Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-11-06
THE ASHBURN WITNESSES
MISSING.
Confessed Murderers Spirited Away
by the Military.

The announcement that Messrs. Moses
& Garrard, of counsel for the Columbus
prisoners" had made a call upon General
Meade for the return of The principal wit
nesse5 against them, has clu7ed 40 much
inquiry as to the result of that application,
that we have procured copy of the reply
of the Adjutant General, as follows:
HEADQUARTERS DEPT. DE THE SOUTH,
OFFICE OF JUDGE ADVOCATE, Atlanta,
GA, Oct. q, 1S6S.-Messrs. Moses & Gar
rard, Attorneys at Law, Columbus, Ca
Gentlemen: The Major General command
ing directs me to cay in reply to your letter
of the 23d instant, that on the resumption
of civil authority in the State Of Georgia,
the witnesses, Bets and Marshall, referred
to in your communication, being fearful OF
their personal safety if they remained in
the State, were furnished transportation to
the North. Belts left the train on the
Orange and Alexandria railroad, some two
stations south of Culpepper, Virginia.
Marshall being an enlisted man, in the
United States service, reported at Fort
Columbus, New York Harbor, where he
has since been discharged.
There is no information at these head
quarters where these men can now be
found. and neither are under military con-
troll.
am, very respectfully, your obedient
servant, WIN. IL. SMYTH,
Canlain 10th Inf. b.. Major L. S. A.
Acting Judge Advocate.
We doubt whether the annals Of CrimI
nal prosecutions afford parallel to such
proceeding az il inclosed above. The mill
tary authorities have been exceedingly anx .
ious to discover and punish the murderers
of AshburD. They offered a reward IN
precedented in amount-so large az at once
to create the apprehension that Vretches
would be found sordid and Gallons enough
to accuse innocent men, with 4 view of OBJ
tanning the reward. Some of the most sacred
rights of American citizens, guaranteed to
them by the Constitution, were violated in
the attempt to find the guilty parties. The
most barbarous and revolving outrages
were perpetrated upon some persons ar
rested as witnesses or accOmplices, TO make
them tell an accusing tale. The prisoners
accused were subjected to the most Tigor-
Qua and harsh treatment while in Conhne-
ment, and the most violent and unjust de-
punciations were made of the civil author
tiles for not discovering and Furnishing
those who committed the bloody deed. Well
the military authorities at last found and
secured two Of the murderers-men who
confessed to an active participation in
the murder. These are the men for whose
return to Georgia the counsel for the late
"prisoners" made application; and the re-
ply is that the military authorities, after
finding out that they had two OF the muir
derers, turned them loose without requir-
ing of them bonds, aud that they cannot
now lay hands upon them To say that
the citizens of Columbus, lately so unjusly
accused and harshly treated, and indeed
our whole community, have been greatly
outraged by this mockery of justice-rhis
connivance at the escape Of murderers or
suborned perjurers-wOuld be too mild an
expression Columbus (Ga.) Enquirer.