The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-11-21

and sentence Of the court in the case of A. Arbuth-
not. and approves the fading and first sentence Of
the court in the Of Robert C. Ambrister and
disapproves the reconsideration Of the sentence Of
tho honorable court in this Gaze.
IL appears, from the evidence and pleading of
the prisoner, that be did land and command, within
the territory Of Spain, being subject of Great Bri
tain, the Indians in war against the United States
those nations being at peace II is an established
principle Of the laws Of nations that any individual
OF nation making war against the citizens of any
other nation they being at peace forfes his ALE
glance, and becomes an outlaw and pirate This
is the Of Robert c. Ambrister, clearly shown
by the evidence adduced.
The Commanding General orders that Brevet
Major A. G.. w. Tanning, OF the corps of artillery,
will have, between the hours Of eight and nine
o'clock n. m, A. Arbuthnot suspended by the neck
with rope until he is dead, and Robert c. Am
briser to be shot to dsa agreeable to the sentence
Of the court.
John james Arbuthnot will be furnished with u
passage to Pensacola by the first vessel.
The special court, Of which Brevet Major Gen
eral Z. p. Gaines is President, ia dissolved.
By order Of Major General JACKSON;
ROBERT BUTLER, Adjutant General.
The reader will observe that, though another
offence was charged against ARBUTHNor, both
upon those allegations which involve them in
the guilt, as British subjects, Of taking part ia
the hostiiities Of savage tribes against nation
,cith lohich their o,cR icGs at peace. They
We're convicted, substantially, Of exciting and
aiding the Creek Indians in their war against
the United States. These were their offences. as
it appears on the face Of the official spec-
foo anl L..ra ~. a.
it was in consequence Of their conviction for
these offences, and for none other, that General
JACKSON caused them TO be executed. Ger
tainly he had no right to order their execution
upon other charges not before the court, and
not noticed in its judgments. The bare impu
| tation of such a wanton stretch Of power must
be offensive to every man who entertains any
| regard for the memory of that illustrious sol
| der. Its appearance in the editorial columns Of
| the Union will be inexplicable 10 all who have
| not become familiar with the extraordinary
course which our contemporary has thought
! proper to adopt. For our own part, we are
unwilling to believe that General JACKSON put
these men to death for any other crimes than
those for which they had been legally con-
victed
| On this point, however, the editor the Union
perhaps intends to put in the plea of ignorance,
forgetfulness, or temporary inability to find the
material with which to correct his judgment.
His own admissions, coupled with the manner
in which he refers us to the State Department,
indicate this conclusion, AID may possibly ex
plain the little familiarity which he exhibits
with the facts or the law of the question un-
der consideration. We may be pardoned,
therefore, for remarking that our contemporary
would materially improve his capacity, as
the metropolitan expositor of Democracy,
were he to master all the bearings Of the
case, as it appears in the official records
of the country, instead Of drawing perpetually
upon the resources of his proverbially fertile
imagination. Great inventive faculties are
well enough in their way, but they scarcely
entitle even Democratic editor to pronounce
his ipse dinu in matter with which, accord
ing TO his own confession, he is only partially
acquainted.