The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-05-06
PIea Of . Not GuilIy.''

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The telegraph has informed US that
Beverly Tucker and W. G. Oleary, two of
the rebel refugees in Canada for whose
arrest President johnson has offered 8
reward, have published letters denying
that they had any part or lot in the sssss-
sination of the President. The rebel
General Ewel, following the same line of
defense, has written to General Grant ex-
pressing virtuous horror at the crlme--s
letter which is "concurred in" by two rebel
Major Generals and dozen Brigadiers, all
OF them, be it noted, st present paroled
prisoners in our hands. We are by no
means surprised st these deniAls. During
the last fortnight if these gentlemen
have read tue Northern papers or
talked with Northern men, they have
probably got some idea of the temper
Of the nation on this subject. They begin
TO understand that the people regard the
murder OF the President as the culmins-
iion Of the great crime Of treason, and
thst certsin and terrible fate awaits all
its authors, instigstors snd sbettors. Under
these circumstances we should wonder
very much if these Canadian rebels, who
are liable at any time 70 be delivered up to
our authorities as common criminals, and
these rebel officers, who are already in our
power, should not make every effort to
clear themselves from suspicion of psrtlci-
patton in or sympsthy with this terrible
crime.
These denisls amount simply to the plea
of a. Not Guilty which prisoner makes
when arrsigned for trial. They can have
no ruore effect upon the mind of q candid
person than that plea has upon the SEN
tenee Of jury. These men are arrsigned
before the whole civilized world and be-
fore the judgment of history as promoters
aud sympsthizers with murder. Whether
guilty or innocent what more natural
course is there for them than to protest
that they are free from guilt2
Meantime, outside of the facts in posses
sion of The Government which have led to
the Offering of a reward for the capture OF
some of these men, there are strong rea-
sons for utterly disbelieving their declare
tions of innoeence. In the first place, it
should never be forgotten that they are
guilty of the greatest crime known 10 his
tory and lsw. They are traitors, every
m of tbem-trSitors to the best Govern
ment ever known among men. They have
conducted fer four years bloody war of
rebellion. Atrocities only second in infs-
my to the monstrous murder of the Presi-
dent have marked their conduct of it from
the beginning. In the South, Ewell, and
men Ike him, have superintendent and di-
TecLed such infsmies as the massacre
Of a surrendered garrison at Fort Pill
low, the mining of Libty prison, the out
RACES on the body of gallant young Dahl
grcn, the burning of Union homesteads
and the scslping Of Union oiliEsns through
out the border states, and the starvation
and murder Of Union prisoners in Southern
chsrnol-houses. Ia Canada, Beverly
Tucker and uen ike him, acting under
instructions from Richmond, have plotted
such Refsrious projects rs the Philo Par
sons piracy, The robbery and murder at
s.. Aibans, and the burning of New York
city. Is it likely that men whose souls are
STEPPED in such crimes rs these would recoil
Is, horror at scheme against the life of
the ''IlliDois sPe"--ss they called him
President Lincoln 2 Or are their protests-
tions Of innocence to be made much &C
count Of il determining the question of |
their gu;lE2