The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1866-08-09
The Assassination of Lincoln.

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On Friday last Mr. Boutwell,, from the
Committee on the Judiciary, made re-
port on the evidence tending to implicate
jeff. Davis in the assassination of Presi-
dent Lincoln, the St. Albans' murders,
the hotel burnings and the starvation Of
our prisoners in Southern stockades. 1t
is unnecessary to review the evidence in
these latter particulars. Much of it has
seen the light before. The Committee
say:
The evidence examined is thus reviewed
and presented by the Committee, and upon
the preliminary branches of the case eslab-
fishes, or tends strongly to establish, the fol-
lowing propositions:
First-The rebel authorities at Richmond
proceeded Systematically and crimnally, and
in violation of the dictates of our common
humanity q we'll as the usages of civilized
war, to imprison. eRslave and destroy ne
groes employed rs soldiers in the United
States.
Second-They treated with gross injustice
and brutal inhumanity those officers who
were takeu prisoners of war while in CON-
mand of negro troops who were in the SER
vice of the United States.
| Third-They Systematically, knowingly
and malciously subjected soldiers of the
United States taken prisoners in war 10 the
horrors of disease. to brutal exposure to the
clements, and to wasting, fatal starvation
and all combined. making chapter of hor-
rors, sufferings and woes which had no par
allel in the annals of any other people, civil
| lzed or barbarous.
Fourth-That Davis Benjamin, Clay and
Thompson planned, organized, and melted
the various schemes. expeditions and conspi-
racics, referred to in the testimony submit
ted, for the introduction of contagious and
| infectious diseases in the United States, for
| the destruction of our commerce upon the
rivers, lakes and oceans, for the release o
prisoners at Johnson's Island and Camp
Douglas, for the indiscrimnate destruction
of private properly upon the border and the
murder of inhabitants, and finally for the
overthrow of the Government itself by he
agency of secret and reasonable organiza.
tions in Canada and The States of the north.
west.
These criminal acts are a bar to the plea
which Otherwise might, with force and rea.
son. be rendered, that Davis and his associ-
ates named were incapable of the great crime
of assassination Men who could remain
quiet in the presence ard with full knowl-
edge of the barbarities that were practiced by
officers under their authority in the prisons anc
peas ofRlchmond, Andersonville and Saisbu
ry. and who justified themselves to themselve:
by the consideration that 1t was necessary
to accomplish what they had undertaken
cannot plead that it is improbable that they
should have procured the assassination o
those who stood in the way of the accom-
plishmrnt of their designs.
II now remains for the Committee to pre-
sent The evidence tending Immediately tt
implcaie Davis, Benjamin, Clay and Thomp
s IN in the assassination of President Lincoln
The evidence reviewed by the Commit
tee is mostly documentary and derived
from the rebel archieves captured at the
fall of Richmond. From these it is per
fectly plain that Davis repeatedly received
and gave considerations to propositions to
assassinate the leaders of our Government
! His endorsement in his own hand writing 9
are found upon the back of written offers
to murder Mr. Lincoln, not with express
sions cf horror at the fearful crime pro
prosed. but mere business endorsements
Iinstructing some subordinate to inquire
into the feasibility of the plan proposed.
As to the completely of Davis with the
actual assassination of Mr.. Lincoln, there
seems to be no direct proof. We can on
" reason from the fact that Davis was
we'll informed of previous schemes of the
kind He may or he may not have been
in accomplice of Booth. 1t is in eFi-
dence that when Davis heard of the
death of Mr. Lincoln he manifested no
sympathy. Lewis 4. Bates testified tha,
Davis remarked, Well, General. | don I
know if it were to be done at all it were
better that it were well done, and if the
same had been done to Andy johnson, the
beast, and Secretary Stanton, the job
would then be complete" These are not
the words of man who was either griev-
ed or surprised, but rather the unpremedi-
ted declaration of one who realizes that a
crime which he anticipated had been com
mitted, but ID part only, and at moment
too late to save a cause alread y rendered
desperate by the conflicts and disasters
of war.
Is it not probable that the specific
crime of the assassination of Mr.. Lincoln
can be legally fastened upon him. That
it met his disnpproval cannot be supposed
for moment by any one who reads the
evidence of the Committee. But he can
be convicted of treason, and as traitor
he should suffer.
The Bounty Act.