The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-02-18

hitting the Southern cta'o0 - " Wv
control of the military authori"os' representa-
tive Pike of this State presented lew days
since an admirably clear and instructive sum-
wow NJ the evidence now before Congress re-
.necting the state of society in the part of the
country to which the bill applies Mr.. Pixies
committee appointed to investigate the circum-
stances attending the release of the murderers
of three Maine soldiers, killed in South Carroll
ma IN october, 1865, has not yet reported His
remarks ON that case will therefore have
special interest, as indicating the result of that
investigation After showing that the people
Oh the South never governed themselves, but
since the surrender of the rebel forces in 1865
have been virtually controlled by the President,
under the military power, and that Mr.. Stew
ens's bill proposes not to change but to regu-
late and define this military authority, Mr..
| Pike proceeds as follows
| That is the first point wish to make. The
| second is that there is an urgent necessity Tor
action on the part Congress And lslDmlt
| to the Houses two ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IN
| character-whch illustrate. the necessity for
| action. ifiHf
The first is that of three soldiers stationed in
| October, 1865, in South Carolina. They hap
pened to be from my own State. They were
detailed to guard small quantity of cotton at
| a point on the Savannah river called Browns
| Ferry. Quiet, inoffensive, their good conduct
was testified to by the people Of the vicinity at
| public meeting called soon after their mur-
der. Indeed these young men seem to have
been guilty OF no offense to anybody except
that OF wearing the uniform of the Republic.
These soldiers, so stationed, were set upon by
tne owner OF the cOttOn-one Of the most con-
siderable men in that Northumberland five
others, were murdered in cold blood, and
| thrown into the river. There was no alterca-
ton or provocation of any kind whatever. The
murder was deliberate and fendish to the last
degree.
The men committing the crime were arrest
| ed, tried, and convicted before military COM
| mission sitting in Charleston. The examina-
ton of witnesses occupied some two months,
| and every opportunity was given to the accus-
| ed to make defence, the Government prOcur-
ing the attendance of their witnesses. -Four of
| the murderers were convicted, a fifth escaped
| arrest, and the other was not identified by the
| witnesses. -t 81 H'-aiiu Eifgt4rH'4
These cOnvicts were imprisoned in Castle
Pinckney, thence transferred to the Dry Tor
| tugas, and thence by order of the President to
| Fort Delaware, from which they were released
| on hdbeds corpus by Judge Hall of the district
| court. -.. :. .. ,.t....s. 5.,-y- Ct
| Mr.. Cooper-Let mo ask the gentleman
| single question. The gentleman from Maine
states that these prisoners were removed from
the Dry T0rtugas to Fort Delaware by author
ity of the President l ask the gentleman to
| state whether he does not know the fact to be
| that the Secretary of War assumes all the re-
sponsibility for that removal as having been
done by himself? ff
Mr.. Pike-That is the fact I make no point
| on the President on this account After being
| released these men returned to their place of
residence at Anderson, in South Carolina, and
there they were received by general ovation
of the people of the place. A witness before
| the select committee appointed to examine in
to this case testified that the opinion was uni
in AraAA fI,ntX Al
We're the murderers. But that made no diff
ference. The people turned out and sanction
ed the murder by welcoming the murderers.
And no step has since been taken to punish
these men. Gen. Sickles, commanding that
department, says that they would be acquitted
by aiury of the vicinage no matter what the
proof of their guilt 0l .a. s.-s.
The second instance is that given by General
Schofeld in his testimony before the select
committee have referred to. The case has al
ready been given in the newspapers, but pre-
fer the House should have it in authentic form
and so ask the Clerk to read from the testi-
mony of General SchOfield, who is well known
to be no radical He says the Watson case is
ginia." ! .,..,5..r.. LA -
send to the Clerks desk the testimony Of
General Schofeld. t.. .-6 $1,000 =
The Clerk read as follows: y1 al|
| This freedman who was killed by DR.. Wat
| son was servant OF one OF his neighbOrs,
| whose name do not recollect. He was driy-
ing the family of his employer to church on
Sunday morning. Dr. WatsOns family were
also being driven to church at the same time
tune by aDothar colOred man. neither GENTLE
man being present This colored man attempt-
ed 10 drive by the carriage of DIR. Watson
| family at point where the road was narrow
and 1T was difficult for the carriages to pass
each other. In the attempt to pass the car
riages came in collision, the spoke of one of the
wheels in DR.. Watson's carriage was broken
Probably his family were somewhat endanger-
ed, but no one was injured. The carriages were
extricated and passed ON to church. One two
or more days atterward DIR. Watson called at
the plantation of his neighbor, where this col
| ored man was at work in the field, saw his en-
ployer and other members of his family and
told them he had come to chastise the negro
for the insult offered to his family. He went
into the field where the negro was at work and
commenced Gaming him with small cane ask.
ing him at the same time why he ran against
his carriage, or something OF the kind. The
| | negro started to run, the doctor called upon
him to halt, which believe he did at first, the
, doctor pursuing him. however, as if to con.
, tlnue his Gaming; the negro man ran again
: the doctor then drew his pistol, snapped the
cap, which exploded without igniting the pow
der, pulled the trigger again and fired, killine
the negro, or rather wounding him SO that hs
| died within day or two. He attended the ne
} gro himself, and also got another physician t6
examine him. As soon as the wound proved
fatal, he presented himself to a magistrate
and was bound over to appear before
| what was called an examining court in some
!. | small sum of five hundred or a thousand dol
lars. he appeared before that court composed
| of five magistrates The facts were deyelopet
pretty much as have stated them, think b,
=, witnesses before the court. The court decided
: to discharge him. which discharge, under tn,
laws OF Virginia, is an acquittal and ba
| against any further prosecution or trial"
: do not select these because they are wors
than numerous other instances. They are moi
The records of the Freedmen's Bureau are,ful
OF just such cases. An enormous number q
murders have been committed during the pas
S year in those States. Probably not less thai
: twelve to fifteen hundred soldiers, freedmen
| and Union men have been killed. 1t is alnos
incredible that IN any part of this country sucl
j condition of affairs should exist But it il
' | not worth while to indulge in sentimental de
, | NAL when the facts are SO well authenticated
The select committee to which 1 have refer
red, in the exercise OF the power conferred OF
: them by the House, called upon the. depart
, | ment commanders TO state to them the condi
| ton of affairs within their respective com
, | mands. : iit-. -...
These States are divided into four depart
| | ments; the Virginias are under General Soho
field; the Carolinas compose General Sickles'
department; General Thomas has Kentucky
. Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi
: and General Sheridan Louisiana, Arkansas
and Texas. Three of these gentlemen ant
General Baird and General Wood, who for
merly had commands in those States hay,
/ | been before the committee Their testimony
/ agrees in these important particulars:
, l. Justice is denied practically to Unior
men and freedmen, and ofenses against then
| go UNPUBLISHED. There have been several in
stances of the murder of soldiers, bnt no pun
ishment has been inflicted. n.J 7ssfGs -.,i.
z That up to this time there has been NJ
change for the better since the suppression o.
the rebellion, but rather worse. NN4N q ri.
s. mat unless substantial Justice is done tC
the laboring classes hereafter, and to the I'm