New-York daily tribune., 1865-08-12
A PLEA FOR JUSTICE.


A PLEA FOR JUSTICE.
We ask the American Press to abandon
course that seems to be very fashionable and
come back to the time when the newspaper was
es lust in its relations with offenders against
the law as the magistrate upon the bench. 1t
has been a rule Of newspaper ethics in England
aud America during the present generation that
no journalist should ever stand between the ac.
cused and his country by printing opinions as
to his guilt or Innocence. All such comments
were re orved until the jury had announced the
verdict Then AS public censors, editors might
comment upon the evidence and express any
Judgment they formed. This is right II the
press professed to decide the guilt or innocence
Of every citizen, and use is tremendous power
to bias public opinion, Law would become in
operative, and It's machinery powerlesS-the
jury would be farce and its judgments the
mere expression Of partisanship and prejudice.
Among the new notions that seem to be our
rent is this--that when q man is arrested for
crime aud about TO be tried, the duty of the
newspaper is to go and look at him, and tell
how much of the villain there is in his face, and
insist upon his execution. The case Of Mrs.
Surratt is an exa0ple Of newspaper judgment
run Wild We tuote this az first example
because she wa pronounced guilty Of the crime
alleged and is e3,urely hanged. Yet she had
not been 10 pris,7 four days before the details
Of her alleged G. zne and her presumed conHec-
ton With it were scattered over the country,
and her immediate execution demanded. This
before the military commission came into being.
She was a "wolf," "hag," "tigress,"
"Lady Macbeth" a "Borgia," who
reyeled in blood and assassination jenkins
got after her with his pen. and in
due time her stony" yilainous," blood
thirsty face" was familiar to the readers Of the
sensation newspapers. Even now that she is
dead, jenkins with blasphemous irony calls her
" The Mary Of the ScatIold." About the same
time there was a murder near Boston. A
brother and sister were slain amid circumstances
of dreadful bsrbarity. Arrests were made.
Among others young man named Stewart, q
recruit in the army, was imprisoned. Two or
three had been taken on suspicion and dis
charged. Public opinion was hungry and eager
aud must have somebody 10 hang. Stewart was
pOunced upon. Such "villain" had never
been seen IN Massachusetts,. His face was the
embodiment Of murder and lust He looked
crime and must certainly be hanged. In few
ldays, however, il was found that Stewart was
innocent and he was discharged. Ia Indiana
he would have been tied up to tree, for in
Indiana we see what excesses such reading
stimulates. A man named Miller, "a paroled
Rebel prisoner" was arrested last Thursday, on
the charge Of attacking and robbing a man
named Gregory near Terre Haute, Indiana. This
was certainly very bad, but Miller should have
had trial, and, if convicted, punishment. What
was done "1he people turned out and caught
Miller, had him identified by Gregory, and then
hung him to tree. Faint hopes are ENTERTAINED
Of Gregory's recOrtry." In this case Miller was
hanged while Gregory may recover! What the
law would have called assault with intent to
Kill, and robbery these angry people punished
with death We do not like to use harsh words,
but il is difficult to see in what respect the
action Of this mob differs from murder.
Still another case is that Of Capt Henry
Wertz Of Andersonyile. lie is imprisoned on
the charge of cruelty to our soldiers. About
this man we Of course have no defense to make.
II is very certain that our soldiers in Southern
military prisons we're treated with degree Of
inhumanity and barbarity that finds no parallel
in modern civilization, and suggests the tortures
inflicted by Cinnamon and savage Indians upon
their victims We desire to see the author Of
these crimes submitted to an exemplary punish.
ment. If Capt. Wertz is that man, upon his
head let the condemnation fall. But this very
yearning for even-handed justice makes us only
the more anxious that he should be tried fairly.
1t is not the duty Of newspapers to try him, nor
to allow anonymous writers to arraign him in
detail. His counsel ask for suspension Of
public opinion, and this simple request should
be granted. IL the eye of a law he is person
and entitled to every privilege accorded to one
charged with heinous crimes. If newspapers
will open their columns, and allow anonymous
assaults upon people. we shall have "Georgia
Planters" il every township ready to print