The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1867-04-06
The Gulf Bastiie.

Under this caption the Newark Daily
.Journai. of the 18th of February, had an
article which Is well worthy of considera-
ton, not only by tho people, but by their
at Washington 80 servants" SO
called. before Radicalism became rampant.
Here it IL:
During the war the general reader often
saw the words the Dry Tortugas used In
connection with the punishment Of crimi-
mails. without. possibly, approaching the
fact that they are u cluster of coral rocks
aboutone hundred and twenty miles south
west OF Cape Sable. upon the southern
coast of Florida. the chief one OF which,
on account Of having q .slight
vegetation. is called Bush Island Upon
this desolate spot, employed In building a
fort and a lighthouse, are confined Ameri-
can citizens who have never been legally
convicted Of any crime, and whose mock
military trial has been pronounced ulcon-
stitu.ional by the supreme Court, the
highest legal tribunal IN our country.
.This fict Is an infamous Disgrace TO the
lGoverumeut, and ought not to be tolerated
by the people. we nave no u tuaV u
lt6c Dry Tortugas were In New York bar
bor. public sentiment would have long Ego
lcompellNl an investigation OF the case, IL
| NOT n fair trial and release of Or. Mudd and
Ills fellow prisoners. But, out of sight
Iont Of miud' Is an old adage. and IA the
Ibum and hurry of matters of more immcdi-
ate importance. the poor, distant victims oil
fauatical tyranny are forgotten. There
was "a time when even some honest patriots
supposed that the laws were silent amid
lthe clash of arms. and therefore that the
lcopyictiou uf a civilian by a military trib-
unol was to be tolerated rs a matter OF
necessity, even while they condemned tie
I~iusticc ofthe verdict-Dut there is no eN-
.Iclsr for such a belief now, and we ask men
of Mi n~artics to Join ia doing a simple act
~lofiustice to men who have already been
rendered iguomiaious, and who have been
| horribly maltrCated for crimes OF which
they have never been proved guilty..
I'VE can not bring the dead TO life. and
therefore the blood of Mrs. Surratt must
rest upon the guilty consciences of those
who shed it. But there Is q cnauce Of par
italy rcpairng the evil done by the lunatiC
.IovaIists' who, in their patriotic frenzy.
without proving the fact, condemned Il
moor country physician to be eNiled to the
Dry Tortugas for setting the broken leg OF
a fugitive criminal.
For the sake of the reputation of our
Icouptrv-for the sake Of the feelings of the
| friends of the eNiles-tor the sake Of doing
Justice to the eXiles themselves let Us even
Detition Congress. which is now the foun-
tain of all power, the arbiter OF all iatcS
to comply with the decision of the supreme
ICourt. and award to the coRricts OF the Dry
Tortugas. charged with completely In the
assassination of President Lincoln, the
tardy Justice of a legal trial. .
This is q small thing to ask-a small
lining to grant unless the people de-
maud it, who will betriend the iar-oh VIC
films of fanatical hate and arbitrary power
THE time is p~ressing-it must be done at
Ioucc. before the horrors of that barren Gull
! Rastile shall have added the blood of il,
victims to the already overlooking cup OF
our national responsibility