Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-08-02
0Blo Statesman,
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY
The Ohio Statesman Company.
TUESDAY MORNING, : AUGUST 2.
THE CASE OF CAPT. HURTT.
A Wounded Soldier Expresses His
Opinion of a Certain Class of Off
GERS.
CINCINNATI, July 81.

CINCINNATI, July 81.
To the Editor Cincinnati Commercial:
Months after the trial of Captain F. w.
Hurtt, small notice appeared in your
Washington telegraphic column that "the
President had refused to pardon the said
Hurtt." A few days subsequent appeared
the charges and sentence of the aforesaid
offender; and few days later still, notice
appeared, signed by HURT, giving your
paper scorching ON account of your pub
fishing the item of .sthe pardon refused"
and stating that you only did SO from the
fact that he, the said HURT, was connected
with a leading journal of the State, and
was opposed to some of your views, prom
ising at the same time to prepare an article
which would show ''new evidence" to con-
vince "disinterested public" that he was
honest. l have waited good while for
said article, but it not being produced,
have word to say In reference to this
case.
A short time before the rebellion began,
HURT was proprietor of some sort of adver-
tising sheet in this city, from which he
might possibly have made living, which
doubt. He then took an interest in The
State Journal, which any sensible man
knows never paid any very large profits
At that time he was not worth two thou
sand dollars, all told for the truth of which
examine his own sworn statement in the
County Auditors office. But now we find
him, after lapse of only three years. pur-
chasing real estate to the tune of thirty
thousand dollars. Bearing in mind the
fact that his pay, net after paying for SER
want, horses, forage, &C., is only about one
hundred and twenty dollars per month,
and the actual expenses of his eXtravagant
mode of living have not been less than
double his salary, does not this itself tell of
fraud2 Can any sensible man doubt his
guilt? With all this evidence, and the fact
that he was found guilty by a court-mar-
tial, not newspaper in your city has the
manly virtue to come out and blast forever
with scorning rebuke the man who would
rob his Government in this her hour of tri-
al. What is the cause of this silence?-
Simply the fact that HURT owns paper of
the same political caste.
have ever taken pride in your manly,
bold actions in common, but am sorry to see
that you have lost your old independence.
The court martial which tried HURT SEN
fenced him to be dishonorably dismissed
from the public service. What punish
ment for an offense like his! What does a
man who will disgrace his name, his office,
his sword, and honor, care for dismissal? !?
Not fig. The true punishment should
have been long Imprisonment in the pen
itentiary, forced refunding of every dol
lar he stole, and the refusal of the citizens
to recognize or associate with ''prison
bird" Now, | acknowledge that l feel a
personal wrong In this matter, from this
fact During the time Capt. HURT was be-
ing tried for stealing his tens of thousands
from the government, private soldier by
the name of Shay was tried for stealing a
pair of boots, and although he proved first
rate character as a soldier and man, he,
the poor private, was sentenced to the Dry
Tortugas with ball and chain to his leg
at hard work, for three years, with loss of
all pay, bounty, &c.
Now, though l have served my country
for three years, and am on my second en-
listment my very nature revolts at this DEM
onstration In favor of office. In France, where
the military science is carried to the great
est extent, or in fact any other country, the
higher position an officer holds the greater
will be his punishment for any dereliction
of duty; and should an officer be convicted
like HURT, every citizen would refuse to
recognize him-his name would be scorn
and reproach to all honest men. Now, you
must excuse me for taking SO much of your
valuable space, but as newspapers nor
courts-martial will attack rank, feel it
duty to show that the only way for the
boys who carry muskets and march to the
defense of the ''old flag" is for them to
speak for themselves. Let our officers un-
derstand this fact, that if they want to meet
with entire success, they must by their acts,
reach the mass of the army ''privates;;' then
they will. under all circumstances, have JUS
tice, and that they will not be punished for
what an officer goes free. 81. ..
I Yours truly,
EZRA HOWE,
Company B, SD Ohio V. l., Ward 8, Wash
ington Park Hospital. One who lost his
,.sSr ht 4 !