The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1867-05-16
Jefs Davis.

OVAs laws
Judge John G. Underwood has is.
sued a writ of hateas corpus directing
that the body of Jefferson Davis be
brought forthwith berfore his court,
now in session in the city Of Rich
mond, and the Secretary of War by
direction of the President, has Or
dered Gen. Burton in command at
Fortress Monroe TO deliver over the
"illustrious State prisoner" to the
civil authorities tor trial, and it is
now given out that Chief Justice
Chase is to occupy the bench with
Judge Underwood as the presiding
judge, in the pending trial Of Davis,
his publicly expressed conscientious
scruplcs against holding court in a
State nominally controlled by the
military, to the contrary notwith-
standing.
Some very delicate and knotty
questions, will inevitably, come before
the court, and Davis able and ingen-
ious counsel, will no doubt make
the most out Of the specions hum
buggery of the paramount obliga.
i tons citizen owes his state, when
q conflict ARISES between it and the
general government. Besides it will
be urged that under the recent re-
construction act the late rebel
states are treated as conquered prov
inces, whose secession for the time
being by the act Of their people, had
become an accomplished fact, that
thus Davis ceases to be a traitor to
his Government, and becomes a
public enemy, a prisoner of war, and
liable only to such punishment as is
usually melted out to prisoners of wal
by civilized nations.
Under any view you may take Of
this case, it has farcical look. And
since he was not tried Immediately
after his capture, by Court Marshal
for his inhaman and brutal treat
mcnt of our prisoners Of war, and his
a!ledged guilt in being a particeps
crimiats in the assassination Of Abra
ham Lincoln, we carnot help think
| ing hat it would have been better
to have released him on parole, when
Stevens and his other confederates
were released.
| Judge Underwood recently deliv-
ed a most extraordinary charge to
the Grand Jury, Of which John NJ
| nor Bolts is foreman. We read it at
/ first in the Chicago Times, and sup
posed it a burlesque but have since
read it in other journals and give the
following extract taken from the
Chicago Tribune, and presume that
all our readers will agree with us
that it is unfortunate for the country
and the Importance Of the occasion,
that Judge Of the United States
District Court. should SO far forget
the dignity of his position and the
everlasting fitness Of things" as to
deliver the following prevalent har-
rangue to jury.
| .Another subject of Thanksgiving
is presentedinthe very constitution Of
your body, furnishingocalar evidence
that the age Of lust and class cruelty
is departed, and the new era Of equal
lily and justice, breaking through the
clouds ofpersccution aud prejudice,
isnow dawning upon us; and strang.
est OF all, that this city of Richmond
should be the spot of earth to furnish
this gracious manifestation. Rich
lmond the beautiful and abandoned
seat OF therebellion, looking as come
" and specious as goodly apple or
a giided sepulcher, wEe.e bloody
treason fourishcd its whip of scor-
|pions. Richmond, whore the slave
trade so long held high carnival;
where the press has found the lowest
depths of prohigacy; where licenti-
BUSINESS had ruled until probably a
majority ofbirths were Legitimate
or without the form Of law, where
the fashionable and popular pulpit