Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-07-15
HIS MORAL CRIMINALITY.
fErom Harp.r,s Weekly.


At the time of our writing, the most
conspicuous offender ever cspitalIy indict-
cd in this country, sits alone in spa
,ious casemats Of Fortress Monroe with
only Bible upon his table. and two al
lent sentinel watching him by day and
night. Perhaps, rs he sits there or PAGES
the floor, he remembers the hapless vic
tins of Andersonville and Belle Isle. or
recalls the long horrors Of the war which
Mas smearsd so many lovely fields with
blood In the terrible quiet Of his prison
does he ever SAX himself whether il was
worth while to dare such greyons scr 4
row to bis country Cor such caase !
D1es he ever argue with himself that
even if the theory Of State sovereignty
~ere true. it was not wise to assert II at
such cost Of misery. merely for the
sake Of perpetuaiing something which
must surpass any conceivable injustice
Of the nation toward STATED Has he
never learned that many things may DO
lawful which are not expedisnt, and that
nothing but the most prolonged injustice
Of which legal redress is hopeless il =
worse oppression than the remedy of
vari IS.
Technically be is political prisoner.
As such hs will be tried. But he IS also
anaigned before the consc'e nce and heart
OF his faithful fellow citizens IS a moral
criminal Of the worst kind. Even fansti-
cal candor cannot plea1 that he was ig
aorant Of the systematic horrors Of the
Georgia prisons-the starving, the freez
ing. the slow reduction of human beings
TO idioey by exposure, by hunger, by
contact With fifth and disease. 1t was
intended to weaken them into despair
and submission, and il had that effect.
/. was also intended to compel an ex
change Of sound and efficient men for
his scryice, and there it failed. But the
first result WAS constant. a.. So
Here, for instance, is motto written
in pencil from the United States mill
tary prison st Nashville, by an honest.
Industrious, sober, patriotic neighbor,
who has been faithful soldier of the
war from the beginning. lie says that
he was captured before Petersburg last
August, and was sent from Richmond
% Salisbury. There be and his com
Tades there were ten thousand. IN his
estimate, during The period Of his i'm
prisonment-were starved, aud starved,
and starved. They died, aud died. and
by scores and hundreds took the oath to
he rebels and were placed in their ranks
lie snd few Others persisted rs long rs
ne could. But hunger and weakness
and horror gradually did their work aud
he succumbed. From August until April
be had suffered more than wa can i'm
sgius. and then he yielded. He was
put in the rebel ranks, and arms placed
in bis hands and those Of his cornpau.
ions, about half an hour before Stone.
man arrived lie did not fire shot
against his flag mono of them did-and
they went directly over to Sioneman
but rs coming from the rebel ranks they
were held as prisoners.
THIS one case and enough, but with
alleviations---one case. not the worst, but
how tragical. Yet there wero thuusands
aud thousads Ike him who suffered nj
that he suffered, and then, consumed
with loathsoVne diseases. with broken
hearts, With rceling brains, sank into
the coLvulsive agonies CT death, or laugh
ed out in stark madness, or driveled slow
" on in idiocy. And they were young
and brave, and noble men who were
thus treated. They were guiltless of every
crime, and had done nothing but defend
their country. At home, far away upon
the Western prairics, among New Eng
land bills, upon the shores of the Ia IS,
along the sea coast, mothers. aud wives
and daughters siekened wit the long sus
pense, the horrible suspicion. Their han
whitened. their eyes grew dim with hope
less watching, their cheeks thinned with
acute fear, their hearts broke also, ant
they died amidst their appalled, children
So awful sorrow, so terrible suffer
ing. both in itself and in what it occasion
ed, no history records. And il was the
crime Of this man who now sits alone
With his Bible and the silent sentineIs il
Fortress Monroe. ~
1t is in vain to plead for him as pc
litical offender. The war was little com
pared with the crimes of the war. 0ye
the graves of the dearly beloved, sho
dead upon the battlefield, We can hea
and see that political differences MAJ
come 10 war. But over the Golgotha
Of Millen and Andersonville-over th,
spots where the pens stood in whicl
heroic men were treated as beasts ar
never treated---we cali murder murder
and crime crime; and all murders and al
murders and all crimes are less blael
than these. - asi SGD ~ a2net -
Whatever the verdict Of the jury siis,
Be upon the charge Of what
ever the punishment, if the accused {
convicted as 8 traitor--howeyer. in cas-
Of this execution, be may be ranked a
mOng political victims. the yerdict q
svery GENEROUS heart and Of histary !
sure against the maL As criminal no
less than the infamous English Jeffreyl
V;sws3 merely ss. politicsl leader. 81