New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-05-29
General Devens.

Not satisfied with having, at a cost that it
makes one shudder to think of, made the once
prosperous and happy States of the South waste
of desolation, and prosecuted her impoverished
and helpless people with insulting and oppres
siye legislation, the radicals have inaugurated
system of party prosecutions, directed against
those officers of the army whose sense of justice
or sef-respect forbid them to take part in the
crusade against the people of the South From
Generals Blair aud Sickles down to the humblest
subaltern, every officer who has eVinced dispo
sition to shape his official course in accordance
with the dictates of reason justice and humanity
has been made to feel, in one form or another
the weight of radical displeasure.
The latest case of the sort that has fallen under
our notice is that of General Charles Devens, Of
Massachusetts, who has been denounced, through
the press, as little better than traitor, because
he was unwilling to sanction crime, the perepe-
traitor of which, in any other service than our
own, as regulated by the radicals would have
been summaTily shot. This denunciation is based
chiefly upon Gen. DeVens's action in the case of
Lieutenant Colonel Trowbridge, tried BY court
martial for the murder of Calvin CroZier. The
facts in the case are briefly these Crozier, who
was paroled Confederate soldier was travelling
about a year ago on the Newberry, S. c.. train,
accompanied by two ladies.
just before the cars reached the depot, some
negroes belonging to the SD regiment U. s. @. T.,
who had got aboard at wood station above en-
tered the ladies' car and commenced insulting the
passengers. One of them named Mills, came up
to Crozer's party, and putting his arm around the
waist of one of the ladies', attempted to kiss her.
a scufle of course ensued, in the course of which
Mills was stabbed. He was carried out, MORALLY
wounded, as was supposed, and Immediately the
cars were surrounded by furious mob Of negroes
belonging to the dregiment, which was quartered
there at the time. Crozier was arrested, and,
although there was no evidence that he had in.
f1icted the wound, within twenty minutes there
after he was shot by order of Col. Trowbridge
without any trial whatever
The affair created an intense excitement in the
oo1 Ms md al fbrnuuh fba gtotn IN aIIov
which an eI pdfte court of inquiry was called,
which, as matter of course, acquitted TroW-
bridge of all blame in the matter. His excuse
was that if he had not caused Crozier to be shot,
his men would have sacked the town. Governor
Perry, however, not being prepared to believe
that the United States authorities would sanction
so gross an outrage, applied to Gen. Gilmore for
an investigation. This was ordered by Gen. Dew
ems, then temporarily in command, and, upon the
report of the inspector general court martial
was ordered by Gen, Gilmore, who by that time
had returned and resumed command
Mills, for whose murder Ctezier had been shot,
was present at the trial, but, strange to say was
not examined. The court martial acquitted Trow-
bridge on the ground already stated, and General
Deyens disapproved the finding using in regard to
it the following language: Calvin Crozer was
executed summariy by Lieut. Col. TroWbridge
for the murder of private Mills, SD U. S. @. IT.,
who not only was not murdered by said Crozier,
but is to-day alive and well. 1t was in my opinion
a most unjustfable act " etc. What else, in the
name Of common decency, could he have done?
If Crozier had killed Mills on the SPOT he would
have been justified. But he did not kill him, and
there was no evidence that he had even wounded
him; and yet, when this bloodthirsty scoundrel
TroWbridge-this coward who could not control
his own men--deliberately murders Crozier at the
iHstigatOn of his black Tufians, Gen. Devens is
called upon to indorse his conduct and denounced
because he will not Was there ever such
tyranny, such atrocious prescription sach unbush-
ing avoWel of laWlessness.