Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1865-11-17
RETRiBUTTON!
THE TORTURER AND MURDER
! ER PUNISHED.
THE BxBCUrfoN OF VIM.


died without exhibiting any symptoms of fear.
This morning Father Boyle administered the
sacrament to Captain Wirz. and Father Wiggett,
also Of the Roman Catholic Church. then placed
upon the prisoner black cambria gown re-
marking as he did SO, that he hoped it would be
turned into white one in another world. 4
At seven minutes past ten o'clock this morn
ing Captain Wirz came from his cell in the Old
Capitol prison, accompanied by Provost Mar
shai Russell and other officers, and by Fathers
Wiggett and Boyle. Passing between mill
tary guard, they ascended the scaffold. The
prisoner was then seated. tar
The scaffold was l2 feet square and % feet to
the top beam, with drop l2 feet from the
ground. The guard consisted of the l95th
Pennsylvania Volunteers and three detachments
of the Veteran Reserve Corps commanded by
Captain Walbridge, military superintendent Of
| the Old Capitol prison.
There were several hundred spectators pres
ent besides the military, the civilians having
been admitted OF special passes
Provost Marshal Russell proceeded to read
the order from the War Department founded on
the verdict of the Court Marshal which tried
the prisoner. He was charged and convicted of
combining, confederating and conspiring with
JEFF. Davis, A. Sedden, Howell Cobb, John II. |
Winder, Richard B. Winder, Isaiah White, W.
s. Winder, Moore, Kerr, late hospital steward
at Andersonville. James Duncan, Wesley w.
Turner, Ben amin Harris, and others whose
names are unknown and who we're then engag-
ed in an armed rebellion against the United
States maliciously, traitorously and in violation
of the laws of war, to impair and iniure the
health and to destroy the lives, by subjecting
to torture and great suffering by confning in
unhealthy and unwholesome quarters, by ex-I
posing to the inclemency of winter and to the |
dews and burning sun of summer, by compel /
ling the use of impure water, and by furnishing
insufficient and unwhOlesOme food, of large
number of Federal prisoners of war, to-wit:
number of about As, 900, held as prisoners of
war at Andersonville, within the lines of the
so-called Confederate States, on or before the
9th of March, 1864, and at divers times be. !
tween that day and the 10th day of April 1866,
to the end that the armies of the United States
might be weakened and impaired, and that the
insurgents might be aided and comforted, ETC.,
ETC. The order also states that the prisoner was
found guilty of the second charge, namely
Murder in violation of the laws and customs of
war, and guilty of all specifications, except the
4th, 10th and 18th, which set forth that he kill
ed a prisoner by shooting him with a revolver;
that he ordered sentinel to fire upon another
with revolver, and that he shot another with
revolver, so that he died. The order concludes
as follows:
-lst. The Court do therefore sentence him. 4
Henry Wirz to be hanged, by the neck, until
he be dead, at such time and place rs the Presi-
dent may direct; two-thirds Of the members
of the Court concurring therein. And the Court
| also find the prisoner, Henry Wirz, guilty of
having caused the death, in the manner alleged
| in specification Ii, charge g by means of dogs,
Of thirty prisoners of war in his custody, and
soldiers of the United States, one occurring on
| or aboutthe 18th of May, 1864, another occur
| ring on or about the l4th day of July, 1864, and
another ON or about the lst day of September,
| 1864, but which finding, as here expressed, has
not and did not enter into the sentence of the
Court as before given. 'si' - ''it
I'd. The proceedings findings and sentence
| in the foregoing case having been submitted to
the President of the United States, the follow
| ing are his orders:
EXECUTIVE MANSION, Nov. 3, 1863
The proceedings, findings and sentence of the
Court in the within case are approved, and il is
ordered that the sentence be carried into execu-
tion by the officer commanding the Department
| of Washington on Friday. the 10th day of No
vember, 1865, between the hours Of o clock in
the morning and IL o'clock noon.
| TSigned,1 ANDREW JOHNSON,
President of the United States.
3d. Major Gen. c. G. Augur, commanding
Department Of Washington, is commanded to
cause the foregoing sentence in the case of
Henry Wirz so be duly executed in accordance
with the PreSldentS order. fr--u {
4th. The Military Commission, of which Ma
ior Gen. Lewis Wallace, U. s. Vols, is Presi-
dent, is hereby. dissolved by command of the
President of the United States
ISigned,] E. D. TOWNSEND, A, A. G.
When the reading of the order was completed
Wirz conversed with those on the platform with
seeming confidence and self-possession, and it
was remarked that he had a smiling counten-
ance. To his spiritual advisers he said e4
II am innocent. l have to die, but can die
like man. have hope in the future. have
nothing more to say"
His legs and hands were then tied, the moose
placed around his neck and the black CAP
placed over his face. He stood erect without
faltering evidently having nerved himself for
the solemn event. Those on the platform retir-
ed to the railing. leaving the doomed man in
| the centre of the structure. After a few mo-
| ments of profound quiet, the drop at precon-
certed signal fell. The sound thus occasioned
having reached the ears of the promiscuous
crowd outside of the Old Capitol grounds, but
who were not privileged to view the execution
was responded to by repeated shouts of appro-
baton. The convict directly after falling was
considerably convulsed in his legs but the ago.
ny was soon over. He hung about fifteen min
utes and then was cut down. His body was
placed on a stretcher and conveyed to the pris-
on, where it was placed in a coffin and transfer
red to Father Boyle for interment. His neck
was broken by the fall. All the proceedings
occupied about three-quarters of an hour.
Inipcrtant Opinion from Secretary Seward