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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC00173.08 |
| From Archive Folder | Collection of Presidential Pardons |
| Title | Presidential Pardon commuting death sentence of Charles Purdue, convicted of arson while at sea |
| Date | 2 May 1871 |
| Author | Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson) (1822-1885) |
| Document Type | Government document; Legal document |
| Content Description | Convicted of arson on the high seas; sentenced to death by hanging. Pardoned by recommendation of the convicting jury and since it was the first such conviction to fall under the statute of 1790, imposing the death penalty for the said offense, and that Purdue could not have known the consequences of the crime. It was also stated that there had been no intention to destroy life and none were lost. Grant recommends "...his sentence be commuted to some long term of imprisonment at hard labor...". (c/s Hamilton Fish) |
| Subjects | President Pardon Law Criminals and Outlaws Maritime Death Penalty |
| People | Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson) (1822-1885) Purdue, Charles (fl. 1871) |
| Place written | Washington, D.C. |
| Theme | The Presidency; Law; Naval & Maritime |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1860-1945 |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |