Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1864-04-28
TIE DESCRIBES HUNG AZ KIa.roz

THE DEsERTERs HUNG AT KINsTCx NC
We find in the North Carolina Presbuerian Io,a
letter from the Rev John Paris, Chaplain of the 546
Regiment n O. Troops, giving detailed account Of
the capture, conviction ard hanging of TWENTY-FIVE DO
serters at Kinstou. We make the FOLLOWING CIV
tracts:
"ln our late campaign against Newbern. we cantnr.
ed in the ranks of the enemy with arms in tbei bsnG
and dressed out IN the Yankee t0ggery twenty two
men, who were recognized and proved to be dse,ers
from the Confederate service. They have all been triad
by court martial, found guilty, Condemned and snsJ
the penalty of death upon the galows. They were all
turned over to brigade for execution At the in
stance of Brig. Gen. Hoke attended them in conGrp
ment in the character of minister of the gospel and
accompanied them to the galows Thus learned their
history and card their confessions. On Friday the
5th Instant joe. L. Haskell and David Jones, of Ora
ven county, deserted fromtbe 10th Regiment were cx
ecuted.
They were iterate men peither Of them could read
Admitted they had deserted, but Insisted that the Yau-
KEGS compelled them to take the oath and enlist. These
were the most unteelng and hardened men have
encountered They had been raised up in ignorance
and vice They manifested but little if any concern
about eternity. They marched to the galloVs with
apparent Indifference. Jones, though quite young
man, never shed tear. By deserving the flag OF their
country they guilty of perjury but they seemed to
regard it with indifference With this state of feeling
tBey were launched into eternity.
% Friday, the 18th, hpe more OF the prisoners
were brought to tie scaffold AS all Of these execu.
items bad to take place within twenty four hours after
the publication OF their sentence had only that sp &c
of time to devote to their religious instruction before
hey went to the bar Of God. The OF these men
were Amos Armyett. William Irving Mitchell Busiek
Lewis Bryan and John Stanley-al dtserers from
Nethercutt's Battalion, and from Jones county Upon
entering the cell IN which they confined asked
il any of them members Of the church ?-Armyett
replied that be was and bad been Methodist for years
bo~ orcH t0 Tu0np in Rot
as don't admit mans lips test Of bis christan
IT, taught them only sinners against God OF the
most heaven deyipg character. L urged upon them
tie importance OF making fuQ and complete cQncs.
sion of all their sins, before both God and man yet
am afraid these willing to look the great sia
of perjury of which they guilty, fully 10 the lace
Yet each one before starting to the gAlows prcessd
to have made bis peace with hs God and two Of them
were boptised 10 the Chri8tian faith l suggested to
them that they owed to their fellow duty, viz
that they should give to me the OF the men
had seduced them to desert AID go 10 the enemy This
they readily assented to, aud gave me the names OF five
citizens of Jones county, the authors OF their u,
.isgrace and death which l took down in writ
ing handed it into the Generals flee and they
will 10 doubG be properly attended to- At the gal.
Iowa Armyett, who the eldest OF the five, made
chief speaker, the following confession, written down
delivered
81 believe my peace is made with God. did wrong
10 volunteering alter l got to Newbern. i would
rather have laid 10 lil all my life than have done il.
have rendered prayer unto God to forgive my sin.
l trust in him, and 10 him only" (rhe prisoners said
we all feel the same way
Mitchell Busick said II went to Newbern and
they (the Yankees told if did not go into their
service, should be taken through the lines and shot
10 this way was frightened into it," They all de-
clared ave W ch statement made TO the n. G.
Troops that we have done wrong and regret it ana
warn Others not to follow our example"
t. "On Monday, the 5th inst thirteen more marched
TO the gallows. made my first visit to them as chap
IA Sunday morning. The bGKgaTs all dc
sc,ption. Some of them were comparatively young
men. But they had made the fatal mistake. They had
only twenty-four hours to ve and but little prepare
ton bad been made for death. Here vile to say
farewell to q husband forever Here a mother to take
the last look her ruined son and then sister who
had come to embrace for tie last e The brother who
had brought disgrace upon the very name she bore by
his treason to bis country, told them they had sin
ned against their country and that country would not
forgive but they had also snned against God yet God
would forgive If they approached him with penteut
hearts, filed with godly sorrow for .sia and reposa
their trust r the aoning blood Of Christ. They gave,
apparently, marked attention to my minstration of the
word and of prayer On the next morning before they
were carried to the scal1old visited them again, and
had with companions Rev. MIR. Thompson,
chaplain of the Add, Rev. Mr.. Schenck, of Guiliord
county, Rev. Mr.. Hines, Missionary to Brigade, and
Rev. r, r. Nchaux, n. g. Conference After read.
ing chapter and prayer, administered the ordnauc
of christian baptism to eight of theee poor condemned
wrechee after the manner the Paul and Silas admin.
steed it to the Jaior and his household i'll the prison
at midnight in PhiIppi. They had received no rci-
gious visit from any one except the one from uy5e!
the preceding morning, and one in the afternoon, at
my request, from Rev. Mr. Thompson. l administered
baptism at the request made on the morning before
The thirteen marched to the galIows With apparent
resignation. Some of them hope were prepared for
their doom. Others fear not. Ga the scafJId they
were all arranged in one row. At a given signal the
trap fell, and they were in eternity in few moments
The scene was truly appalling. But it was as truly
the deserters doom. Many of them said | never Cx.
pected to come to such an end as this But yet they
deserters, and such they ought to have expect
ed such doom. The names of these misguided mn
were, John l. Brock, VIM. Haddock, jesse Summer.
lin, A. l. Britain, VIM Jones, Lewis Freeman, Gal
vim Huffman, Stephen Jones, Joseph Brock, Lewis
Taylor Charles CuthreL, w. G. Daughtry ard John
Freeman. Ten OF them we're deserters from NaIher
cults battalion.
On yesterday, the 22d, William l Hill and Elijah
Keum were carried TO the gallows and hanged de-
serters. Kelum was quite young man, u0abe to
read but guilty of the dreadful crime according his
own showing. He proessed to die in peace, and re
ceyed the ordir of baptism before death. be
other looked very much like impentent man, ard
died leaving wife and three helpless children bear
the disgrace of its heavy crime unto the third and
fourth generation
REMARKABLE PRoPHECT-Rev. MIR Hall; in course
OF lecture before the Young Mems Christian
ISOLATION 10 Richmondon the subject OF "The II S.
toric Significance of the present revolution" related
the following incident in the life Of Daniel Webster,
which is worthy Of regard
In 1850. Mr. Webster, 10 the course of converse
satiOn with soma gentlemen of Maryland remarked,
"a terrible cfisis sat band Tse of the Northern
people have been educated in antsnvey doctrines and
are thoroughly abOlitionist in sediment. They will
demand OF the South that their doctrine OF aboonism