The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-05-31
The Civil Power after a War
H,amnl


Nineteenth District Jefferson Palmer.
The Civil Povger after a War
Lemon.
y. 70. "'"nu1uT y ofthe McCracken County
''.. '' ,ircnt Court, at its late session, found
,''a,., mT ',"c pp lis of Indictment for murder
,.,,s., .in. PAINE, and have demanded
'"s Governor of Kentucky requisi-
.a5 pon the Governor of Illinois for his
, .tion to the authorities of that State,
t he may undergo trial.
The record which this monster made for
himself in the war, especially In Kentucky,
constitutes one Of the blacklist chapters of
It's awful history. As the Columbus, KY,
Chronicle says, there is blood enough on
his soul to sink II to the lowest depths Of
hcll--if such brute can have soul. His
rule was one continued scene Of wicked
ness-a perfect carnival of crime. There Is
no atrocity In the whole catalogue of viii
lainy of which he and his minlons were not
guilty. He hunted down human beings
with all the keen relish ofa practiced sports
man, and took as much delight In shooting
them as Others would in shooting par
tridgcs."
while one hand was ever at the throats Of
the people, the other was ever In their
pockets. He prescribed persons for the ex-
press purpose of robbing them. lie rob-
bed old and young, rich and poor; men,
women and children widows and orphans I;
all ages sexes, sizes and condltions; Union
nd pisfu "a ms n1a M fIar-
ence to him-all were alike fair game for
the blood-thirsty and avaricious tyrant.
To have money or something else that he
or his friends wanted, was crime enough
and Immediately the unfortunate, was
branded with disloyalty, and either sent to
death or into gloomy exile. He is spotted
all over, from the crown of his head to the
soles of his feet with the foul leprosy of
crime"
And yet, he will escape trial. The ac-
tion of the court viii he null. Is 1t at all
likely that Gov YATES, of Illinois, viii re-
spcct the Kentucky requisition for the cul-
prit, should the Governor of that State
comply with the demand of the State court |;
especially when the haJeas corpus bill,
(now law,) passed by Congress and ap-
proved by the President, TO meet just such
cases as this, may be pleaded in justiflca-
ton of refusal to render the body of the
murderer, robber and thief into the Gus
tody of the Kentucky court? No: The de-
mon Of the IoGr will escape justice--a while
longer he will be suffered to pollutc the
earth, shock humanity and defy retribu-
tion.
In close connection with this case, but
not written for special application, Is
what the Columbus Crisis said, on the ap-
proval of the habeds corpus act, which un-
dertakes to shield military tyrants and up
starts from the penalties they incurred
for their usurpations and crimes during
tie war Said that sound and able jour
nal:
lit anticipates the Judgment of the fn-
ture, and prohibits its execution. IL pro-
poses that the miscreants who filled Gov
ernment bastiles with innocent victims
who executed men, ruined families, and ex-
ercised their personal and political malig-
nifty, cupidity and rapacity under the
pretense of promoting the public good
shall 90 unwhipt OF Justice, aud closes the
doors of the civil courts to which the liv-
ing victims might apply for redress against
them. This Is n measure of relief and in
demnity to the Buffers Stantons, Burnsides
Hunters, Carringtons, Keiths, Leavetts
Hoveys, Paynes, and the hundreds
of less conspicuous but not less
infamous instruments who disgraced the
army, the Judiciary and the people by Their
tyrannical exercise of the brief authority
given them during the war. An eloquent
advocate before a Government court II
Washington year ago, warned the bogus
Judges that they could be tried, condemned
and executed for the usurpation they wer,
about TO commit even ,hfty years aftel
that time. The warning of Reserdy John
son rang in the ears of the military up
starts TO harrow their dreams and DIS
turb their waking thoughts, until thii
bill passed through Congress and WA
signed by the President, The law may
be repealed, and the criminals be ye
brought TO justice, but let us hope tha
for the present their pertnrbed spirits may
rest In peace, no longer disturbed by the
clank ofdpngeon chains, or visions of harm
less women dying maniacs or dangling a
the end Of a rope, The President has Sign
ed the bill. and we are sorry for 1t, on hii
account. His recent course In opposing th,
extreme Views of his party friends, led III
TO hope that he would leave the military
outlaws to the mercy of the civil courts ant
the victims. This was probably more thar
we had any reason to anticipate-more thar
the President could afford to eoneede. Jus.
tice would In time have vlndlcated ITSELF
some righteous examples would have beer
made, and the danger of a repetition o.
such lawless, mock Judicial proceedings a,
dlsgraced the war would have been averted
As IL Is, justice Is indefinitely postponed.'
HH-Old ''Thad." Is still tinkering away
He is greatly disgusted with the course o
the Senate on the Constitutional Amend
ment pending in that body. He has intro
duced in the House a bill providing new
plan of restoration. Il, in brief abolishei
the present State governments In the South
and provides for new ones, based ON uni
versal suffrage. II is lengthy and trashy
and not worth publishlngi for 1t is squestion-
able If 1t will get his own support.
"CIvm RIoHTs. ."-A man named John
Gallagher has been on trial In Boston the
week past for murder, and one Of the
iurors Ia "A niOQer The first case OF the