The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-08-30
oYAsHrNapoN, Aug, 20, 1866.

4 MI II
ry Wirz, late of the so-called Confederate ar an
my, and for some time commandant OF what
has been mildly called the military Frason1',
a AndersonviIle The Commission mas as
\ yet made but little progress with the trial,
having been once dissolved and reconstructed,
and having consumed much time in the va
ions prelminaries. Like some similar courts
Of recent date, it does not display very much
Of that dispatch intlle triad and punishment
| Of military offenders, which the Court Martial
was in part instituted to secure.@ Itconsists
1t present of Major General Lew Wallace,
President, Breves Maj.-Gen. Gershon1 Mott,
Brevet Maj4Gen. John w. Geafy, Bfeyet Ma.
= 5en; l. Thomas Of the regular army, Brig
Gen. Francis Fessenden, son Of Senator Fes-
.enden, Brig. Gen. Briggs, Brsvet Briz-Gen.
Ballier; Col. Alcock and 1t COL Stibbs with
Col Chapman as Judge Advocate ard Major
dosmer. Asst. Judge Advocate. The latter
officer was added to the Court at its recon-
sstflction on the oath inst. Ifs sittings are
held in the court room OF the Court of Claims,
in the basement story of the Capitol. -saI lo
Although the charges and specifications
! against the prisoner have been twice remodel
ed, they have not, SO far. as l am informed,
undergone any very essential changes. They
charge upon him crimes of the highest degree
and most atrocious sort. The first charge, as
1t now stands, accuses him of conspiring to-
yether with John Fl. Winder, Richard B. Win,
der, Joseph White W, s, .Winder, r. II. Stew
lenson and others unknown,a to destroy the
ives and health Of our soldiers, then prison
aers in their hands, by starvation and expos
ure. - 9as CIV
Y The second charge of murder contains thir-
teen specifications, which charge upon the pris-
ener that he, with his own hand,-shot three
Union soldiers, prisonersin his custody, at a.
many different times; that he, ordered the
Shooting offour Others at four several times
ssliat he caused two others to Be confined in an
instrument of torture called the stocks, in.
consequence of which cruel treatment they
soon thereafter died; that he "did fastess and
chats together several persons, soldiers belong
ing 10 the United States, binding the necEs
md feetcf said prisoners closely tegelher,an
compelling themto bear great burdens, tolaOi.:
large iron balls chained to their feet, so that lii
consequence Of the SAID cruel treatment one
IF the said soldiers died;;p that with a revolt
yer he beat and bruised another soldier upon
ais head, shoulders and breasts so as to cause
bis death; that he 'did jump sspon, stamp,
dick, 6fl6se,sd hd 0zler~ise9 3Ja,;e with thl
leels Of has boots, another soldier, so that il
soh:equence he soon died; and that he "did
cause S'tci5e, and urge certain terocioa.s and
5tood-tlsistyl animals called blo0d-lsou,sds TO
pursue, attack, soound and tear in zpiecess' vet
)another soldier. thus causing Injuries Of
which hesoon thereafter died. Such are the
crimes for which the prisoner is called to an
.wer-crfnnes 50 horrible that he should not
stand convicted of them, even in public estima-
lion, without fair trial and q patient hear
ing ,AA1 60 ~ tsseg
q The prisoneris certainty far from progresses
fingin his personal appearance, but fortunate
~ fol. many OF us a want of good looks. is not
proof positive Of guilt. His appearance is
careworn and anxious, as well it may be, but
with the exception of his large, Keen, blact
eye, VIII ca wanders restlessy and Ct ses often as
ifavoiling the scrutiny of the crowd, his man
ler betrays but little nervous agitationso His
attitude is one of constrained quiet, and his
left hand is almost constantly employed finger
ing his full, short-clipped beard, or supporting
his head, the fingers pressing upon the chin or
lips. Judge Hughes having withdrawn from
the defence, Messrs.s Louis Schade and o. ST.
Baker appear as his counsel. g Ssssfi'
The feeling against the prisoner is general
and strong. When on Thursday morning his
) counsel in making an Intellectual motion for
delay expressed his conviction that he was in
accent, a derisivel laugh and hiss, quickly
supposedly the prompt demand of the Pres
dent for Eorder;;" revealed very plainly the
prevailing sentiment sof the spectators pres
emit. $4,000, Fe rtS
The evidence adduced in this trial win
doubtless be voluminous, and will form pain
l1lly interesting chapter inthe history of these
times. However DESTROYS the authorities may
BE to bring Capt. Wirz to justice, they are
doubtless even more intent upon sitting
thoroughly the whole subject of the treatment
of our prisoners by the rebels. and fixing the
responsibility on some of those high officials
with whom beyond question it should mainly
rest = VI sksfsfrrs ssgYt s'.Aa4 -
MIR. I. Fisk Mills, the son of Clark Mills the
sculptor, recently returned flom a residence
in Europe, has openeda studio on Pennsylva4i
mia Avenue, near the corner of Third street,
which displays a goodly array Of heads and
bnsts in plaster of many of our leading men,
including not few aboriginal braves from the
Northwestern frontier, He has recently exc
cuted a beautiful statue in bronze, designed
as monument Of one of the youthful heroes
who have fallen in the war. The statue rep
resents the subject'ofit lying as he was found,
slain blythe bullet OF guerrilla, and bears
this inscription: cit. John Rodgers Meigs, u
s. Engineers, Chief Engineer Arnag of the
Shenandoah. Born 9th February. 1912, kill
ed Sd Oct, 1864. The deceased was a son of
Gen. Meigs, Well may he like so many other
fathers exclaim with Cato in the tragedy: 10 )
"Thanks to the godsl my boy has done his duty, 10
Welcome my sons There set him!down my friends,
slll in my sight, that may view at leisure ,iH
The bloody corpse, andview those GLORIOUS wounds,
How beautiful is death when earned by virtuei
Who would not be that youth? What pity Ills
That we can die but once to save our country, "a
Why sits this sadness on your brow, my friends? :
should have blushel If Cato's house had stood n
Secure, and fourished in civil war;
v Quite military display, which by the way
is becoming rare thing with us occurred on
Friday last, upon the passage homewarfl OF
the 9th New York Heavy Artillery. The reg
Inent numbers about 1900 having had the
10th and13th regiments N Y. Vols. consoli-
dated with it. Ia a 7. SsP:n4
sooND DOCTRINE. ,XOS
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