Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-12-15

| ilaiely butcher mcu, women and cltll-
dren. During this very campaign. the
iomakawk has drunk Toe b.onh Of our
| peaccia, connirymen. Wretches they
| lake ITO prisoners. :" In the council iiou-
SEES OF ksulagecs Town, the King OF The
Mickasnkia.s, more than fifty fresh Scsl9s
were found, and, in the centre q. tli, pib-
T! lie square. The Oil Red Sticks Slamtlart,
u red poie MAS erected, crowned VIII. the
scalps, recognized by The hair as torn
| from the heads Of the unfortunate coni-
| pauiuns % Scott"
But admit eli this, as laid down by
| Vattel say that he claims the right moi
only of refusing quarter TO a savage enc
my, but of killing bin, when iaken pri-
| soner, en- cold blood, yet even this does mo-,
Justify the execution of Arbuihnot aud
| Ambris,er. You canuoi separate the rule
| from the condition. Wherever severity
is moi absolutely necessary, clcmency is TO
be used" There may be(says Burlama-
| quiz cases Of necessity so pressing, that tire
| care Of our own preservation obiiges us
| la proceed 10 exireinities, which in amy
other circumstances than these would be
absolutely criminal" "When our safety is
incompatible witlihai ofanenemy though
subdued, (says Vaticl. Sec. 1919 il is out
of all question, bui that ia cool blood a
great number of prisoners should be put
| TO death. But il i required, /. That they
were not promised their lives. 9. Ii
mus, be we'll weighed 'evsn TO a certainty,
t.at CTR sgfety cridentiy defnas.ds such a ga
crifce. II prudence will in arg wise per-
uit, either To trust TO their parole, or 10
disregard their Righteousness, a generous
enemy will rather listen 10 the voice of
humanity, Than 10 that OF a timcrous cir
cumspeciion." 1t is only the great nc
/ Z. IL.
ecutiou (as that o! flenryN. at the battle
OF Agincourt, land the general whose case
requires it is greatly TO be piied." In
speaking of other hard cases, sucl, as the
pii!age and destruction of towns, Vatiel
says, that "onIy enormous offences are
| Ia bepunished IN this manner; and when
| risor is not of an absolute necessity, IL is
always beautiful 10 listen 10 the voice oil
humanity and clrmeucy.'
And now, with these requisiiions star
| ing MS III the face, can we c0Otiy lay our
hands upon our hearts, and say, this was
a of that absolute and pressing ueces-
silly as would justify a departure from all
| the rules OF humanity, and the uniform
| practice OF our own country! 10 answer
! This question, look al the state of things
al that very moment. The order tor
holding the Court martial bears date the
| the 27ih-Ambrister oil tie 2SiIi--and
! they we're executed ON the 29lh.-On the
Goth OF April Give days before The ordering
of the Court martial,) General Jackson
thus writes TO tile Secretary al war;
. believe may say that The destruction of
| this place, GBowlegs' town. with the posses
sion OF St Marks. having, on the night of the
18th, captured the late Lieut. Anbrister, OF
the British marine corps, and represented
nv Ar lint MI ceeSS "a N mil gv6
the Indian cGl for tie present and should IL 6ere
nered the position taken, rhich ought TO he held
eiH enable a small partyto put it dorn promptly"
On tie 26tii--the date of the order,
he writes thus:
y" i shall leave this in two three days for
Fort Gadsdeu. and after making all necessary
arrangements for the security OF the positions
| occupied, and deiachug force TO scour the
| country west OF the AppaachicOla, j Shall pro-
| coed direct for Nashville my presence in This
J country can be no longer necessary. Tie In
| dian forces have been divided aud scattered,
cut Oft from all comm uncation with those un-
| princpled agents of foreign nations, who have
! deluded them 10 their ruin they haze not tie
pocer, the uH remain, Of again annoying our
| front er."
The war ended for the presenter if
renewed, small party enabled 10 PIT ii
dorm promptly-ihc Indians scattered and
divided-witiiou The po'cer Of again annoy
| ins. our fiOntier-we demand, whence the
danger of sparing ilie lives of these
Two men where is This pressing necessity
of shedding their blood, and staining our
| annals !
If yous say, that twas necessary TO give
a tremendous example OF vengeance, to
deter either agents from ninging in future
wars, thendo we deny the Justice of fhs
distant and contingent calculaiion-and
we ask yon, 10 estimate The excuses to
w'.ch this principle. would lead. II we
are 10 bold up these tremendous examples
in te'7Orem for fuIurity, why not wage u
| war of determination why not sweep eve
| nv man, and woman and child, bearing the
Seminole name, from The face of Florida?
| why "capture men aud 81 women and
| children" OIL the 18th of April? why
spare them on other occasions? WHY
| did not Gen. jackson put every one of
| them 10 the sword
As 10 these Two EngIshmep, their pow
| CT to injure us was gone. They were in
| our hands: cut off from all communication
with the Indians there was no pressing
necessity TO take their lives. WHY not
keep hem.in confinement, until the war
was formally closed why not punish
them in some other way, than by death!
But if Gen. Jackson had The right, and
, all The proceedings perfectly regular,
| why this IndcC ent haste in executing these
miserable men why not refer This case,
| The first we IecolIect TO have ever occur
red IN OuT country: a case Of such SEN
sibiIity 10 The Chief Magistrate OF this
! naiioH? There was another reason for IL
| The 65ili art. of the rules and articles Of
war (act of Congress April 10, 1860
declares expressly, that " neither shall
any sentence OF q general court martial
III lime of peace, extending TO lhe loss OF
| life, he carried INTO execution, uDtl after