The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1866-08-04
auILT d IErF. nAHfs. |.
His Completely In the Horrible Grimes
Upon our Soldiers
Report of the Ihxestigating Cousmittee,

=
Report Of the Ihxestigating COnimittee.
The Congressional COmmifts on Judi
ciary have made report, In which they
say It, is notorious that Jsff. Davis was
guilty. Of The crime ofIFeason,s according
to the Constitution and laws of the u nited
States, aud The committee are of the Opin-
ion that there are no obstacles 10 speedy, !
impartial trial which cannot be removed
BY legislation. they say that the evi
deGce in possession of tins co.nmittee con
i=pecting JEFF. Davis with the assassination /
Of President LiBc"ln justified th:m in |
| saying there iso probable cause 80 believe
! that h. was privy to the measures which
He'd to the commissions of the deed, and /
| the Investigation which has been made
/ by The War d Department and by the com
/ IN ission. nave resulted in placing the
Government in possession ol}all the facts
in the cSse.z Il is probable, however,
1: at The further presecu ti,'n of the inyes
LEGATION by the committee, aud by tie
officers of the Government, will result
{. finally in full development of lhe whole
Iransaction. The capture ot1the rebel ar
cbives had put the Government in pos
session of mass of letters and papers
and other documents Of various kinds. on
y portion of which has as yet been ex-
amined. 81 eli a.e So $50 a3t
TIE Committee submit a mass of testi-
meny showing that the rebel authorities,
under the direction of DAVIS, decided to
i give negro soldiers and their officers the
treatment due to prisoners of war. 1t 10
shown that Gen. Kirby Smith objected to
the capture of negroes in arms; and let
ter from him to Gen. Dick Taylor is quo
ted, in which he says: 81 have been un-
officially informed that some of your
troops have captured negroes in arms.
hope this may not be so, and that their
subordinates in command Of capturing
parties may have recognized the proprie,
ty of giving no quarter to negro troops
4 or their officers" A message OF JEFF
Davis is also quoted in which be propO-
ses that Union officers of negro troops
shall, when captured. be dealt. with as
criminals engaged in melting insurrec-
ton. Ia regard to the maltreatment of
Union prisoners generally. it IS shown
that JEFF. Davis decided that Union troops
were iucendiaries and robbers, and there
fore forfeited their claims to be treated
IS prisoners of war. A great mass of
evidence is adduced to show that the
prisoners were, treated in accordance with
the views of Davis as above Get forth.
The documents cited are all of rebel ORR
Gin, aud show that the prisons in the
! South were in frightful condition. The
facts were i.equcatlY brought to the Con:
federate authorities, but without avail.
A letter from one Sabine, dated at Sauls
bury, to Davis says, with regard to the
suffering of the prisoners at Florence:
"If such things are allowed to continue
they will most surely draw down summa-
: ry judgment upon our country. 1t is a
most horrible national sin that cannot 60
UNPUBLISHED. If we cannot give them
food and shelter, for Gods sake send
them back to Yankee Land, but, don't
staTVe them" -. -.s.a
Accompanying the letter was an arti-
Gle from the Sumpter Watchman. giving
the details of tie visit made by the Wri-
, ter to the prison of Florence. The ac-
count is most horrible one. The pris-
oners are described as filthy, diseased and
famishei men. with no hope of relief ex
cept by death. All were, in rags and
barefoot, and crawling with vermin.
While the reporter was there storm
took place, and he described the avidity
with which prisoners welcomed it, open
ing their mouths to catch the drops,
: while one would wash off his face With
his hands and then receive from him the
like kind Office.
> A great mass of similar testimony is
T submitted, all going 10 show that Mr..
Davis was fully aware of the condition Of
The prisoners. ---. ...4 H..... ..a
Q Considerable space is devoted to the
Vaccinations of Clement G. Clay, George
N. Saunders, Beverly Tucker and 9TH
ers, in Canada, during the war, and it is
shown that portion of the rebel secret
service money was paid to one Hirams,
who rendered services in conveying boxes
OF small-P ox clothing to be sold at Wash
ington.a .,r-.e ....---..i
In connection with. these matters a
large number of documents are submitted
In all these schemes it is shown that
Davis was concerned, and the Committee
= argue that this fact is bar to the plea
Il at he and his associates were incapable
of the crime Of assassination.
Ia further confirmation of this view
r copies OF letters are given from a foreign
err, who proposed to blow up the Capitol
when the Northern members of Congress
were assembled there. One of these let
? ters is endorsed by Walker, the rebel
Secretary of war.
s Another letter, from one Moore, stating
= that he hal found means of disposiDg
: of the leading characters of the North in
an u-derhand manner, is endorsed by
Davis.
: Another from Durham, directly pro-
posing the assassination of Lincoln, Sew
ard. Greedy. Prentice and others, writ
ten to Davis and referred by him TO the
rebel Secretary of War, is produced.
D The Committee say thai these letters
! prove that Davis and his Cabinet knew
: the plot of the aseinalion was going on.
. Copious extracts from the testimony
giver.At the trial of Payne, Mrs. Surrat
and their sccomplices. are submitted-alI
tending to confirm the opinion.
Ii is also stated that the affidayils have