Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-06-26
From the National Inteliigencer, June II
THE GEORGIA OUTRAGEs.

Some days ago we published statement
| of facts in connection with the arrest, i'm
prisonment, and proposed trial by military
! commission of certain citizens of Georgia
and Of the means employed to procure and
extort from ignorant and helpless freed
men the testimony upon which to take
away in cold blood the lives of the persons
accused. The testimony We published re-
vealed deeds done by the military authori-
ties equal in their atrocity and diabolical
malignity to the most Infamous judicial
assassinations recorded in history. The
statement left nothing to be added in order
to excite the indignation of every honest
man of any party. The question rose
above party, and appealed to that sense of
truth, justice, and humanity which we
have right to expect from the masses of
our fellow men, regardless of political bias
And in this connection we repel with scorn
the suggestion that the life of him who fell
is esteemed of no account, by reason OF his
| political action. If he was murdered, as
there is reason to believe he was, and the
authors of the act can be ascertained by
the ordinary and legitimate modes of ju-
dicial investigation, they deserve whatever
punishment the law inficts But that fur
nishes no reason why men entirely respect
able in their antecedents, of orderly char
acter, and prominent before the COM
munity, should be incarcerated upon mere
suspicion, cut off from access to friends or
| counsel, and the witnesses subjected to in
timidation, threats, starvation, and solitary
confinement, in order to induce them to
criminate those whom they have already
declared to be innocent, so far as they
know, of all participation in this crime
| Such unusual proceedings on the part of
| the prosecutors supply the very strongest
presumption that the accused are innocent,
and furnishes incontestible evidence that
| the bad men thus abusing t!leir power have
murder in their hearts.
We are glad to be able to say that many
intelligent, candid, and influential Repub-
lcans who have been made acquainted with
| these transactions repudiate and denounce
them Indignantly, as wanting in every ele-
ment of Justice. We warn these bad men
| conducting these proceedings, that for
every drop of innocent blood they may
shed, for every one of their dastardly acts
of cruelty, whether upon whites or blacks,
they will be held sternly accountable by an
outraged public opinion. They may de-
pend upon it that each one of them will be
held to just retribution.
We now call upon our readers to note as
part of this horrible transaction, the affi-
davit we append, OF John Wells, freedman.
One of those gentlemen who attest this
affidavit is personally known to us as a gen.
tleman of high integrity, humanity, and
moderation of character. Wells was one
of the freedmen sought to be used as a wit
ness against the arrested parties. In vain
did he protest that he knew nothing against
them whatever. He was carried off to Fort
Pulaski, robbed OF the money on his per-
son by these parties who thus disgrace the
national uniform-robbed of his clothing,
and put into cell by himself, six feet by
four Here, after various modes and de-
vices to produce terror, he is foally taken
to q room to have his head shaved, a can
non trained upon him, and he told to pre-
pare for immediate death. Under these
trying circumstances he refers to his duty
as citizen and member of the Church.
and refuses to per jure himself by swearing
away the lives of innocent men. And
| then, in defiance of all law or right. after
his release, he is put to work-to prevent
him, we suppose, from having access TO the
public, and an opportunity to narrate the foul
cruelties to which he had been subjected.
It is proper to state that the individual,
one James F. Johnson, lending his coun-
tenanca to these proceedings. was, We hear,
an unsuccessful applicant for the position
of counsel to the prisoners, with a large
fee.
The treatment shown to this witness was
extended to others. It will be seen that a
denial of proper and necessary food was
one of the means employed to fabricate this
testimony.
A part of this affidavit throws some light
on these extraordinary proceedings. We
read of "two detectives from Washing.
| ton," by whom these poor negroes were
L. kol 70 4 md of
torture in order to induce them to swear
away life. Who were the parties by whom
these Infamous and shameless creatures
were obtained from Washington, and thus
| employed, does not appear but 1t is
enough to say that under such vile agen-
cies 20 mans life is safe for one moment,
| whether in Georgia or any where else.-
We do not credit that any Washington
| City detectives were engaged In this work
we cannot credit that any of our recognized
detectives would have been willing to par
| ticipate in this outrage.
And now shall this intOlerable shame
and infamy, this cruel and cold preparation
for a series of military murders and assas-
sinations, be permitted to proceed? We
appeal confidently to every man In the land
| of every party, who is not himself mur-
derer and an assassin, to every one who
| has in his bosom those noble instincts OF
Justice and humanity which lift man above
the brute. We call upon each one of these
to place himself in the position of these
unfortunate gentlemen, and to consider
how safe he would regard his life or repu-
tatlon if it were struck at by such infor-
NAL agencies. Let every man do as he
would be be done by in this matter, and
these deeds will he brought to stop, and
their authors punished. And what pun
ishment rould be too great for people to
visit upon the officials who have thus dis
graced their character as officers? Who
hereafter will take t. e hand of any Of the
men who have thus deliberately planned
for a murder? They deserve, not merely
to have stripped from their shoulders the
uniform they have disgraced and dishon-
ored but to be marked by the brand pro-
per to the crime of Cain. Honest men
every where cannot but loathe them, and
human nature will blush to own that they
wear the form Of man.
But, let all remember that in this matter
tina presses. We may not delay action,
est we share the guilt of those now halt
ing on the threshold of his foul crime. -
Let those murderers-for such they are in
heart, intent and the natural consequences
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