The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1866-11-21
Joff;rson Davis.

Joffvrson Davis.
Eighteen months have nearly elapsed
since jefferson Davis was made stat.
prisoner. lie had previously been pub
Ncly charged, by the President of the
United States, with conapiring to as
unssinatc President Lincoln, and $780,.
600 offered for.his capture thcroupon.
The capture was promptly made and
the money duly paid: yet, up to this
hour, there hasn been even All attempt
made by the Government to procure
his indictment on that charge. He has
also beon popularity, fnot officially, &C
cused of Simplicity ~ the virtual muir
der OF Union soldiers, while prisoners of
War, by suhjcc,ius them to needless in.
human exposures, privation and abuse !;
hnl no official attempt has been made to
lndct him on tiat charge. He has
been indicted for simple treason aud
even this indictment has not been OBJ
taincd at the instance Of the Govern
m'nt. 1t may be so badly drawn that
no conviction could he had Oh il, what
ever tho proof advanced; yet shc Ex.
cculive could say, II am mol RESPONSE
BILE for this. Tllc indictment was OBJ
ts'ih"d without the assent or privity Of
my Attorney General or Cabinet
Repeated attempts have been made
by thc'prisoner's counsel to bring his
case to,rial bm to no purpose. The
Government does not appear to prose-
cut; the machinery Of tho Courts is
always out Of oraar Al one time,
Martial Law stands IN Tic way, when
that obstacle is removed, thorc is IL ca.
vii as to.thc' snlllrnncy or completeness
Of its withdtawal; and, when that will
no longer serve; IL is found hat Congress
has somehow dis.r:angcl ,hejudiciallis.
sr!cts, 81 That the case cannot safely he
proceeded with. Aud Congress itself,
having most ,lcons,dcratcly mr,l,llrd
with the matter. never took, pai,s to- in
quiro what action on its rart, ifant, was
requisite; 50 tha, now Congress. Pfes.
dent and Chief justice, are now in a
complete mnddlc on tho subject caci,
seeming inclined to throw al response
bility for the delay OIL ono or both OF
tho 9th RS.
The nrsl.ot Of, all this is HAT tho
the prisoner is not tried, nor likely to
be; aud that, If tried, he is morally ccr-
tain not TO be convicted if convicted
not TO be punished. There arc still
many persons who would like 10 have
HIM executed; but there is>net one in.
,clig.nt man on earth VIII, has the
faintcst notion that he ever will be. For
though Governments sometimes iniiict
capital punishment on conspicuous rcbotS,
they never, at least in modern times, do
SO long after their rebellion was snp
pressed. Austria, in l849, put to death
thirteen oftho Hungarian leaders be.
,raycl into her hands by tic miscrcant
Gorgcy but she tried them .,y drum.
head court martial directly after their
surrender, and had thom all hanged and
, buried within GrLy.eight hours. Had
she waited eighteen months, and. then
, executed them, she would have invoked
the exccrations Of all Chrstondom.
Since it is notorious that Davis Is not
/ to be punished, why is. he still kept
q waiting trial which he alono seems to
I8 desire, apd which he can byno means
'obtain2 What good end IS subsorved
Shy persisting in menace which still
scrvcs to irritate, though it no lorgcr
snppalls?
{8. Congress, at its last session, evidently
4 felt that it had the President at disad.
vantage with regard to this prisoner
$that ho wasar elephant which Mr.. John.
#Egon had too casily acquired, and was
&$now unable either to keep or dispose of
savc to his own loss. In tho state of
feeling then prevalent this aspect of the
$4taso .Was regarded to many with evident
comMaccncy. Had tho President been
sR man Of high courage, and called OH
SSCongr5ss to demand, if that were doom-
S&ed advisable. that he should bo surren-
8aered and tried, and to prescribe the 10.
fgal conditions OF such trial. since the
.laws rs they stand seem inadequate or
Sacfeclivc. But he should first, at all
events, have publicly rctracted the
Charge Of completely with the assass'ns
{ of President Lincoln, since ho has virtu.
I3al>y abandoned itby not attempting to
&3ound All Indictment thereon. It ia.
5siIeitIcr just nor wise to seud forth prs.
Soner Of state with tho brand Of murder
5Son his brow; and naked failure to
prosecute is but cquiyalcnt to the Scotch
Y N3Ixerlict, "Not proven If Mr.. Davis
iasovcp probably guilty Of completely
with Booth, he should have long since
abeen indicted and tried for that crime );
;ifhc is not, he should have. ere this,
been explicitly freed from the rcproach,
I sseycn though he were TO bo executed for
.tfeason on kho morrow. A. great gov.
sefhment may deal slernly with offenders,
s,at not mcanly; itcannot afford to scom
Elwilling to repair an obvious wrong
S,Ne,v York Tribune. )