Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-05-24
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
THE CHARGES AGAINST HIM
SHALL HE BE EXECUTED?

n
| One OF the morning journals asserts that By
| Friday evening the testimony on the part Of the
| government wall be all IN; and we suppose there
| fore, that we shall know within fOrty-eight hours
| on what evidence the charge against Davis was
/ founded IL nay be decided possibly 10 keep
| back this evidence now that Davis Is caught
| until his trial comes on but as il will be neces-
| s,ry TO move not only his connection with The
a,sassins out the connection also OF the ASA ssns
with Inn, il Is probable that all the evidence in
the HANDS of the government will be brought tor
! ward for the t.laIs now going on.
vi the nature of tle proof which fds.ens
! share in this AtgOcious ami no riDle plot upon
! Davis nothing Is yet known. But it Is said to
rest chiefly upon letter tound Oh the person OF
I 6ooth. From trustW Orthy Official source, we
hear that there il such 4 letter. thitit was found
| ON Booth that II Is Ia CIPHER; and that this
| cipher involves DAVIS completely.
| Inc information we have received upon this
| subject is OF the following tenor A note or des-
patch, IN cipher, was louud in Booths pocket. a
paper ia cipher, had previously been found in
| Jen. Usy SIS house IN Richmond. hi pal per was
not supposed 70 be OF importance until The one IN
| Booths pocket was compared with 1t, and by the
I-use Uf II was read. THe precise contents II the
| Booth note We do not know; but our Information
is that the note proves that Davis WAS in cCmalu'
uicatiJa with ISO OF the men IN Canada Tor
whom rewards have been offered and the sut-
I iect OF the correspondence wa the proposed
assassination, wh.ch il Is distinctly asserted tnat
DAVIS Iavyr,d. Tie same men were intimately
associated with Booth whea ne was in Cana ia.
, From the Lyuchburg lva.) Republican Demo
! crat!c) I6lh instant.
One of the most prominent virtues which this
( war has developed IN his 81. D.. character, was
his great reluctance 10 taAe human life unneCeS-
sArI " either OF Trend or Toe. No Judicial muir.
/ der can be laid 10 his accUunt-no instance can
I De found wherein he avenged himself or the laws
4 OF bis country upon the blood Ot his enemies
IL has been Tor years stand NJ cOmplA NJ against
Mr.. DAVIS, on the part VI In, Sc who opposed his
! administration that he was too mild aud mercl-
iul with his enemies to he just 10 his friends or
I ms country That be should have made himself
| party, therefore, - sucn an appa nag tragedy
as thai enacted IN Washing on, Is simply au Az.
/ suIdty, which no unpIejuGiced mind wIu believe
for an ms; mt, which tue eulig hsned world will
d. ere at - utterly Inconsistent with the charac-
Ter aud lame OF the man.
! From the LyncLburg YirGinian (Whig). 18th
/ instant.
To shed the blood this poor, unhappy man
! would 10 TO gooI and mgLt be !raUgnt with
J g!eat evil. We want peace now-tne restura.
! llon OF social order aud trdternal feeling. The
| country needs tins Tor il Is sick OF strife. 1t
accep the late which Providence seems TO have
| OrdalLed; and when tae wOuuds that have been
1 inflicted shall be healed, the bonds Of ,mDathy
B may Dc restored. 40 tue statesman dhQ DdtT4UL
nothing can be more desirable tldn III s. We are
! fellow citizens vi It common country, and 10
1 policy should prevail "a / could Tetard the ad
| vent of reunion in spri, as well as III form. But
| II public executions are TO follow he supremacy
OF Northern arms, and the r,igu OF vengeance is
10 be inAuguraJed II Is easy 10 perceive thar dis
content WIZ not De allayed, and the Union can
( only be perpetuated by baJonc,s If our voice
I, could pleyall--we, who Were never dscip.e
! Ia tina. school OF politics 10 which Mr..
| DAVIS and the so.called leaders belonged
/ we who resisted secession ald GisuniOn until
! obliged to recognize them "a existing tacts-we,
/ VIII would now urge cur people 10 recognize
aud obey the power lIat Is over them as orGain.
! ed OF GOd'-Ne, who sincerely desire see a
permanent tranquility, accompanied with all
4 The blessings when We enjoyed as people be.
fore either section departed lar from the coun.
I sells OF the Father OF his Country as 10 organize
| sectional parties on sectional platlOruis-We
| would ulge the release of Mr.. Davis and i uni
! We sal amnesty. The true policy Is 10 let the
| leaders alone severely, and the people Wi take
| care that they do not again misle al them. 10
! purs ne any other course would be 10 canOniZs
I them IN the popular heart aud 10 perpetuate III.
! feeling.
| Nothing will tend 50 much TO win back the az.
fections OF our people to the Union as cOncilIa'
| ton and iJr5earance. such policy would dis.
arm , os ton, les ore the era of good ieeliag,
4
J mischief. We sincere hope tnat the national
J authorities will perceive the wisdom Uf making
! this choice, wticn, in the performance of a roll
| emu and patriotic duty, we have been induced
! - recommend.
From the Louisville Journal tWhig.)
| We not desire to speak tluntingly of Jeff.
! Davis when the evil days have come upon him.
He il a prisoner, bu. so were Napoleon Richard
I of the Lion Heart, and many other Kings and
: Heroes. We have fet no eXuIatiOn at his arrest.
But for the suspicion Of h ; connection with the
late Lorrid crama Of blood at Washington We
i could almost have wished that he might escape
J his swift pursuers. w are afraid nov that his
/ capture and the treatment be IS destined 10 re
ce,ye vii! render tae restoration Of national har.
monv much more difhCut tia Il it would be if he
were upon u foreign shore. Every feeling planted
by God IN the human he 1T dictates, that, If he
! was parry 10 the luierLal cons Tracy his body
shall rot and blacken on high in the sun aud
wind and rain, but We hope aud trust that no
| such deyllsh criBe can be proved on hin, and
that no severer meas IRE vii. he found necessary
than his lifelong exile from tie great and glorl
| Gus land he has sought 10 destroy.
And Dir. Davis ought to consider exile as 10
punishnent al all. ne should think that, ii not
| exied by authority, he would exile himself.
! Having mad, 10 the people of the south thou
| sand broinLes that have been broken, having
continually !ured them ON with hopes and expec-
| tatlons at have been blasted having held out
! to them fllr.lOOking fruits tnat have turned TO
I ashes and bitterness upon their hips, hAviug de-
| ceiyed aud led them astray By every vile and
| s,ratagem and device that he could invent, hav.
! ing played leading part IN keeping up a war
! res litiug in the slaughter OF HUNDREDS Oi thou
/ : ,nds of them and the destruction Of as many
/ more by peslence and famine having brought
/ upon the VIII lie OF his mighty section desola
I ton hat makes il look like the blackened tack
4 Il krrun ana nd arf,. Of
last seen all HIS N ghty armies surrender, his
| boasted Conf ederacy strIcken down and scattered
piece-meal To the howling tempest Of W r. and
himself flying for lite FROM his capital wit only
! his staff guard or accompany linn N ms
/ flight, we should suppose that he would, even II
! permitted l. remain upon the theatre OF the hor-
/. rors he has wrought. choose rataer to take the
! wings Of the morning and by 10 the uttermOst
, parts Of the earth.
| From the Rochester "a. " Union DEM 10th.
Il will be strange indeed if the Southern PEG
pls do not burn Davis in etngy when they come TO
| reflect pom th1 condition To which they have
! been broughtb by follow ng his lead and listening
! IN his counsel HE MUST HAVE KNOWN MONTHS
| zoo mt THE COLLAPSE WAS COMING, and he
might have then made terms that would have
s,ysd those who had entrusted their cause to his
Guidance much of the suffering That they have
since endured. Whatever they ray have thought
of their chief in the early days OF the rebelliIn n,
they cannot now look upon him with other than
those feelings of loathing\ and contempt that
make him execrable throughout the civilized
word
FuyRY ScEHKs IN PHILADELPHIA.NC On Tuesday
e7ening colored man got into Pine street
passenger car and refused all entreatlss to leave
the car where his presence appeared tc, be not
desired The conductor of the car fearful ofbeiog
fined f.r ejecung him as was done by one OF The