The weekly standard. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1865-1867, 1866-02-03
From the Louisville Courier. 4
The Ladies' OF Scott County and
President Davis. .4ss8e

President Davis. .asaaa
The following beautifully eloquent
petition, signed by 1900 of the noble
and pure-hearted women ofScott coun-
ty, in this State, has been forwarded to
Washington. If we are not mistaken,
the petition was written by Mis- Sannie
Ofutt, one SCOTS most gifted and
handsomest daughters, and is alike
creditable to her head and heart
o GEoReETowN, Dec, IS, 1866. ]
Hon. James Guthrie, Hon. Garrett Da-
Wis, Hon. George S. Shanklin, Hon.
Green Clay Smith, and others-Sen-
ators and Representatives of the
State ofKentucky, Washington, D. C.
GENTLEMEN: Please find enclosed q
petition from the women ofScott coun-
ty, Kentucky, forlthe pardon of Hon.
Jefferson Davis, which we, the under
signed committee, hare been commits
stoned to forward to you with the re-
quest that you, in body, lay it before
his Excellency, President johnson, on
Christmas day. fs aat sosats s.a
We doubt not you viii deem it
blest privilege to use your influence
and eIoquence to move him to grant
our prayer, and thus riyet the stron-
gest link in the chain of fellowship
which is to hold together whilom enc
mics in bonds of perpetual unity and
love- God bless you in this mission OF
mercy! 8 s. ''A .l5 .i..'.'s, S,
Miss SANNIE1 F. OFFUTT,
lIRs. R. RODES EsTILL,
MRs. JAS.K. DUKE, q aao4a
Mrs. N. B. FORD, tl g1 a
MRs. GEN. JNO. BUFORD, s5
And twelve hundred others.
HIS Ercellency, President johnson
We, the undersigned women ofScott
county, Kentucky women whose
hearts have oft been wrung with an
guish, whose heads have oftbeen bowed
in grief, whose eyes have grown dim,
weeping for fallen braves who have
given brothers sons, and sires alike,
for the Union and the Confederacy,
come before you with this, our petit
ton We believe if ever men do that
which claims the name and rank of
virtue, it is when they freely offer their
lives for their country, and for cause
which, however misguided their judg-
ment may be in the case, they believe
to be the cause of Liberty and
should they fall in such cause, they
are victims to virtue rather than vice
Strong in this belief, we have dared,
like Esther" to enter their presence
chamber, and beseechs you to extend
your sceptre of pardon to the Hor JEFF
ferson Davis, whose Imprisonment is
the Imprisonment of the entire South
ern heart; whose execution, void of
benefit to the country, would be bay
onet thrust to the yitals of a fallen and
surrendered people. zY6A iii
!. Surely enough blood has been shed,
enough punishment infcted for errors
in which many millions OF, his country
men supported aad upheld him. He
has sufficiently expatiated the crime Of
defeat. We do not come to reason
with you. We come not to justify.
Twill be the province of posterity to
approve or condemn. Ours is only to
plead for life and liberty. and to pray
you to forget not his virtues in the
midst of his misfortunes. Remember
his eminent conservatism and eloquent
appeals for compromise in the United
States Senate, whose halls he left at
last with lingering and reluctant feet,
in obedience to the mandate of his soy
GIG1Ru DbdtCs AZ @AtCAlCu1OC4f wv hA0
stern refusal to retaliate wrongs which
maddened the whole South. and also
] his Christian policy of invasion, as ex-
emplifed by Gen, Lee, IN Pennsylva1
MIA. when, notwithstanding Virginia
had been peeled and desolated BIZ Fed
erala armies, he ordered that not o
dwelling should be bnrnedS not an arti-
Gle Of private property appropriated
Without compensation.
The old year draws TO q close. It's
record has been sad and bloody. for
though in its brief space the din and
crash of civil war has been hushed, the
cannon's roar ceased to startle, and the
Ilong roll Of o hundred drums calls no
more the hosts to battle, Jet even the
white wings Of Peace are bathed IN
blood, and healing wounds torn agape.
THE beauty and glory of victory are
/ wanting without magnanimitys Wiil
i Won not, therefore, ere we tune our
4 voices to chant the requiem Of the dy-
4 sss ~ tf4t@ "A " x-r~@rn vxv xaf the