, 1865-01-17

1
I fFtcm Our Own Correspondent
CINCINNATI, Jan. IL 1861
AS the ttia1 Of the Chicago conspirators
/ progresses In this city, public interest in the
case is rapidly increasing. Three Weeks ago,
the gigantic plot whose vcriest details were
objects Of all importance with your citizens
was rarely spoken OF, and never Invested with
any Interest here. Now though the
examination is get In infancy, not free or un-
trammelled from the mass Of legal forms and
ceremonies which enshrincd its birth, Gin
cipnatians have commenced to realize the
magnitude of the charges, and already con-
slider 1t one Of the legitimate subjects Of daily
conversation. The few strngglers who wan
dered restless}y in and out Of the room where
the first sessions Of the Court we're held have
increased to q large number Of intelligent and
earnest spectators, who throng tue Court
room long before TIC opening Of Court, and
who watch with unabated interest tho pro-
gress Of the trial. Some appear to witness
the worly struggle between the attorneys.
Some to test for themselves the probability
of the conviction OF the accused aud many
impe]led by morbid curiosity to gaze upon
the prisoners and watch their demeanor and
every action. T..
The feeling which lmpels such spectators
| Is hardly dcdnable, though Of very general
I prevalence. The incentive which leads q man
| to witness q prize-fght Is not the wish to
| gaze upon the human frame In its beauty and
might, Or else his interest would decrease
with the progress Of the contest, and conso-
quent mutilation of the gladiators. It is
rather desire possessed by poor fallen hu-
manity to be spectator Of the horrible, of
more properly the unnatural, to see how
much men ouldthinkingty, willingly mntilate
each other, ,hoR much they could damage or de-
stroy the Image Of God pe1soniaed in them,
how far they could anndturalize themselves
without collapsing. Similarly the masses Of
humanity who thEonG to an execution, ,suppos-
ing they do not attend for the purposes Of
villainy and plunder, do not 60 because they
expect the sight Willib interesting or instruc-
tive, nor one which would be useful rs an CT
ample for them under similar circumstances,
but rather to witness o sight partaking of the
horrible Or unnatural. For the same reason
to view those who. are accused Of great
and unnatural enormity, men follow the little
band Of prisoners in the Chicago conspiracy
cases as they .na ch with their guards through
the streets, and watch their every action
WHEN in the court room in the presence Of
their Judges. They DO not expect to sec any
earnestly look upon these ordinary looking
men who stand charged with arcrime 80 deep
in-its enormity that it includes all others,
and which If they are proved guilty Of will
almost cause humanity to shudder that men
formed go like other men could have fallen so
far from all that Is human and natural.
There Is sort Of fascination, If not 1opdablo
satisfaction In beholdiug IS prisoners men
who are charged with that which II successful
would have deluged the streets of destroyed
city with the blood CT women and children
and defenscless citizens. Often the indigna-
ton Of the spectator finds vent in words,
though frequently It is subdned by the curl
osity which prompts him to attempt 10 dis
tipgut6h one prisoner from another, or to cal-
culate probabilities or contingencies which
may be lnvoltea BY the trial.
Yesterday. afternoon an aged man, whose
hend bore the fEosts Of many winter, after
gazing intcntl.tupon tho accused for nearly
half IN hour suddenly exclaimed La d Ioud.
earnest tone, 1.-THE man who is q traitor to |
the American government is q traitor to the |
best and most Just government In the world" |
The remark may have been unknd and un-
generous, considering the condition Of tile |
men 10 whom 1t was evidently addressed. 1t |
was therefore perfectly right Of the author,. |
ties to cause tho withdrawal of the speaker |
ftom the room, still it indicated right feel !
ing, showing the existence OF love OF coun-
Try which age had only strengthened, and
the softer feelings Of the nature. The court,
rs previously advised you, is not in session |
to-day, but will re-asscmblc on Monday after
moon, when tue reply Of the Judge Advocate |
10 the plea as to Jurisdiction will be heard. |
The plea is skilfully drawn. but does not pos
Ing been settled before. Perhaps the most
is the hct That tho statutes most
relied upon by the accused are those
Of Mr.. Lincoln'a administration, which have
bten SO universally stigmaiised by Copper
heads since their passage, July 1861 and
March 1868. We have been told that these
acts were signs of the dcsp0tism Of the dyuas-
ty in trampling underfoot the rights Of Amer
ican citizens, but now In the hour Of their e1-
ttcmity the maligners have changed their
this Administration, the only straws which
dlowning ill-uscd men can clutch ut. The
affection of the accused for the new statutes
touching the punishment Of rebels is obvious
y an attempt to prove that their crime is
that IT is in fact q statutory otfensc, which
would then be within the Jurisdiction Of
civil court. But the attempts will fail, the
crime committed Is really no statutory ofense.
It is more than one. It Is not simply aiding
or giving comfort to the Il bels, It is not sim
but 1t is q combination Of all these crimes. Il
is cne Of those peculiar odenses which could
only be committed In time Of W.T.; and only
thWarted by The military powers. The onense
CHARGED to these men is not as their counsel I
would make us believe analogous to COM
or Imprisonment, but is a military off:nse,
amcnab1e to military tribunal and punish
able If thought necessary, BY death.
Regarding those clauses complaining Of the
relation ot The Judge Advocate to the Com
mission little need be said. The power, the de-
welded By him in cases where the Judge Ad-
vocate was u knaye, and the court kpavcs
and fools which with much consideration
the defense inf,rms us Is not the caso In the
present instance. It might be possible for q
man TO misquote law but not unless he did
sible for man In lengthy harangue, to in-
fuence by mere force Of eloquence the minds
of lis hcarers, butit is impossible for an advo-
cate to openly peryert the law In the judg-
mcnts Of body Of men most Of whom are
most brilliant points Of the oGenso was their
plea in the first place, that the defense Was
not committed;Within the sphere Of action Of
any military lines Ere they get through the
accused will probably learn that over two
thousand soldiers guarding ten thousand
posed to constitute q military force. Tie
aforesaid ten thousand think so rather forci
bly, already,
Matters generally in Cincinnati present lit
tie Of interest. The weather has, of course,
cool. The Superior Court in this city has
Just decided in q street railway accident suit,
that a woman's husband is worth 81, 900 to
her, and has also decided BY setting aside. the
verdict OF q brilliant 0hioan jury, &tlaf the
value of the elective franchise is more than
awarded 10 legal voter Of the State Of Ohio
whose vote Was reflected at the last election |