May 10, 2009

Governor Mark Sanford
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12267
Columbia, SC 29211

Dear Governor Sanford,

In a state with the rich history of South Carolina, we as citizens are a part of the stream of both culture and conflict. Our fierce sense of self preservation has led us to defend against those both foreign and domestic who would invade our land. We examine our history and wonder what might have been different, if only we could impact the past.

I offer you that opportunity.

I am a Southern native who returned to Charleston after a career with CBS News in New York. A friend brought me a story and an opportunity. In 1910, a young black man was convicted of the murder of a Jewish merchant in Charleston. The case, the State of South Carolina vs. Daniel Duncan, went as far as the South Carolina Supreme Court where the appeal was denied. It is not surprising, in spite of his notoriety for pardons, that Governor Coleman Blease did not object to the execution. Daniel Duncan was hanged on July 7, 1911.
 
During the past year and a half, I have worked to bring this story to light. This summer will see the release of Dead Weight by Joggling Board Press. The novel based on the true story contains much of the court testimony, the letters and words of Daniel Duncan and the story of the hurricane that hit Charleston shortly after the execution, a storm to this day still referred to by some in the black community as the Duncan storm.

Immersed as I was in the research and the story, it wasn’t until the book was complete that I sat and thought of the young man and a life that was cut short by an unfortunate act of Fate and the unfortunate justice of the time. We are in different times.
 
With this letter, I request and formally petition for a review of the State of South Carolina vs. Daniel Duncan, with the subsequent hope that a posthumous pardon might be granted to restore honor, correct an egregious error in jurisprudence and show that South Carolina is a state that not only cherishes history, but is capable of taking action to repair it.

Respectfully submitted,

Batt Humphreys