The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1865-07-27
Etsc Executions OF lEsc Military
Commission.


From the New Yo'k Day Book.
We present. this week, the tragical dc
nouncment Of the late military trials,
which have recently been in progress in
Washington. For the credit Of cur coun-
trv. for the honor of human nature, and
for his own sake, we had hoped that Pres
ident johnson would have surrendered
these cases to the civil tribunals. The
pretcnsc that these persons could be tried
by military court, because 1lr. Lincoln
was COMMANDMENTS Chief Of the armies, Is
a sophistry that would disgrace a school
boy, Gen. jackson life was twice as
sailed by assassins, once willie he was en-
tering the Capitol, and did the widest fan
cv imagine that the offenders could be
properly dealt with by martial law? Ii is
unnecessary, however, to refer to this
view of the case for it has been ably and
overwhelmingly set forth IN the argument
Of Hon Reverdy johnson, on the juriS-
diction Of the Commission. Nor is it with
the guilt or innocence Of the parties who
were stranelcd to death Oh the 1th inst.
that we have to do. Flagrantly guilty
they may have been, but fagranty guilty
also are those who saw fit by .t1rce to slb-
stitutc drum-hcad trial for the regular
forms Of law.
No one doubts that all who were guilty
Of participation in The killing Of Mr..
Lincoln. could have been, and would
have been convicted according to legal
evidence, and punished, if found guilty.
" 4. II n
to law ? Why has the death OF Mr. Lin
coln. in none of It's aspects, been made a
subject of legal investigation Posterity
will regard it as the strangest OF all strange
things. tn: President should be killed.
and not one particle Of legal evidence in
relation to it taken. According to }a~,
the four human beings who pcriShcl in
Washington, by hanging on Friday last,
were nurFereI, for their lives were We
/ gohiY taken. If the proceedings of this
Commission are to stand as precedent if
the President Of the United States can
order civilians to be tried by military
courts then even the last semblancc OF
our Republican institutions is gone. We
do not believe however. ihat the Amcri
can people intend TO tamcly sabmit to the
imposition of such a despotic system. 1t
is a noticeable fact that. upon the morning
after the execution not single one Of the
daily papers in this city endorsed the act.
except the DAILY iIEssIAN. The lead
ing Abolition papers were rs silent as the
grave and if anything could have carried
Il rebukc to Washington. this strange and
ominous silence ought to have done so.
Not the least remarkable feature Of
| those executions was the bunglirg and
barbarous manner in which the unhappy
creatures were sent to their final account
| What could have been more revolving
/ than to see thrce human beings. and one Il
woman, SO stupcfcd by liquor, as to render
it necessary to literally carry them on the
scafiold. and then, at the final moment
their attendants actually compelled to
reach forward to hold them on the drop
One only, the young man, Payne, or Pow
ell, refused to take stimulants. and said lie
was tlctermr Cd to die with an unclouded
mind.
Thus ends the last act Of this long and
weary trial We envy not the positions
or the feelings OF those engaged III 1t
The mills of the gods grind slowly, but
they grind exceedingly fine and if these
men d5 not find their action in this mats
ter a thorn in their pillows. then We shall
be greatly mistaken Fairness and just
Ice rule the world in the long run. The
basest criminals have rights which socc-
ty cannot safely ignore. These four pco-
pie were very unimportant persons living,
but Weyoiy deprtced othcH Hrcs, they
become power in this land which will
aaimate million OF hearts The prin-
ciplc ovcrthrown in their death is worth
more than all the Presidents that ever
lived or ever Will live, aud if we are to
lose it, it would be an infinite mercy to
the American people If Lhc earth opened
aud swallowed up tie entire city of Wash
I'm ~ton and every liyin" thine in If