Cairo evening times. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1865-1866, 1865-11-19
EMERSON ETRERIDGE AC-
.. Quilted. .st
THE FINDINGS OF, THE COURT
MARTTE DsSAPPROVED.
NASHVILLE, TEEN, Nov. /


The findings Of the military commission that
tried Emerson Etheridge are promulgated, The /
following are the findings of that court
''Of specification /, charge /, not guilty; ex-
cept the words, publishing and adopting the
following resolutions, and being present at the
town OF Dresden. Weakly county, tennessee.
Ui specification ,, charge L, guilty, out at'ach
no cumnility to charge l. Not guilty OF spe
citicalion l, charge ,. Net guilty Oh
specialization ,, charge 2, except the
words. the ne groes are no more tree
than they were forty years ago, and attach no
crimlnality to those words. Of specification
;. charge 2, guilty except the words, The
SAID Etneridge thus attempted to lnclte the
people OF Tennessee to reinaugurate revolution
and bIoodshed, en0eavoring to hold up to in
fanny TIE Chef Magistrate Of the nation, and
even insulting the revered memory OF Abraham
Lincoln, the late President of the United
States of America OF charge ,, not guilty.
The Commission do acquit him, the said
Emerson Etner;dge.
General Thomas disapproVes of the action OF
the Court i'll tile following
The proceedings OF the Military Commls-
siou, in tie case Emerson Etheridge, citizens,
are disapproved 10y the Major General Com
Inuudlng, tur the following reasons
- IL appears, from the record, that upon the
couveuus ol the Commission, the Judge Ad
Vocstte summoned such Witnesses rs were
deemed uecess ,ry to support the prosecution;
but before one tnlrd of the witnesses were e1'
a,ulued tie following eutry was ordered TO be
mad, in The record The Commits ion then
went into secret session, and decided to close
the case The Judge Advocate p, esented and
eu,ereu III the proceedings protest, against
the summary acton of the Commission, on the
ground that many OF the most Important Wit
tesses Tor me Government, named in the pro
md "a
.easuns tor pelev ing that by these Witnesses he
could prove material facts in the case, his
knowledge of their testimony being based upol
their atfidavits, already IN his possession. NOT
wIlu>taudlng the protest OF the Judge AdVo
cat the Commission proceeded TO make 1t
findings and adjourned
This action of the Commission was unaa
,horzed, and without precedent. 1t is thu
province of q court to sit in Judgment, and t
Investigate, with patience and dignity, the evi
gcnce brought before it, but not to reject
without consideration, the material testlmon.
upon which lis judgme,t should be based
TIN. Commission also committed grave erro
ia attaching crImlality TO the hlGlnSs upon
aome Of the sJeclti> utions and parts OF specih
cations OF watch the accused was proret
guilty by the limited amount OF tesuinon,
winch it cLnuescended 10 permit the .uttg
Advocate to Introduce.
'.The second tuung shows that the accused
state of society Immediately following 1t, ant
q the midst OF notorious dlsloyai assembly
denounced the President and the commander
of the armies of the nation as usurper, Lar
a man meaner thasi Judas IscarioI, and de
clared' also that there was no resemblance o
civil government in the land, but lSurpatlon
and that the laws were void and not binding
and vet the Court attached no crlmlnallty to II
Thus officers Of the army, comprising mill
tarv tribunal, and holding commissions iron
. the commander Of tie armies OF the Cmtet
States. see him so detained, his authority set a
naurht has usefulness Impaired and Yet fine
nothing in all til to condemn.
The Commission failed to appreciate tht
crave nature of the case brought before
~, and manifest due respect 10
ment it representea; and instead oil being al
instrument of Justice and the guardian Of til
military authority it was appointed to uphold
bv its arbitrary and lnconslderate action Ina
enabled Emerson Etherldge to succeed in hi
attempt to do as much injury as possible
the Government, without sublectlnS illmscl
personal harm Although the Court has taile
10 do Justice. and the evidence and finding
clearly established tic guilt ofthe accused, YET
AS the present state of society in Yves
Tennessee Goes 10, require that iurther actio
should be taken i'll the case, or further restrain
nIaced upon the accused, the Court viii not b
reconvened for the consideration OF its finding
upon the evidence before it, aud Emerson Ethe
ridge will be Immediately released from hi
parole and set at liberty
THE Military Commission. of which Breve
Colonel n B. Dudley, is President, Is hereb
dissolved.
BY command of Maj Gen. Thoma
''WM D. WHIPPLE, \. A. G.