The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1867-01-17
Case Of Cen, WEE. Gibson.

Gazette, who has had access 10 the re-
port Oi the AttOruey General, in ad-
vance Of publication, furnishes that
paper with an cpitomc Of the same.
The Attorney General refers to the
case Of Gen. Gibson, and details at
some length the reasons that governed
the Attorney General in disconiinu-
ing the prosecution against him. Tho,
were pal 3ii io in9'xs ilui cdi oij ~
1st. His oTfepse was technical,
rather than Of moral turpitude. The
chief ground Of seodsstiSnu against
hin wasth uhauthcrilcd application
Of bonds deposited withtim, as TTcsss
uret Of State, to secure the cirouls-.
ton of he Seneca County Bank, 10
the payment Of the State debt. No
evidence could be discovered thaFapy
pccuniary advantage resulted TO him
personally from the transaction. y 81
I'd, His delinquency was. the fruit
of generous but fatal friendship
His kihsman aud predecessor, Bres--
lin, had proved a dcfaulterto a large
amount. In bis effort 10 con,eaI the
enbaytdsemsnt Of the State and pre-.
vent the ignominious exposure Of his
kinsmau until promised restitution
should beimbde Seem Gibson became
himself "a crimi6aE- Criminal pro,
cecdings against the chief offender
we're diseontinu d by Mr. Critchfeld,
1t would be exceedingly hard that he
60 'unwlhFpsd 81 justice, uud'Kis vic.
tim lone sufferer 49,, a.rr
3D.. He was once convicted, with
much difficulty, when his offence was
ofrecent commission, and the current
of popular feeling incident to official
delinquency was strongly against him.
The verdict was set aside 1t would
be scarcely possible to secure a sec
ond conviction against the current of
popular sympathy which the brilliant
achievements Of his recent gallantry
have turned in his favor, While the
charge for which he stood arraigned
was yet pending, he was not deemed
unfit TO be intrust by the State with
the high commission Of defending her
institutions and her honor, and Of
leading her sons to battle. He was
the idolized commander of the gal.
liant 49th, whose obstinate courage
Contributed SO much to save the for
tunes of the day Shiloh, and cut'the
encmy's lines ON the bloody tield Of
Stone River. His brave comrades
had shared with him the common
perils of the conflict they were en-
titled the common glories Of their
victory, unsullied by the reflected ig.
nominy which the conviction of their
would shed upon them.
Against this their scars pleaded
trumpet tongued, andthe appeal was
irresistible. AS the nation was freely
pardoning its traitors, the State might
at least forgive its patriots. Colonel
Gibsons technical offense against
public law was fully cancelled by the
obligations Of public gratitude. To
the heroic sacrifices Of himself and
his companions In arms, We are ipdet-
cd for the existence of the tribunal
through which alone his conviction
could be wrought That he should
surrender his commission unsulliod
with dishOuOr, lpeni return his
sword untarnished with disgrace,
and secure the Eofeionst reward
and the fclon's cell, through the
agency of those laws whose powers to
make him their victim his blood had
contributed to preserve, was more
than I believed the public sentiment
of the State demanded. For these
reasons the prosecutions were dis.
missed. ~ oa'Yq he7f i." Hu9
II 700 yI 1Nll LLl :