Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-07-29
The Atlanta Prisoners.

The case of these young men has been
long prominently before the public. The
prosecutions they have undergone illus
trate in striking manner the barbarity
and the injustice of Radical policy As
the facts are developed by the so-called
trial before the military commission,
they show a well devised scheme to Sc
cure the murder of innocent men for
mere partisan purposes. By whom this
scheme was devised has not yet been pos.
itively shown, but there is every reason
to believe that it was concocted by Rad
ical leaders in Washington, and that the
detective sent from that city to Georgia,
was the mere instrument of the great.
criminals who sent him to do their evil
work. Gen Meade, and his military as
sociates in Georgia, by using the mill
tary power of the Government to- over
throw civil rights and immune innocent
men, without warrant of law, in dun
geons, became guilty parties to the
great wrong which has been committed
against justice and humanity. Gen.
Grant, whose mere no6 might have con-
trolled the action Of Gen. Meade, has be-
come an accomplish in the wrong by per.
hitting the commission of crimes which
he could so easily have arrested.
But in spite of the power of brib ery.
the force of bsyonets, the torturU,g Of
witnesses, and all the devices which
tyranny can devise to enforce its cruel
purposes, there is every reason to believe
that the truth will be indicated and the
Radical Vaccinations against these in
nocent men defeated.
The witnesses who had been bribed mr.
tortured into giving false testimony
against che prisoners, have been co'otra-
dicted by such indisputable an1. over
whelming evidence as to refu.e everv
injurious statement they haze made.
Though few facilities were afforded the
prisoners to prepare their def ense though
they we're hurried from thei homes and
imprisoned in remote Dungeons, though
confined in separate cells only eight feet
long and two feet eight inches wide.
though forbidden the access Of friends
though denied for lo,Ig time the knowl.
edge of the charges which were TO he
brought against them have proved so
groundless, that though suborned wit
nesses have testified to their COM
plicity IN the murder of Ash
burn, they have proved their inne-
cence 80 fully that even the military com.
mission, which was constituted not to try
but TO convict, will be compelled to find
them blameless. Even the base detec-
tive who was inspired to jest with the
lives of innocent men; has been com
PEELED to abandon the case as hopeless,
and has returned TO those who sent him.
The plan of the military authorities now
seems to be to procrastinate the trial
until the bastard State government can
come into existence, and give them a
pretext of dismissing the case. Effoy
have been made TO induce some of the
prisoners to give bail, but, confident in
their innocence, they have refused and
insist upon being tried. In other cases.
we learn that propositions ave been
made to abandon the pros ecution on
condition that the prisoner. will refrain
hereafter from legal proce' .dings against
their prosecutors. Thou,sh not ashamed
OF conduct " 'aich is dis grace to civiliza-
ton, the T.iilitary authorities seem appre-
hensiVT of the results of law when justice
sha'. finally awake to judge them for
fleir lawless and reckless prosecutions.
No example could be instanced which
better illustrates the tendency OF Radi-
cal rule. The functions of the civil
courts have been suspended in time Of
peace martial law has been made SUI
preme; the writ of habeas corpus he
been suspended; innocent men hs'vr
been torn from their homes by milf ar,
authority without any warrant Of law
they have been charged with cr.imes
without a shadow Of evidence; lar ge re-
wards have been offered for suitable ties
timony; ignorant negroes have been pu
to the torture to compel them to testif,
falsely, aud yet after every effort to con
vict, the prisoners have vin6.icated ihei
innocence by the most ineontrovertibl'
testimony.
Such is the system Of justice pursue,
BY the Radical party. 1; has been CON
BY General Meade, under the authorit,
of General Grant, who failed to check O
10 correct these wrongs against justice
and humanity. Are the people willing
to intrust their liberties in the keeping
of a man who thus permits the abuse o
power by his subordinates, and lends hi
name and his authority to the subversioI
of civil liberiv.-Neuc Orledus Crescent