Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-06-05

Rita man shot. His noble heart recoiiea iro,"
sn,b wan,on barbarity There are, no'wl'n
s,andinp. men guilty ofthe gross injustice Oh
General Jackson with Zen. =" ASH
ington! -
IN ah.;or General Andre,c Jackson
cn.c,ors SIR-Condescend to listen, uear
csnsr.l 10 the humble prayer OF your poor pc.
,;,;oner John Harris, now lying under sentence
rf death. by conviction OF court martial ie
mi, vour poor friendcss fellow creature "ps'
GRACIOUS General, humbly TO approach o" o ~.S
knees. before you, aud state his nara case. w.
do moi despise poor Militia man, because "e
has no friend 10 plead his cause;sAnd "n' "ea'-
es, blessed General, deign to have mercy upu"
me. NV head is so confused with inns 'e, :,
sentence of death, that am fearful shai' no'
be able TO state my case properly: ou' aeas
neral. if poor creature, on the brink OF the
crave. and condemned to suffer an ignominous
rnnisbment should fail to plead his Cause lui-
". le, him not perish cruelty for his neg'ec' =
And NAV gracious God, through the mep's
of an ever blessedSaviour,ha have mercy upon you'
dear and noble General, atthe day OF Judgment
as YOU shall have mercy upon poor cohoem"
ed agonizing militia man.
Your poor forlorn petitioner, most gracious
General. is private in Captain Strothers com
pany of Militia. Our company was dGa'teu ou':
bv order Of Governor Blount, in the month OF
Nav last. left my poer sick-wiie and one III
tie child at home, and GOO knows where INC!
have found bread. And now, dear General IL
YOUR warrant should come to+ake my lie, wha'
shall become of my poor wre1ched wile ana Ia
,herless child We reached our randyvoo on
the Goth of jane, and though we had been cut
some weeks, it was then, they said, the tour OF
service began. Dear General, always behaV-
ed well, as good soldier: Lieutenant Bennett
testified to my good behaviour, on the trial, and
so did Ensign Kelly. And truly, dear General
as God shall Judge me, ] did sincerely believe,
that we could not be drafted out Tor more than
three months-and General Washington, OF
Tennessee, told the Court Martial, that he did
no, know whether the men was ordered out LOT
| tour Of six months or only three; and the 1e-
neral said he had writ 10 Governor Blount 10
knoy, but the Governor had not answered him.
Besides this, dear General, we was told oy Sc
veral Of the Officers, that there was no law Tor
the militia to serve more than three months;
and they said, the Presidents orders TO Cover
nor Blount was to draft out the militia, accord
ing to the old law of 1895; and the officers told
US. the old law was for tour Of three months:
So when the three months was up, dear General,
we thou CHIT we had the RICH, and the law on our
/
militia men, we thought if we had the law on
our side, we was safe, especially as the officers
said we had right 10 60. And the officers
,ha, told us there was no law TO keep US, are
only broke and dismissed the service and your
poor wretched petitioner and five other poor mi
| ii,ia men is condemned to dreadful death.
Dear gracious GsassaG
low creatures. We have just heard Of the glo-
| rious battle which you have gained over the
enemy. Oh, dear General, though we hav'nt
fought under you,. we are from your native
State, Tennessee and we have served faithfully;
| for that the officers testified for us. Let tine
only blood you shed, dear General, be the blood
| of the enemy. Spare US great and good gene
| raj, 70: the sake OF your own glory. You can
pardon us, dearest General, even il the law was
| against us, and God Knows, We thought we had
| the law on our side. No body would think of
finding faul, with you, dear General, you was
TO pardon us. after such great victory as
you have gained, the President of the U States
and all the people of America will be very hap
| py to let you pardon six poor friendlrss militia
| men, who thought they had the law on their
side
Perhaps, dear General, there will soon be
peace. The officers that told US we had the law
| with us said, there five had gone OUT 10
make peace; and Great Britain had got fighting
enough, and il wasn't likely, whether or no,
we should be wanted in the service any more
And oh, dear blessed General, should it turn
out, that the peace was signed already, how i,
| would grieye YOUR noble heart, 10 think you had
signed death-warrant in time OF peace 20 take
The lives Of six poor militia men from Tennes-
see!
But if, dear and gracious general, you should
not deign to spare The life Of poor wretchcd fel-
low creature, If he must be shot down, like sick
beast, although be thought he had the law on his
side, then for the love Of God, dear General, al
low me few short weeks to repent of my sins, &
go home and sec my poor wretchcd wife and
my only child Take me not out of the world.
dear General, ill have begged my way back
to Tennessee, 10 see my dear, dear wife and one
only poor h;,le child, who must soon be an Or
phan Or If you cannot, dear General blessed
General, permit your poor suffering broken
hearted fellow creature 10 go home and see The
blue hills and the green fields Of Tennessee, and
his poor miserable wife and child, before he
is shot, at least for the sake of Jesus Chris, our
blessed redeemer, give me few weeks to re-
pent. Deares; kind General, the country can
wait Tor my blood. Do not shoot nv soul