy out of the question altogether.) If a sacrifice of life there must be, will not my life suffice. The States Attorney of Cook county asked for no more Take this, then—take my life. I offer it to you that you may satisfy a semi-barbaric mob, and save those of my comrades. 1 know that everyone of inv comrades are as willing to die, and perhaps more so, than I am. It is not for their sake that I make this proffer, but in the name of humanity and progress, in the interest of a peaceable,if possible, development of the social forces that are destined to lift our race upon a higher and better plane of civilization. In the name of the traditions of our country, L beg you to prevent a seven-fold murder of men whose only crime is that they are idealists: that they long {ora better future for all. If legal murder there mus®

be, let one, let mine suffice.

A SPIES.

The report of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue for the year ending last June shows the aggregate collections in Indiana districts to be as follows: Sixth district, Wm. D. H. Hunter, collector, $2,880,505; seventh district, Thomas Hanlon, collector, $189,958; seventh district, M. Di Manson, collector, $978,975; eleventh district, J. 0. Henderson, collector, $261,796 During the year/there, Were reported from the three Indiana districts 496 cigar makers’ accounts, showing that 964,482 pounds of tobacco were manufactured, making 42,701,500 cigars. There are fifteen cigar factories in Indiana, and last year they consumed 49,238 pounds of leaf tobacco, 11,471 pounds of scraps, 1,156 pounds oi licorice, 1,161 pounds of sugar, and 833 pounds of other ow-rials—in all, 68 409 pounds. The account of *ohacc .i man# factured in Indiana is as follows: Plug, 6,284 pounds; smoking, 81,679 pounds; snuff, 28,422 pounds; t0ta1,51,885 pounds. There were 28 120 licenses issued for liquor dealers, during the year, as follows: Rectifiers. 16; retail liquor dealers, 61; brewers, 55; retail dealer* in malt liquors, 172; wholesale dealers in malt liquors, 102. Indiana has 12 grain distilleries registered, bus only 9 were operated. She also ha 355 fruit distilleries registered; of which ail but 1 were operated. These rectified 778,842 gallons of spirits.

On the docket of the federal court the conspiracy cases are marked as “unasr signed,” and no steps have been taken looking toward a new trial of them. District Attorney .Sellers says he has some new evidence in his possession which will he especially damaging to some of the defendants, who were heretofore only regarded as technically guilty. Among the federal court officials there is understood to be a variety of opinions regarding these cases. Some of them regard it useless to try th«m again, believing there is no hope of a conviction, and others are inclined to pusii them. Judge Woods is understood to be anxious that they shall be finally disposed of in some way. They have already cost-the Government about $6,000. “ “ l