Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1867-04-25


denied that he had made any state
ment whatever to General Baker.
Thus ended the attempt TO suborn
Captain Wirz against etferson Davis.
That alone shows what a man he was.
How many of his defamers would
have done the sameY With his wound.
ed arm in a sling the poor, paroled
prisoner mounted, two hours later,
the scaffold His last words were that
he died innocent-and so he did. The
10th day of November, 1865, will in
deed be black stain on the pages of
American history.
To weaken the effect of his declara-
ton of innocence and of the noble
manner in which Wirz died, q tele-
gram was manufactured here and sent
North, stating that on the 9th day
of October, Mrs. Wirz, (who actually
was nine hundred miles on that day
away from Washington had been
prevented by that Stantonian deus eL
machina, Gen. l.. c. Baker, from poi
soning her husband Thus, ON the
same day, when the unfortunate fam.
lily lost their husband and father, a
cowardly and atrocious attempt was
made to blacken their character also
On the next day branded the whole
as an infamous lie, and since then ]
never have heard of it again, though
it eminated from a Brigadier General
of the United States army.
All those who were charged with
having conspired with Captain Wirz
have since been released, except JEFF
ferscn Davis, the prisoner Of the Amer.
lean "Castle Chillon." Capt Windei
was let off without a trial, and if any
of the others have been tried, which
/ do not know, certainly none of them
have been hung. As Captain Wir,
could not conspire alone, nobody will
now, in view of that important fact
consider him guilty of that charge
So much, then, for charge No. |.
As to charge No 2, to wit; +; Murder
in violation of the laws and customs o.
war, do not hesitate TO declare what
145, out of l60, witnesses on bott
sides declared during the trial-thai
Captain Wirz never murdered or kill
ed any Union prisoners with his OWL
hands or otherwise. All those wit
nesses (about twelve TO fifteen) who
testified that they saw Captain Wir'
kill a prisoner, have sworn falsely
abundant proofs of that assertion be
ing in existence. The hands of Cap
tain Wirz are clear of the blood o
prisoners of war. lie would certainly
have at least intimated to me a knowl
edge of the alleged murder with which
he was charged. In most all cases nj
names of the alleged murdered meT
could be given, and where it was done
no such persons could be identified
The terrible scene in court, when h'
was confronted with one of the wit
nesses, and the latter insisting tha
Wirz was the man who killed Ger
tain Union prisoner, which irritatet
the prisoner SO much that he almos
tainted, will still be remembered
That man Grey swore falsely, anC
God alone knows what the poor limo
cent prisoner must have suffered a
that moment The scene was depict
ed and illustrated in the Northern
newspapers as if Wirz had broker
down on account of his guilt. Seldom
has a mortal suffered more than tina
1 friendless and forsaken man.
Fearing lest this communication
will be too long, ] will merely speal
of the principal and most intelligen
of those false witnesses who testifie'
to individual murder on the part o
Captain Wirz. Upon his testimon.
the Judge Advocate in his final argu
ment laid particular stress on accoun
of his intelligence. This witness pre-
pared also pictures of the alleged cru
elites of Wirz, which were handed Z
the commission and are now on record
copies of which appeared at the tim
in Northern illustrated papers. III
swore chat his name was Felix dc
Baume, and represented himself as
Frenchman and grand nephew Q
MARQUIS de Lafayette. After havin
so we'll testified and shown so muc
zeal. he received n recommendation
signed by the members of the commits
sion. On the eleventh day of OctC
Der, before the taking of the testimon,
was concluded, he was appointed to
clerkship in the Department of th
Interior. This occurred whilst one q
the witnesses for the defence Duncan
was arrested in open court, and place
in prison before nc had testified. Al
ter tho execution Of Captain Wir
some of the Germans Of Wasbingto
recognized in de la Baume deserte
from the 7th New York (Steuben
regiment, whose name was not de !
Baume, but Felix Oeser, a native
Saxony. They went to Secretar
Harlan, and he dismissed the impose
and important witness in the Wir
trial on the 2lst Of November, elevc
davs after the execution. Nobod
+ who is acquainted with the ConovS
testimony in consequence Of whic
the President Of the United State
was falsely induced to place a rewar
of 500, 600 upon the head of an inn'
cent man, will be astonishcd at th
above disclosures Of the character {
testimony before Military Commi
sions. SO much for charge No. H.
If from twelve TO fifteen witness'
{ could be found who were willing
testify to so many acts Of murder o
the part Of Wirz, there must certainl
have been no lack of such who wei
willing to swear to minor offence
Such was the unnatural state of publ