Weekly Trinity journal., 1865-05-20
The Rebel PRECEDENT and CHER Of Assas-
sins q Prisoner.


the report that JEFF. Davis was captured at r.
winsville, Irwin county, Georgia, on the 10th of
this month. One after another the leading trait
ors of the - Confederacy," to the shrine of
whose desperate ambition hetacombs of lives
have been sacrificed, sink from the high places
of treason on which their hopes were centered,
and are either swept into an untimelv. dishonor-
able grave, or stand arraigned as criminals Of
the deepest dye before the tribunals of that
ton whose majesty they have denied. and whose
laws they have set at defiance Not a battle field
from Bull Run to the siege and capture of Pc
tersburg but contains the nameless grave of one
or more Of these leading spirits of Secession,
who seeking to destroy the Government of their
fathers, and rear upon its ruins an empire of
which African slavery was to be the cornerstone,
met with the fitting reward of their great crime.
The last resting-place of patriot and traitor is
side by side on every Southern hillside and in
every Southern valley, but while the memory of
the one will be borne in sacred remembrance by
a regenerated people. that of the other will be
sunk in an infamy which can find no counterpart
in the history of the world.
While. however. the redeeming trait of phvsi-
cal courage will be accorded to those who have
died in battle in defense of an unjust cause there
is another class Of traitors who. like the human
jackals that f9llow army, delight in bloodshed
and carnage, but take especial that their
own cowardly earcasses shall not be exposed to
danger. To this class the political leaders of
the South belong and to this class we can safely
attribute the barbarties which the events of the
past four years have shown to be characteristic
of the - ruing race" No sane man. We care
not what his political faith may be, will for one
moment believe that the systematic starvation
| of Union prisoners exercised at AndersOnville
Belle Isle and Libby Prison. originated in the
minds of the brutal jailors to whose these
prisoners were given. or that it was carried out
without the cOnnivance. if not the orders. of
| jeff Davis and the Richmond Government Nor
can we believe that Forrest and Chalmers acted
without authority when the rullianS under their
command butchered their captives withoutregard
to color. alleging that they could not regard col
ored troops the officers in command of such
troops in the same light rs other soldiers. Brave
men always honor bravery in others. and such
in the moment of victory can show truest mercy.
1t is only the coward who stands back while the
| fight is raging, who is capable of wreaking in
jury to the yanquished foe We hold jeff Davis
and his Cabinet directly responsible for the out
RACES which have been committed by those who
acted under their authority. and now that he has
fallen into our hands, let rctributon be prompt
and fearful
Our Government is said to be in possession of
evidence which clearly shows that Davis was
imnlicated in. if not the inst;oator of tbe Mot
which resulted in the death of prosident I;ncn1p
However mich we miobt have brnn disnosed to
counsel leniency before that event, we can feel
no call to listen to the promptings of mercy now.
This their last fendish act has placed them far
beyond its pale and the world contains no city
of refuge for its authors and nstigators Flushed
with victory on every hand the power of the
rebellion broken. and the National authority
once more paramount. our armies triumnbant in
every quarter. and our flag a,rain known and
honorcd throurhout the land the Nation in bcr
hour of triumph could have shown her MAGMA
nimity. We could have been easily moulded to
the views and wishes of late President
whose great haart overilowed with Mercy, Love
and HUMANITY We could have allowed their
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