The New York herald., 1865-03-26

told htn TO submit 70 bis fate like q man
Il AN prepared for this thing replied ne prisoner,
come forward and bind him
The sIeCutioner quickly proceeded 70 p,nIon the
lent repidation and cried ike child He was evidently
anresigned to his fate and bore the trial with anything
but good grace.
TAKING LEAVE or HIS FRIENDS.
The first person who took leave Of the condemned
. representative Of the press who had visited him
'Good BY, old fellow" /" said Kennedy; " do me justice
In that publication Of yours" Captain Wilson then
forward his pipe mother In taking Of Gen.
Beac his manner was quite aeconate and unresraised
He wePt bitterly, but General Beaie soothcd him BY
Oh, this Is hard Of the damned Yankees TO treat
IN this way,n demonstrated the prisoner ~ have been
Then asking General Beale for handkerchief he sig
nhed his readiness TO proceed to the scanod
place the black cap the cuipris head when Kennedy
drew back In horror and inquired IL i was necessary 10
wear .ne Gip before arriving as me % s'ano,a
nedy resigned himself into the hands Of the executoner
and quietly allowed himself be arayed for the forth.
coming ceremony procession was then formed whcn,
just the core0e about to move Kennedy turned
around and, addressipg General Beale sa,d This
toned the Marshal TO proceed.
THE SCENE At THE 0ALLows.
The pro essOn started fro the condemned cell about
Ave minutes past one O'Clock and marched the scaod
Lieutenant Black, oncer Of the Day
Chaplain and the Culprt
Colonel Burke and General Beals
Marshal Murray and his Deputy. ttV
.U Representatives OF the Press aavt
The cuiprt stepped unsteadily e he wended his way
to the scaiold and showed visible arus az mental ana
bodily weakness He furnished with ch&Y on
reaching the gaows but only sat on for few seconds
Upon rising he took the black cap 0 his head threw
u upon the ground with feeling OF perfect contempt for
all around him. To person unacQuanted with Kenne
but the officers assured reporter that his usual
appearance, and that since his Incarceration he
manifested the same eccentric disposition
READING THE COURT MARTIAL PROCEEDINGS,
order for the execution, as follows
GENERAL oRDERs--HO a eFt
HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT THE EAST !
NFw YoRK Cry, March 20 1885, 7
I BEFORE = military commission, which convened at
by virtue o Special Orders, No H. SERIES
these headquarters OF January H. 1906 and which
Brgaiier General Fx Henry Warren, United States Vol
nntcc- PRESIDENT, was arraig ned and tried Robert G.
Kennedy
CHARGE I-"AerISG As A spyn
spec,fcc'ion Fir TN this, that Robert G. Kennedy
q cartan in the military service Of the nsurgent States
was found acting aspy in the city Of New York, the
State Of New York; on or about the LIST day Of Novem
ber 1854
Specification SIC nd-''In this that RobortC Kennedy,
captain the military service Of the nsurgcnt States
was found acting as spy IN the city Of Detroit in the
State Of Michigan, on or about the 10th day Of Decem-
ber 1864
CHARGE n-"vroLArIoy OF THE laws or WAR;
Spcidfafi n"ID this, that Robert G, Kennedy, a
captain in the military service OF the nsurgcnt States
the city and State OF New York. and execution Of
raid undertaking, attempted 70 burn and destroy said
city of New York, by setting fire thereto. Az this in
said city Of New York. about the 25th day OF No
ycmhcr. 1864"
To which charges and specifications the accused plead
ed mot guilty"
or specification first, charge l., 'Guilty
or specification second, charge J., "Gu'hyS
OF charge T., '.Gnilty."
OF spcciacaon, charge II ''Guil,y."
OF charge H., Guilty"
And thererpon the Commission sentence nin said
Robert G. Kennedy, captain in the military service OF
the insurgent Stat Ito he hanged by tho neck until
dead, at such time and place the General In command
Of the department may direct, twothrds Of the
IT, The Major General compnandng approves the pro
ceedings finding and sentence of the court. is shown
That the accused has been an officer in the service
Of the nsurgent States since August, 1861
2 That he was in the city Of New York in disguise,
and under false name, IN the month Of November,
several weeks Immediately preceding the attempt TO set
the city on fire
g. That he was here purpass which he refused 70
disclose and that he returned hastily by night Cenad
That the stated, IN The presence Of several persons
that he set fire TO Barnum's Museum and the
"down town hotels; and
g. That he was arrested at Detroit in Disguise, armed
with arvolvr travelling under false name and with
passport representing himself 70 be loyal citizen
HOTEL NCkSpIARISM.
On proof OF these facts he was convicted OF acting
spy and carrying irregular and Illegal warfare The
p who testified to his confession OF having set fire
Barnum's Museum and Of the hotels In the lower
part OF the city not under durcsS accOmpice
a rcluctaut witness and could have had motive
to make false statement He u corroborsted by other
testimony
The att mpt Hrc the city Of New York Is one
o. the greatest atrocities Of the age There Is nothing
the annals Of barbarism which evncs greater yndctive
II attempt to destroy the city but
re crowded hotels and places OF pnbc resort
order u the greatest possible destruction OF h
man Iife The evidence shows that f,arnum's Museum
and hotels rcd the evening of the 25th ~
November, the frcs in most Of them breaking in
quick succession, and indicating not only deliberate
the in endiari 8, BIT cool calculate on 10 Gre
many confagr1tions at the same time battle
tho efforts Of tho re Department to cxnonsh them.
In all the buildings fired, not only non combaant men,
lut and children congregated In great
beIe, and nothing but the most daoolica spirit of
could have mpelled the ncendari TO ats
Tha participation OF the accused in this nhuman enter
prise ~ CT which follows him, and his liability 10
for !, is not to be cast off by Withdrawing Tor
/ m from the jurisdiction with which IL committed
He only guilty OF carrying irregular war
fare in violation Of the usages o. civilized States n Tho
conduct Of war but he hG by ing every principle
Of humanity, incurred the highest naty known to the
law
kESsxDy's EcArE IN ciStDA
His eocape to Canada followed In a few days bv
his return 10 the Un ted States ain In disguise with
name, and pcrsonating loyal citizen, while holding
commission In the service Of the insurgents thus fur
nishing the highest primo facI evidence that he
act ny spy. No rebuting ev dence produ cd
the trial although II continued twentythrcc days OF
which fifteen we're given TO the accused by adjourn
ments TO procure testimony and prepare his defence
Two papers were read part of his address TO the
court one pege given to the transportation agent in
Canada return with all due diligence 10 the conede-
racy, and the other certificate made by him that he
citizen OF the state Of Louisiana with request
that he might be provided with 10 return ITO the
confcdera " Admitting their genuincncss they do not
rcpel the presumption raised by the circumstances attend
ing his arrestthe HisRusa and the false prconces with
which he found within lines His light to
Canada was not a return within tho lines OF his
army. II he had found his way ba to the nsurgent
States and had been bseqncntly captured battle he
could have been convicted under the first specica
ton Of the rt charge But neither Of these facts exists
To remove or terminate his liability TO conviction under
that specification.
Whatever question may exist 10 the effect OF his
turn TO Canada after having lurk spy CHARGED
In the FIRST specification such question arse to
his guilt agy, charged In the second specification
which eets f"rth offence entirely dist net from the
frst Of which he has been cow ctcd on full proof
The Major General commanding considers his duty as
clear this in that Of Beall The lives the pro
porty the domestic security Of noncombatant citizens
must be protected againF all invasion not in strict ac
corauce With the laws and usagcs ef civilized states In
Af xtt.sl