Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-05-14

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Ma sHoIpsE; Be 80 kind - ~ slleys NJ
IN your next issue ef the 1t45s did JhAE s.
Henry ~. Miller, skoaas ia
since his return fr6s IihoAd y Jill ~
my article in your snssp ~ ahs
'Actsof he ss1 va To- 20 fnilstics 70
tbs Curt int lied IA: Respess s1haEsysr gnip-
give "a lie pu6ISc ts necessary spianatjols that
not knowing Aif tie facts AT the tinse Wrnfe sid
artfole, II was natural should arrive At the info!
ences did and supposed, Tint bedk1se there was
no $tness Summoned for him, IN attendance on: the
trisfwherah bis ~ was in peril that be had BEEN
rnled TO trial without the benefit Of any testimony
of:his own. And again: becsuse his counsel made
no argument ia His behalf on the trial that hehsd
been deprived Of that benefit, Whereas the truth
was that although no witness had been summoned
for him, for he had not the fat Of TIE gooersaHent
to summon any, nor did he ask for It because ne
felt confident he might safely risk his cause upon
the testimony Of The Witnesses summoned against
him, although he had not seen any Of them since
bis arrest was he permitted to see or have any
intercourse with them, by letter or otherwise) and
well did they merit his condolences for they fully
and clearly established his loyalty to the Southern
cause, and his innocence Of the charges preferred
against him, and gave him the character of an hon
orabie man, and was deservedly respected in his
own and the neighboring counties; that he had
done more to advance the Confederate cause, than
any other man in that section Of country-haying
equipped and sent into the Southern army nine OF
his nephews, wards, and continued 70 supply them
with money when the government Paymaster failed
to pay them their dues and had given more to sup
port the wives and children Of the absent soldiers
than any other person in that community, and was
actively engaged in fitting out steam Pricateer at
cost Of some $4,000, to cruise against the enemy
at the time Hatteras fell which event defeated the
enterprise that his election last winter Intendant
of Police Of the town of Washington, by large ma
orty of the votes cast made for hun bitter enemies
Of some Of the defeated party, who had gotten up
his arrest and the present prosecution; that he had
minded his own business for several years past and
left partisan politics to others that when the enc
my came first TO Washington he, as was his duty,
met them c,villy at the wharf and besought themAo
spare the town, and not injure the property of its
unarned and unresisting inhabltants-and succeed
ed in his appeal that some days after they left be-
ing uneasy about the safety of several negro men
which he had hired out at Newborn, for the year,
he openly and freely spoke of going there, and sd-
vsed with of his friends about the matter, to
secure said negroes if he could and also his pur-
pose to 60 to Carolina City, if he could get there to
deliver vessel which he had some time before sold
to a citizen Of Onslow county, who was to pay him
$4,000 for her, on her delivery at Carolina City
and get his money for her that he believed rs the
enemy was in possession of Washington. and he,
thereby, already within their lines, he should do no
wrong to go to those places, and his property,
if he could; that he had no other chance of reaching
Carolina City than by accepting Of Burnsdes offer
of passage in one Of his vessels about starting to
Beaufort, from Newbern that he found on his pas
sage down, that his vessel in the power of the
enemy but Burnside offered to give her up to him
If he woulI take the oath Of allegiance to the Uni
ted States-or, If he would pledge his honor to be
neutral in the war, and give no assistance to the
rebel cause, US he termed it; but, as Mr.. Respess
refused to do either he returned home without his
vessel or payment for her, or his Eroes-and OPEN
" and freely spoke of the incidents of his trip and
was quickly thereafter arrested and carried to Rich
nond for trial charge of treason and that, over
and besides that testimony. some fifty citizens Of
his county Of the highest responsibility, voluntarily
and of their own accord, trasmitted to the Court
their testimony in writing in his behalf, of the
most honorable character fully corroborating the
testimony of the witnesses aforesaid on the trial
and it came out the witnesses were of every polit-
cal party-oldlne wings and democrats, secession
lists and conservatives and some Of them, too, who
had opposed Mr.. Respess' election Intendant Of
Washington nevertheless all of them, attested his
innocence Of the charges preferred against him.
And as to the argument Of the clse, it was so evil
dent that Mr.. ReSpess was entitled to an honorable
acquittal upon the testimony, that by mutual con.
sent, the case was submitted to the Court without
argument And Mr.. Miller added, that Mr. Res
pess's counsel were allowed by the Court every
privilege they were entitled to and the Court itself
was composed Of eminently intelligent, high-mnded
gentlemen, and the trial was conducted as fairly
any one he was ever engaged in, and the decision
was as creditable to the Court it was just to Mr.
Respess He was honorably acquitted on all the
charges, and the finding of the Court was approved
by the revising power, the Secretary at War, and
Gen. Winder.
1t gives Inc the greatest pleasure to make this
correction, and thank Mr.. Miller for the explana-
ton to enable me to do it; and l thank your own
good self for allowing me to make it in your paper.
[ certainly did not wish nor intend to do any in
Justice, or cause others to do it, to the Cour: in
question; and indeed, it not the Court, but the
military powers at Richmond, that l supposed had
deprived Mr.. Respess of part Of his just rights,
when his character, liberty and life were IN the
greatest DANGER And it may be proper that
should here, also say, to prevent Misrepresentation
Of nv remark in my article in your last paper that
although the judgment Of the Court did not, in ex-
press terms, say that the prosecution against Mr..
Respess was false and malicious, yet his honorable
acouittal on all the charges and discharge, and the
testimony show that it was So
As this is the last time in all probability, that
shall trouble you or the public with anything from
me upon this disagreeable subject, or any other,
perhaps ought to add. in conclusion, that have
much reason to believe that the story circulation
here about Mr.. Respesss son John having joined
the Yankees, and made Lieutenant Colonel of, is
utterly untrue. He is a mere boy, and very rash
and unsteady one of scarcely eighteen years Of age;
but it is probably true, that about the time of his
fathers trial, he had drunken frolic with some of
his youthful associates at Washington, and while
under the influence of liquor, and resentment for
his fathers wrongs, did say, lie would, or had
IL.