Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-11-22


bishops, clergy and many of the congrega-
ton and the grand and imposing sacred
ceremony was concluded by an Episcopal
benediction from Bishop Hopkins.
From the Western Sentinel
The Case of Capt. n. 4. Wilson.
This case which has attracted SO much
attention in North Carolina, came before
his Honor, Judge Fowle, at the late term
of the Superior Court of Law and Equity,
held for the county of Rockingham, the
cause having been removed from the coun-
ty of Forsythe to that place. The impor-
tant witnesses for the prosecution, as we
understood it, all being in attendance, and
after due consultation and investigation,
outside of the bar, the Hon. Thos. Settle,
the Attorney for the State, agreed to the
: rendering of o verdict of not gaihy." in
all the charges whereof the defendant stood
!, indicted. Whereupon the defendant Cap
tain Wilson, agreed to compromise in all
the civil suits for damages that had hither-
to been instituted against him by paying
to the parties claiming such sums of money
as were then agreed upon as being salts
factory. And thus, one of the most unfor-
tunate cases growing out of the late war has
been brought to such termination as can
but be gratifying to all good men.
A brief statement of the history and tho
facts in this case, now that it has termina-
ted, may not be uninteresting; and in JUS
tice to that unfortunate, but gallant Off
Ger, we give below a statement of the in
cidents in the case, as we understood them
to have occurred
In the county of Yadkin, and in some por-
tions of Forsythe, as in many other sections
of the Confederacy, during the last year of
the war, it was understood that recusant
conscripts, and men who had deserted from
the army, had banded themselves together
for the purpose of mutual protection against
the Confederate authority, and in some in
stances serious depredations were commit
ted upon the persons and property of citi-
zens who were endeavoring to sustain the
Confederate cause. To resist and put down
this lawless conduct, county guards, under
the control of enrolling officers, were first
established, but it was soon discerned that
such guards were wholly inefficient to effect
the design, and tended but to aggravate in
stead of cure the evil The question was
then submitted in bold and defiant terms to
the Confederate authority after all gentle
means had been tried and faiIed-after
every appeal had been made which patriot
ism could suggest, and every inducement
which pardon for crime could afford, had
been rendered to induce these rebellious
spirits to return to their allegiance to the
Government, to either enforce by strong
hand its laws, or ANONYMOUSLY submit to
| their overthrow. The Government, through
the military, attempted the former. Capt.
Wilson with his battalion of Sharp Shoot
ers was detailed to come into this section,
as many other officers were,, into other sec
tions of the South, under strict orders to
suppress and put down all lawless conduct,
to arrest and return to the army all who had
deserted their posts. In doing this he had
every discretionary power, and strict
charge from his commanding general, that
in the performance of his duty to use FpOlC-
der and ball FREELY" Indeed, it was under
stood that his instructions were to make ex-
amples.
When these extremes and rigid orders
were rendered the Captain, we have under
stood that he asked to be excused, stating
that he was not in the habit of disobeying
orders when communicated to by his SUI
periors, and that he shrank from no duty
that the country required at his hands,
But at the same time he thought that there
were reasons why he should be excused
from going under such orders into the COM
munltles where he was born and raised
But to this remonstrance, he was only in
formed that he had been selected for the
very reason that the General commanding
could rely upon him, and had confidence
that he would fully carry into execution his
orders. 1t therefore appears how it came
that five men were shot. After the surren-
der designing persons, believing that the
shooting was not in accordance with even
military law procured the arrest and i'm
prisonment of the Captain who had been so
unfortunate as in the very last fight in de-
Tense of the "lost cause" at Petersburg,
to lose one of his legs, and all his papers and
orders under which he acted, fell into
the hands of the enemy. He was thus
confined in prison until February last,
when General Grant visited Raleigh,
where he was then confined, and
released him from military imprisonment,
when he was Immediately taken charge of
by the civil authority and imprisoned for
q short time in the Forsythe Jail, but I'M
der writ of habeas corpus he was brought
before Judge Fowle, and was set at liberty
under bonds to appear before civil court
of proper Jurisdiction for trial. And as we
have before stated, the case was removed
from the county of Forsythe to that of
Rockingham, and terminated as already
shown.
In it's final disposition the Court and the
Solicitor displayed moral sublimity that
raised them above every groveling propen-
sity of malice or political spite, and with
the highest encomiums of the entire bar,
'~S1SNA
of high souls, noble minds and patriotic
and generous hearts. They viewed all the
circumstances in the case, and well COM
pretended the fact that even if by prosecu-
ting to final verdict of guilty and execu-
ton, If such thing were possible, all that
could be effected thereby would be the adj
dition of another victim to the long list of
those who have fallen in consequence of q
ruthless war; It could have no other eff
feet, and would benefit no one. Therefore
it was deemed by the Court and the Solici-
tor best for the country, and best for all
parties to bring the matter to an early close
Message of Governor Patton OF Alabama
He Opposes the Constitutional Amend
mcnt.
MOBILE Nov. 13.-The Governors Mes
sage takes strong grounds against the Con-
stitutional Amendment. After reviewing
the whole subject, he says lam decidedly