The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-07-13
JEFF, pAyIaAsAl lsoRAL cRIMIEAt
George w Curtis writes in Harper's
Magazine for July:

HiSlSo Al IIlIs country slLa-Aione In q
spacious casen ate OF Fortress Monroe,
with only Bible upon his table, and
two silent sentinels watching him By
day and night. Perhaps, as he sits
there Or psces tho Hoor, he remembers
Tho hapIess victims Of Andersonville
and Belle Isle, or recalls the long hor-
ror3 Of the war which has smear
ed go many lovely fields with blood
In the terrible quiet of his prison docs
hc ever ask himself whether it was
worth while to dare such II grievous
roirow 70 bis country for such a cause?
Does he eser argue with himself that
even il the theory Of State sovereignty
were true, 1t was not wise TO assert it
81 suca cost Of misery, merely for the
sake ot perpetuating something which
must sQrpass conceivable injustice Of
tie nation toward a. State? Has he
never learned that many things may
be lawfa! which are not expedicnt, and
that nothing but the most prolonged
injustice Of which legal redress is hope
less il worse oppression than the re-
meJy pt civil WARP
Technically be is o political prison.
or AZ such lie will be tried.
But he is also srrsigued before the con-
science and lienrt,of his faithful fellow
citizens as moral criminal of the
worst kind. Even fanatical csnGor
cannot plead that he was ignorant of
The systematic horrors of the Georgia
prisons the starving, the freezing the
slow reduction Of human beings to
idiDey by exposure, by hunger, BY con-
tact with filth and disease. " was in
tended To weaken them into despair
and submission, and it had that effect.
II was also intended TO compel an ex-
change III sound and efficient men for
his service, and there it failed. But
the first result wes consthnt.
Here for instance, is e note written
in pencil from the United States mill
tarr prison az Nashville, by an honest
Industrious, sober, patriotic ncighGor
or tie Easy Chairs, who has been u
faithful soldier Of the war from the
beginning. He says that nc was cap.
turcd before Petersburg last August,
and was sent from Richmond to Sails
bury. There he and his comrades-
there ,vere ten thousand in his eeti.
mate, during the period Of his impris-
cnment-were starved, and starved,
and starved. They died, and died. and
by scores aud hundreds took the oath
to the rebels end were placed in their
ranks. He and few others persisted
rs long as he could. But hunger and
weakness and horror gradually did
t!ic,r work and he saccumbed. From
August until April lie had suffered
more Than we can imagine, and then
lie yielded He was put in the rebel
ranks, and arms placed in his hands
and those of his companions, about
iialf an hmr before Stoneman arrived.
lie did not fire shot against his flag
none Of them did--and they went di-
rc;tIy over TO SLoneman, but as COM
ing from the rebel ranks they were
held rs prisoners,
This is ono case. and enough. but
with alleviations-ope case, not the
w"rst, but how tragicaI! Yet there
were thousands and thousands like
him who suffered all that he suffered,
aad then, CONSUMED with loathsome
diseases, with broken hearts, with
recling brains, sank into the convul-
sive asonies Of death, or laughed out
in stark madness, or dPiveed slowly
on in idiocy. And they were young,
and brave snd noble men VINO were
thus treated. They were guiltless OF
every crime, ard had done nothing
but defend their country. At home,
tar aHayupon Western prairies among
New England hills, upon the shores
of the lakes, along the sea coast, moth
crs, and wives and daughters sickened
with the long suspense, the horrible
suspicion. Their hair whitened, their
ewes grew dim with hopeless watch
ing, their cheeks thinned with acQte
fear. their hearts broke also, and they
died amidst their appalled, children.
So awful a sorrow, so terrible suffer
inE, both in itself and what it occa.
stoned, no history records. And 1t
was the crime Of this man who sits
alone with his Bible and the silent
sentinel3ln Fortres Monroe.
II ia in vain to plead for him as n
political offender. The war was little
com pared with the crimes Of the war.
Over the graves Of the dearly beloved,
shot dead upon the battle field, we can
hear and see that political differences
may come to war But over the Col
gothas Of Millen and Andersonville-
over tbs spots where the pens stood in
which heroic men were treated as
beasts are never treated-we call mur-
der murder, and crime chime; and all
murders and all crimes are less black
than these. q, ....
Whatever tho verdict of the jury
may be upon the charge OF treason -
whatever The punishment, if the ac-
cused be convicted as traitor-how'
ever, in case Of his execution, he may
be ranked among political victims, the
verdict of every generous heart, and
of history is sure against this man as
criminal not less than the infamous
English Jcffreys. Viewed merely as a
political leader, his whole public ca
reCr is unlighted with single noble
action, and his speeches will be vain
ly searched for one generous emotion
If his infamy in history will be Singh
lar, it will be in every point deserved
The same kind of gloomy odium that
settles upon the name OF James H., but