Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1866-07-30

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to the charge went still further, for that ao-
Gu sed them with melting and encouraging j.
Wilkes Booeh ct n. f1-3f
"At th,s trial, the first and most important
part Of along tissue Of falsehoods was intro.
duced to connect Mr.. Davis with the assasina-
ton.
'sThe parties uneonstitutioaally killed
through the subservlent entinstrumentality in OF this
So called court or commission were all charged
with conspifing with Davis, ana 1t did seem
strange to me that neither they nor their coun.
this as might have been expected. The rea.
son was obvious enough, however. t..,-..
"ln the progress of that trial, every precsu.
ton taught by ages Of experience and sanctifed
"The prisoners, sd TO have beeh melted to
murder, by bullet. by infection, by arson, and
by poison. by Jefferson Davis, Were brought
irons upon them--with irons, too of an unu.
sual construction, irritating and painful, well
calculated to distract their attention from the
sayings OF the military prosecutor. The House
will remember that since the trial Of Gram
bourne, IN 1886, tried for conspirIng against the
life OF the KING of England, for raising a rebel
lion in aid Of a foreign enemy, no prisoner has
ever been tried in irons before legitimate
court any where that English is spoken. The
Chief Justice of England said :--.Look you,
keeper, you should take off the prisoners irons
when they are at the bar, for they should stand
al their ease when they are tried''
''But the parties alleged to have been incited
by Mr.. Davis did not so stand. but stood in
constrainment and in pain. with their heads
buried in a sort OF sack devised to prevent
their seeing. In this plight, from dark cells,
they were brought to be charged with having
been incited by Mr.. Davis, and they plead not
guilty.
"As the Congressional committee believe
secresy necessary, as the Attorney General
thai was recommends IL, and the Secretary Of
War orders IL. 50 that court practised il; and
II was in secret, with closed doors, the per-
jured reporter present, that the chief testi-
monY alleged to implicate Mr.. Davis was
taken; and this testimony could not now be
publicly known had il not been published in
Cincinnati through Pitman's violation of his
OATH"
Mr.. Rogers then reviews the testimony at
considerable length. and says:
The testimony and revelations Of Campbell
and Snevel, the abscOnding OF Conover, were
not needed by me to AID in forming my opin =
ion Of the value OF Montgomery's perjuries or
those Of CGnover; still, when they testified SO
clearly, when the female # Oonoyers family
were shown to have also been sacrificed by
him to this demon of falsehood for lucre, the
cool turpitude of the whole crew sickened me
with shame, and made me sorrow over the fact
that such people could claim the name of
American. while wondered who the hidden
arch. ch.eonspirator behind Conovsr might be.
"The transparency OF the whole plot, the lm.
becility OF its organization and management.
Its ease Of discovery by the poorest tests Of the
cheapest Logic, betrayed in the framer so com.
piefe a reliance In popular credulity, 90 tho.
rough an appreciation OF The maxim that the
more
readily than those coiored with an air OF
truth, that could scarce resist the desire of
having Campbell, Conover, Snevel, the wo.
men, and the rest, all arrested and handed
try, charged with perjury.
"Ene proof was within easy reach. plain,
and cum ulative. felt the hone: Of the nation
required the punishment Of these people. were
II only In atone-.ent fer the credulity Of those
In its high places who had so readily credited
or appeared to credit and act upon such tis.
sue Of absurdities, and 20 stated my views to
the committee.
"Not one Of these witnesses, nor the parties
using and instructing them, If any besides
Conoyer, possessed any peculiar talent for
imposture othes tnan impudenee and military
sense by trying to give this plot an appearance
OF probability would most likely have failed
sooner and no less signallv, as wise men often
do IN addressing a multitude, from not daring
to calculate upon the prodigious extent Of their
creduliy, especially where the fgments pre-.
sented to them involve the fearful and the ter.
rible. DIR. Pallin, the man Blackburn, Mr.
fell a sacrifice to the fury and fear of poison,
arson, ana murder which these witnesses
created and owe their safety only to peculi.
arity OF our national temperament. We are
most easy OF all people satiated with bleody
punishment. Orher nations are like the tame
tiger. which SGeD its native appetite for
slaughter Is INDUCED in one instance, rushes
on prOmiscuous rayage. We rather resemble
orous IN pursuit OF his prey desIsts from il as
soon as blood is sprinkled upon his path.
The whole Of this affair, which would
simply pass down to posterity an absurdi.
ty unsurpassed in the history of nations, were
ii not for the serious dangers and consequences
1t came near entailing, was drawn into the
arena of politics"
The report closes as follows:
"Need add. in conclusion, that, neither in
verbal or written testimony, there no cred.
ibie evidence whatever TO criminate MIR. Davis
9 a N t.Na naf
murder OF Mr.. Lincoln There is not any eyi.
dence worthy OF the slightest credit that con.
meets either Mr. Clay, Mr. Oleary, MT Thomp-
son. Mr.. Tucker. DR.. Palm, Mr.. Stuart, nor
any others charged Herewith, now at hb.
cry, with that assassination, directly or indi.
recIly. .- .......
Nor is there the slightest possible tinge of
probability. according to the results of inves-
ugation, that any plot or plans ever did exist
among those charged there with TO poison or
infect with fevers the good people of this ma.
ton. .#
T" i cannot agree with the statement made in
the concluding paragraph of the majority re-
port. that lit is the dEty of the Executive De.
partnent OF the Government for reasonable
time. ana by the proper means, to pursue the
Investigation for the purpose of ascertaining
the truth 8- IE- -.fErr
The Government, through the Bureau of
lions over one year, with the rlsor Of military
power. and'the expenditure of vast amounts,
and in Conover. Campbell. Snevel and COM
pdny we nave the result OF their labOrs. How
long rs Mr.. Davis to lie under these imputa-
tons without even preliminary examnationf
This is worse than the treatment OF d. En- ghien,
worse than the quicker cruelties of an auto-
-fe. Disagreeng with the majority report
on this point as on most others, 1 believe it to
be the duty of the authorities holding Davis 10
give him preliminary examination, as pro-
yided by the usages and practice Of all civil
lZed nations. II in that examination IL he
found there remain anything unsatisfied, II is
the duty Of the Government to Immediately
hand him 10 the civil tribunals, that he and
the others accused may have opportunity to
show TO the world the malice and faisehood of
these wicked accusatisns
The discoveries Of the doings of the Bureau
OF Military Justice render II q duty that what
ever be done in this matter hereafter, be done
IN less suspicious locality, and freed from
secrecy. Evil motives alone fear the light
The Government of this country should have
in TINS matter nothing to hide or fabricate in
darkness.
Gas regards the charge of treason. tina, is
already before the proper tribunal, and have
only TO express surprise that the judicial
branch of the Government should SO long ha We
deferred the trial, and that prisoner could be
ready for trial so long, ask for 1t SO persistent
", and yet In defiance OF law and usage be so
long denied IT.. - e. ~ ~ - - -
1.-THE assertion that legislation by Congress
is needed ere the crime OF treason can bring a
man TO trial is wholly unfounded and sounds
Hike a shrinking from the fnlfilment OF a most
plain dniy A. j. RoGERs.