Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-09-14
The Confederate Court.

In the District Court of the Confederate
States on yesterday Lincolnite by the name
of John w. Smith was placed at the bar on
charge of treason, and sufficient evidence ad-
duced 10 warrant his Honor in holding him
for trii.l in Nashville in October. Smith is
enc OF the leaders in Scott County, and was
with Maynard in his fight to Abraham's
bosom. There seemed to be general feeling
of regret pervading the spectators that the
willy Congressman was not in the place of his
deluded proselyte, yet the plea of ignorance
and delusion could not be successfully urged
in defence of Smith, as be was shown to be a
man of considerable influence ia his locality
and was the bell-wether of the flock in the
range about Huntsville.
The prisoners from Hancock County whose
arrest we noticed yesterday, twenty-five in
number, were likewise arraigned before his
Honor.
All of them but the riugIead- r. one Jarvis
of Hancock Co., an Illinois Yankee by the
name of Barton, who was a member of the
tory Convention at Greenville, and the Lieu
tenant, out of the band. likely free negro,
were dismissed upon making their own state
ment ot'the manner in which they were duppd
aud deceived into the silly attempt to expa-
trists themselves, for the purpose OF joining
Johnson's fabulous army of $4,000 men. The
poor creatures all united in disclosing the
.
Their head men. they declared, induced them
to believe that Andy johnson was just on the
other side of the Cumberland mountains
waiting to load them down with gold eagles.
bounty scrip, extra pay and land warrants,
whilst if they remained at home they were to
be forced into the Confederate army, hand
cuffed and placed in front in every fight.
This ingenious story seems to have been
concocted in Knoxville. and simultaneously
cd in oil tho fTninn NJ ,Sjt
Tennessee.
The negro Lieut.. dropped his feathers and
transformed himself into servant to some
officer of the Confederate States, and promis-
ed to behave himself for the ba ance of his
days as becomes good niger 10 the land of
Dixie, and never during the war to suffer the
bread of his new master to get burnt or his
coffee scorohed.
The captains, Jarvis and Barton, were
placed on trial, but the Investigation was not
concluded at the hour of adjournment.
1t also transpired during the examination,
that VIM. Odell, of Hapcock county, one of
the body guards who was arrested with Mr..
Nelson, and subsequently released at Rich
mond, had on his return, Joined this company,
but at the first approach of danger had made
bis escape.
After these Hancock boys were released,
they voluntarily took the oath of allegiance
to the Southern Confederacy. As they were
destitute of means, the Southern Rights gen.
tlemen OF the bar, took up a collection to de-
fray their expenses home. We learn that
several of them have since enlisted in the
Confederate army, and others have announ-
ced their intention to do SO.
We trust that the leniency of the constituted
authorities to these miserable victims of de-
ception may not be misplaced, and that their
release may be referred to the true motive
which prompted it, feeling of pity and COM
passion for the weakness and miserable ignor-
ance and no departure from the fixed purpose
of the judiciary to execute the law to its full
lest extent for the punishment of every in
dividual whose criminality and guilt, eou-
pied with mental capacity sufficient to tender
him fit subject for punishment. shall be
made apparent by full, patient and fair in
estigation.-RnOrcile Register, I2h.