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Amos T. Akerman to Henry Hopkins, 2 March 1871

About This Item

  • Title: Amos T. Akerman to Henry Hopkins, 2 March 1871
  • Date: March 2, 1871
  • Creator(s): Amos T. Akerman | Walt Whitman
  • Whitman Archive ID: nar.01771
  • Source: National Archives and Records Administration. Transcribed from digital images or a microfilm reproduction of the original item. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the manuscripts, see our statement of editorial policy.
  • Contributors to digital file: Elizabeth Lorang Nima Najafi Kianfar Kevin McMullen John Schwaninger
  • Cite this page: Akerman, Amos T. and Walt Whitman. "Amos T. Akerman to Henry Hopkins, 2 March 1871." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 09 May 2025. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
  • Source File: nar.01771.xml (TEI)

Image 1

March 2, 1871. Henry Hopkins, Esq. Warden of the Kansas State Penitentiary. Leavenworth, Kansas. Sir: The President has referred to me your letter to him of the 17th ult. It is impossible under present rules to grant indiscriminate pardons in advance to all convicts who shall have behaved well during their imprisonment. But whenever a pardon is asked in an individual case, the application will receive a respectful consideration. The application should always set forth what rights of citizenship are forfeited by the conviction,— and also there should be a reference to the particular laws which impose such forfeiture. Very respectfully, A. T. Akerman, Attorney General.
pardons to U. S. convicts in Kansas prison.
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