The Sun.
London, England, 1863-05-08 00:00:00

THE MURDER OF COLONEL KIMBALL

We do not knew of an event in the whole history
of the war that reveals to the public the abject con-
dition to which the American press has fallen
equally with the recent killing of Lieut.-Colonel
Kimball, of the 9th New York. Among the bravest
of the brave of the youths who rushed to the defence
of our country, decorated with the trophies of 18
contested actions, blameless as a soldier, th 9 idol al
his regiment, he is ruthlessly shot down in his own
camp while in the performance of a so!dier's duty,
and there is not one voice raised to vindicate his
conduct or demand atonement for his murder ! Set-
ting aside the merits of the case, and let them be
what they will, how can the press justify its silence
on a state of facts that intensely stirred the public
and made every heart burn with indignation? The
answer is found in the fact that his slayer was a
popular Irish general, and those crouching jour
na►s, not truly estimating Irish honour and justice.

feared the Irish vote. The humiliation inflicts a
blush upon the cheek of every citizen, and makes
us almost feel as if we were a conquered race. It

.eminds us of the tame Saxot,s, who bent content-
edly beneath the Norman yoke, and lost their coun
try because they were no longer worthy of retaining
it. Not a word of sympathy or defence for the brave
boy who had been in 16 battles! Not an expression
of regret for that bold spirit whose flashing sword
was the first upon a long causeway, and over the
ramparts at Roanoke, and who, incessant in his
duty, was the model soldier of the Army of the
East. Shame on suck countrymen as have no gentle
word for such a countryman as he! The paragraph
announcing Col. Kimball's death appeared here on
Tuesday. The statement was that he had been shot
down by Gen. Corcoran for refusing to let him pass
without the countersign. It was a statement to ap-
peal to the indignation of every journalist, as it did
to every citizen ; but no journalist ventured to
speak upon the subject. There was nothing said by
the press on the next day; on the third a contradic-
tion of the fact that Colonel Kimball was on picket
duty, and an assumption that he therefore had no
right to demand the countersign, appeared in a
Hartford paper, and presently all our city journals,
as it moved by a common motive, gave it a republi-
cation. The public, however, reasoned the matter
for themselves. They knew that an officer was
bound to have the countersign, and that it was easier
to give it than to sheet the man who asked for it. We
believe the Nets of the casewili prove to be that Lieut.-
Col. Kimball, who wt,i3 the most vigilant officer in
the camp, was going his rounds; or it may be he was
voluntarily inspecting the pickets of his regiment.
At any rate he was within the limits of his camp,
and he found a mounted party late at night passing
to the front. He would have been an unworthy sol-
dier had he not required the countersign ; and.
Gen. Corcoran is unfit to be one for not havinghieh ;hoe-
stantly responded with it. The first idea.
in the picture of Napoleon being
ce°lby the sen-
tinel citizen has of military rigour ispiewndeu
scathe
sentinel ; of Washington beingsto
stopped by the
; a Frederick the Great being
is criminally
It is the imperative
er who moves about
ord
is set to be instructed in the
in camp after the guar] dof Kimball •
anodftbZobrcoooran for not having it and
csodoenunut
tnyt
tneeoerfish: egavnfneldrisyst the countersign.
' soldier
desire no statement of
latter
etemr
drew
giving it. We
own.. He was surrounded by his
but Corcoran
If
theas disci
.editable
Kimball was alonaes.
well
his sword, he did so according to the routine of the
challenge,
he centre ofN his mounted
tor C orcor Corcoran
hntdo itsa
yi s t absurdh athat
i
staff, and
hhiimentdhsrohneghoadararon2gahnteetoatn'edar
pride, we demand
that he be held to answer forp it. Tiote; dheeat e Owl
such a man as Kimball muhst not
tinned ; and the military go by unques-
mit it would be unworthy of
that would
obedience.per-
no not afraid.
and the preyss,obe MurderMessieurs
of the army
has no nationality,
and no people are less likely
than the Irish to shield a criminal on mere cousi-
aeration of his birth or station. Unless Corcoran be
promptly relieved and tried, we predict that the
troops of his envision will he worth nothing to the
country.—Wilkes's Sprit of the Age.

Mr. Bright, M.P., in writing to the Birmingham
town-clerk, says :—" I have not yet seen Mr. Soholefteld,
but I have no hesitation in saying that I am opposed to any
measure which vests the control of the police force in the
hands of the Secretary of State."/