New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-04-07


the treatment TO which they had been subjected. a
scarcely to be able to walk, aud several staggered
from weakness as they passed Though the street
TO the cars. -r-
F1nslly, twelve ofths number, Including the iv'
who have deposed, and Mr.. Mason, OF Company n
Fist Regiment OIO Noluntsen--wiiO wac prevented
by illness from giving his eviienco-were trans
ferred tothe prison Of Knoxville, tenDessee. Oi
arriving there, seven Of them were Grragped bef3rs
Conrt-maTtial charged with being s?ies. Thel
trial, OF course, was summary. they were permit
ted to be present, but not ito hear either the argu
ment Of their own counsel or that Of the Judge.Ad
vocate. Their counsel, however, afterward vi.iteC
the PRISON and read TO them the written defense
which he made before th4 court in their behalf. IhC
Substance Of that paper Is thus stated by OF tbs
witnesses, Corporal Piltepgef: "He 1.-THE counsel
contended that being dressed in citizens clothes
was nothing more than what tive Confederate Gov
eminent Itself had aNhorizet and was outy what
ell tho guerrllas in The service Of the Confederacy
ola on all occasions whsn 1t wonld 10 On advantage
TO them TO DO s0 and he recited the instance Of Gen.
Morgan having dressed his men in the uniform oi
our soldiers, AMI passed tAem of as being from tbs
9th Pennsylvan cavalry regiment, and by that
means succeeded IN reaching railroad and destroy
lngl This instance was mentioned to show that
our being IN citizens ciothes did not take rom Us
the protection awarded to prisoners Of war The
plea went on further 90 state that we hsd Odd the
object OF our expeditions; that i was pafely mill
taTy one Tor the destruci0n Of communica!Ons, anu
as such, lawful accof ding to the rules of war"
his Just and unanswerable presentation of 'the
case appears to have produced It's appropriate i'm
preston. Several members of the court mart "a,
afterward called ON the prisoners and assured chem
that, from The evidence against them they could
not be condemned as spies; tha; they had comefor
acertain known object. AID Dot having lnGcroo
about or visited any Of Their camps, obtaining OF
seeking information, they could not be convicted
Soon thereafter all the prisoners Were removed to
Atlanta, Ga and they left Knoxville undsr belief
that their comrades who had been tried. ether kat
been would be acquitted. In the meantime, I
however the views enteTtaiued and expressed 70 /
them by the members Of tue court Were overcome,
may be safely assumed under the prompting of the
remorseless deepotism at Richmond On the 18th Oi
June after their arrival at Atlanta, where they re.
Joined the comrades from whom they had been sepa-
rated at Chattanooga, their prison door opened,
and the death sentences of the seven who had been
tried at Knoxville were read to them. No time for
preparation was allowed them. They were told TO bid
their friends farewell, "and to be quick about it,
They were at once tied and carried out TO execution
Among the seven was Private Samuel Robinson,
Co. &, S3i Ohio Volunteers, who was too i'll 20
walk He was, however, pinioped like the ress,
and in this condition dragged from the floor on
which he was lying TO the 5cafoh. In hour or
more the cavalry escort, which had accompanied
;hem was seen returning with the cart, but the cart
was empty-the tragedy had been consumInated
On that evening and the following morning the |
prisoners learned from the Provost Marshal and (
guard that their comrades had died. all true sol-
aiers Of the Republic should die, in tue presence Of
It's enemies. Among the revolving incidents which
they mentioned IN connection with this covardly ]
butcbery, was the fall OF two Of the victims from toe
breaking OF the ropes after they had been for some
lime Suspended. On their being restored 20 CEN |
scousness, they begged for hour in which TO pray
and to prepare for DEATH bat this refused them
The ropes read assed and the execution at once
proceeded.
Among those who thus pershed WINS Private AL. |
fred Wilson, Company q, DIST Ohio Volunteers He |
was mechanic from Cincinnati, who, in the exer- I
else OF bls trade, had travelled much through the
States North and Sonth, aud who had greatness Of
soul which syInpathzsd intensely with our struggle
for national HE and was in that DARK hour filed
with Joyous convictions OF our final triumph.
Though surrounded by scowling crowd, impatient
for his sacrifice, he did not hesitate. while standing
under the gallowa, 10 make them a brief address.
he told them that, though they were all wrong, he
had no hostile feelings toward The Southern people,
believing that not they but their leaders were
sponslble for the Rebellion; that he no spy a.
charged, bet soldier regularly detailed Tor military
duty thai he did not regret 10 die for his country
but only regretted the manner of his DEATH and he
added, for their admonion, that they would yet see
the time when the old Union wond DO restored, and
when itstag would wave over them again. And
with these words the brave ded. lie, like his
comrades, calmly met the ignomnious doom Of a
felon--but, happily, ignominiOus for bin and for
them only 30 far as the maryrdom of the patriot and
the hero be gTsded by she hands Of rusus and
traitors
The remaining prisoners NOW reduced to fourteen,
were kent closely confined under special guard Ia
the Jail at Atlanta, until October, when Oyerhesr.
ing a conversation bet seen the jailer and another
officer they became satisfied that IL was the purpose
of the authorities TO hang them, they had done
their companions. This led them to form plan for
their escape which they carried into execution on
the evening of the next day, by selling the iailer
when he opened the door TO carry away the bucket.
in which their supper had been brought. This was
followed by the seizure also o. seven guards on duty,
and before the alarm wac given eight q the fugtvs
were beyond the reach of pursuit.. IL has be6n einee
ascertaned that elk OF these, alter long and painl
wanderngs, succeeded in reaching our hues. OF
the fate OF the other two, nothing L. known. The
remaining six Of the fourteen, consisting OF five wit
pesses who have deposed, and Mr.. Mason, were,
captured and confined IN the barracks uatil Deiem-
Der, when they were removed to Richmond. Inere
they were shut up in a room in Castle Thunder,
where they sbveIed through the Winter, without
fire, thinly clad, aud with but two email blankets
which they mad saved with their clothes to- cover
the whole party. So they remained until few oays
since, when they were exchanged; and thus, at the
end Of eleven month"; terminated their pitiles per-
secutons in the prisons of the Sonth-psrf ecution
begun and continued amid indignit and sIiferngs
on their part, and atrocities on the par. OF their
traorOus foes, which illustrate far more faithfully
than any human language could express ~, the de-
rnoniac spirit Of revolt, every throb Of whose life
Ia CRIME against the very race 10 which we telong
Very repeatedly, your obodieni 'ervsut,
j. Holt, Judge Adyocsse General
Hon Epw1x NJ STANTON, Secretary OfWar. IN.
TESTIMONY.
,>oo,,n, of Corp1al W1ata Pttfia9ey, Company G. q
psHv X SD Rssimsnt ohio Yolnaseer,s Pirate Rsber
ccSessal o WlIlsns hediS. CcnTonp b. sd Rsosnea
Ohio Yeluatseys; and P,irats WnhGn BsnsiR9", Com
r a S@o 9e S,b xlsAs st t H13r a. y
Ti,t Of Washngon The 24h Of March 1868, bsf>re y