Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1865-11-11
visit of NORTH Sarolinians.
THE CASE or JEFF DAVIS. de-.


exhibited no fear, and passed to the grea
hereafter protesting his innocence of the
crimes charged against him.
At an early hour this morning. Father
Boyle; the spiritual adviser of Captain Wirz,
administered the sacrament to him. and
Father Wiggot, also Of the Roman Catholic
Church, then placed upon the prisoner the
black cambric robe, remarking as he did so.
Il hope this will be turned into a white one
in the other world"
At twenty minutes past 10 O'Clock Captain
Nirz came from his cell in the Old Capitol
Prison, accompanied by Provost Marshal
Russell and other officers, and Fathers Boyle
and Wiggot, and passing between the military
guard, they ascended the scalTold. The pris-
oner was then seated.
The scafiod was L feet square and % feet
in height to the top beam, with trap Y feet
from the ground.
The guard consisted of the 195th Pennsyl-
vania Volunteers and three detachments of the
Veteran Reserve Corps. under the command
of Capt Walbridge, the military superintend-
ent ofthe Old Capitol Prison
There were several hundred snectatorS he.
sides the military, civilians having been ad-
mltted on special passes. Amid profound
silence Provost Marshal Russell proceeded to
read the order Of the War Department, found
ed on the verdict Of the Court Martial which
tried the prisoner
Hewas charged and convicted of combining,
confederating and conspiring with Jefferson
Davis, James 4. Seddon, Howell Cobb. John
Fl. Winder, Richard B. Windcr, Josiah II.
White, W. S. Winder, W. Shelby Reed, r. R.
Stevenson, S. P. More, - Kerr, late hospi-
tai steward at Andersonville, James Duncan.
Wesley ". Turner, Benz. Harris and others
whose names are unknown, and who were then
engaged in armed rebellion against the United
States, maliciouslv, traitorousy, and in viola
ton OF the laws Of war, to impair and injure
the health and destroy the lives, by subiecting
to torture and great suffering, by confning in
unhealthy and unwholesome quarters, by ex-
posing TO the inClemency Of winter and to the
dewS and burning sun of summer, by compel
ing the use of impure water, unwholesome
tOod-ol large numbers of Federal prisoners to
wit: The number of about $4,000 held as
prisoners OF war at AndersOnville. within The
lines Of the so-called Confederate States. on
OF before the 2Tth Of March, and at divers
times between that day and the tenth day of
April 1863, to the end that the armies of the
United States might be weakened and impaired.
and that the insurgents engaged in armed re-
belhon against the United States might be
aided and comforted, &c, &c.
The order also states that the prisoner was
found guilty of the second charge, namely
Murder in violation of the laws and customs
of war; and guilty of all the specifications ex-
ccpting the fourth tenth and thirteenth, which
there set forth that he killed prisoner by
shooting him with a revolver, he ordered
a sentinel to fire upon another with a revolver.
and that he beat another with revolver so
that he died.
The order concludes as follows:
Sentence. the Court do therefore.
sentence him, Henry Wiz, to be hanged by
the neck till he be dead, at such time and
place as the President of the United States
may direct, two-thirds of the members of the
Court concurring therein. And the Court
also find the prisoner, Henry Wirz, guilty of
having caused the DEATH in the manner as
alleged in specification No. II, of Charge 2,
by means Of dogs Of three prisoners of war,
in his custody, and soldiers of the United
States, one occurring on or about the 18th day
of May, 1864, another occurring on or about
the 1st day of September, 1864, but which
finding, as here expressed, is not and did not
enter into the sentence of the Court as before
given.
Second.-The proceedings, finding and sen.
tence in the foregoing case having been sub
mtted to the President of the United States
the following are his orders:
"ExECuTIvE MANSION, Nov. Sd, 1868.
The proceedings, findings and sentence of
the Court in the within case are approved and
it is ordered that the sentence be carried into
execution by the officer commanding the De
partment of Washington, on Friday, the 10th
day of November, 1865, between the hours of
6 o clock A. NJ. and u o'clock, noon.
ANDREW JOHNSON, President.
Third.-AIajor Gen. c, c, Augur, COM
manding the Department of Washington, is
commanded to cause the foregoing sentence
in the case of Henry Wirz, to be duly execu-
ted in accordance with the Presidents order
Fourth.-The Military Commission of which
Major General Lewis Wallace. L. S. Volun-
teers, is President, is hereby dissolved.
By command of the President of the United
States, +. D. TOWNSEND, A. A. G..
THE CLOSING SCENE.
When the reading of the order was com
pleted Wirz conversed with those on the plat
form with seeming calmness and self posses
sion, and it was remarked that he had smil-
ing countenance. TO his spiritual advisers he
said: II am innocent. | have to die, but l
can die like man. l have hope in the future.
| have nothing more to say
His legs and hands were then tied, the
moose passed around his neck, and the black
cap placed over his head. He stood erect
without faltering, evidently having nerved him
self for the dreadful event.
Those on the platform now retired to the
railing, leaving the doomed man on the centre
OF the structure, alone.
After few moments of profound quiet, the
drop, at preconcerted signal, fell. The sound
thus occasioned having reached the ears of
the promiscuous crowd outside of the Old
Capitol grounds but who were not privileged
to view the execution, was responded to by
repeated shouts of appreciation. The convict,
directly after falling, was considerably con-
vulsed in his lower limbs, but the agony was
soon over. His body hung about Is minutes,
and was then cut down and laid upon a
sretcher and conveyed to the prison, where ii
was placed i'll coffin and transferred tc
Father Boyle for interment. His neck was
broken by the fall. The entire proceedings
occupied about three -fourths of an hour
INCIDENTS.
A short time previous to his execution Wirz gave
particulars in regard to his life and his
tlon with the Confederate army, but they embrac,
nothing of interest beyond what has already beer
published.
With respect to his fate he said: las far as I an
concerned, | have no hope of reprieve. Thes
things which were done, (meaning Andersonvile,
somebody must suffer for | have never denied tina
the prisoners were maltreated; but it not m.
fault If am the last that is to suffer death fo
the Southern Confederacy l satisfied. | do no
one myself That will say as long as can say 1t
never hunted prisoners with the dogs nor anything