Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-07-28
those around him, said, in strong. clear

and my country" and, looking up with
triumphant smile, be passed to the re-
ward of the faithful.
And now, men and brethren, if this
story were single one, 1t were worthy
to be had in remembrance; but Walter
Raymond is not the only noole-hearted
man or boy that has been slowly tortured
and starved and done to death, By the
6endish policy of Jefferson Davis and
Robert Edmund Lee. zl1iE5E
No.-wherever this simple history
shall be read, there will arise hundreds
Of men and women who will testify
" just so died my SON "S So died my
brotheri - $50 died my hasBandI"
!: So died my fatheFl3I sswoi saa
The numbers who died in these linger
ing tortures are to be counted, not by
hundreds, or even by thousands, bat by
tens of thousands. 50 .aio+i
And 10 there to be no rstribntion for q
cruelty so vast, so aggravated, SO COW
ardly and base7 And If there is retri-
button, on whose head should it fall?
Shall We seize aud hang the poor, igno-
rant, imbruted semi bzrhasians who n ere
set as jaiIors to keep these bells of tor
ment, and indict these insults and cruel
ties7 or shall we puni:h the educated,
intelligent chiefs who were the head aad
brain of the ipiquity ? asaaiiF 20 a77
IL General Lee had been determined
Ret-to have prisoners starved or abused,
does any one doubt that be could have
prevented these thines2 Nobody doubts
it His raiment Ia red with the blood Of
his helpless eaptiyes. Does any one
doubt that Jefferson Davis, living in
ease and luxury in Richmond, kneS
that men were dying by inches in filth
and squalor and privation 10 the Libby
Prison, within bowshot of HIS own door?
Nobody doubts it. 1t was his will, bis
deliberate policy, thus, to destroy those
who fell into his hands. The chief Of
so.called Coufedefacy, who could calmly
consider among his official documents
ineendiary plots for the secret destrue-
ton of ships, hotels. and cities fnll Of
peaceable people, is chief well worthy
to preside over such crueltiesi but his
only Just title 10 President Of Assassius,
and the wholeb civilized world should
make common cause against such q
misc7eant -.
There has been, on both sides Of the
water, much weak, ilLadvised talk Of
mercy and magnanimity 20 be extended
to these men, whose crimes have pro-,
duced misery so vast and incalculable.
The wretches who have tortured the
weak and the helpless, who have secret
ly plotted 10 supplement. By dastardlY
schemes OF, murder and arson, that
strength which failed them in fair hght,
have been commiserated as brave gen
erals and unfortunate patriots, and ef-
forts are made to place them within the
I 1t is no feeling Of personal vengeance,
but q sense Of the eternal hlness Of
things, that makes as rejoice when Grim.
inals, who have so outraged every senti-
ment Of humanity, are arrested and ar
raigned and awarded due retributIon at
the bar of their country s justice, There
are crimes against God and human nature
which it is treason alike to God and man
not 10 punish; and such have been the
crimes Of the traitors who we're banded
together IN Richmond,
If there be those whose hearts lean 10
pity, we can show them where all the
pity of their hearts may be better be-
slowed than in, deploriug tue woes Of
assassina Let them think Of the thou
sands of fathers, mothers, wives, sisters,
whose lives will be forever haunted with
memories of the siea tortures in which
their best and braEsst were done to-
death. f--3 ,slsaf t-s~r
The sufferings Of those brave men are
ended. Nearly q huudred thousand are
sleeping in those sad, nsmeless graves,
and may their rest be sweat There
the wicked cease from troubling, there
the weary are at rest There the pris.
ohers rest together; they hear not the
voice of the oppressor" But, o ye who
have pity TO spare, spare 1T for the
broken hearted friends, who, 70 lifs's end,
will suffer over and over all that their
dear ones endured. Pity the mothers
who hear their sous faint calls in
dreams, who IN many weary night
watch see them pining and wasting, and
yearn with q lifelong, unappeassble
yearning, 10 have been able TO 500 be
those forsaken, lonely desth-beds. Oh,
man or woman, IL you have pity 10 spare,
spend it not on Lee or Dayie,7-spend it
on their victims, on the thousands of liy
ing he arts which these. men OF sin have
doomed 10 an anguish that viii end only
with life. 8ai 2-iI 'ii7si lff 5000 FL
Blessed are the mothers whose sons
passed in battle,-a quick, a painless, .
glorious deathl Blessed in com parison,
vet we weep for them. We rise up and
give place ct sight Of their mourning
gsrmentsai We reverence the sanctity
of their sorroE. Bat bsfers this other
sorrow we ara dumb in awful silence.
We 6nd no words with which 10 console
such grief We feel that our peace, our
liberties have been bought at q fearful
price, when We think OF the safferings OF
our martyred soldiers Let rs think Of
them. It was for US, they bore hunger
and cold and nakedbess. They might
have had food and raiment and comforts
if they would have deserted our cause,
aud they did not Cut of from all COM
munication With home or friends or
brethren, dragging on the weary months
apparently 9fo+eo.ten, still they would
not yield, they would not 6ghE sgainst
Us; and so for as at last they died.
/ What return can we make them2
Peace has come, and we take up all our
blessings restored and Frightened; but
if We lock, we shall see on every bless.
ing q bloody cross. ilsw sa
When three brave men broke through
the ranks Of the enemy, to bring 10.
King David draHght from the home
well, for which be ionged. the generous
hearted prince would not drink il, bat
poured it ont as an Offering before the
Lord; for be said, I" Is not this the blood
Of the men that went in jeopardy Of their
livesf".l sm1o. 1i7ai laa .sp&3a -iaal
Thousands Of noble heatts have been
blessings We are rejoicing in. eerse
-the only one we canpay
In every place, booorsd by such bis
tory and example, let moDument De
raised at the. public expense, on Fhicn
.Lon - s,.a-sLoJ he of thOga