Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1868-09-25
The AShburn Murder IA HeOrgia
Official ReDOrt of Gen. Meade.


Gen Meade has made his official report
of the trial of persons accused OF impllca-
/ ton in the recent murder of G.. w. Ash
burn, of Columbus, Georgia. The report
/ is of course addressed to Gen. Grant, and
the following abstract contains its prifici
/ pal points Gen Meade says:
.'rhe numerous malicious and false
statements that have been given to the
public through the press, for political and
partisan purposes, III relation to the ta1al
| and treatment of witnesses and prisoners
| implicated III the murder Of Mr.. G. W.
Ashbun, of Columbus, require on M part
special report, which is herewith made,
/ and to which / beg to ask | may be author
lied to give that publicity which my Yln-
dicatiOn requires.
.'On the 3Oth of March last, a
| little after midnight, G.. W. Ashburn, Eek
member of the Constitutional Convention
| of Georgia, was assaSsinated at a house
/ where he was boarding, i'll the town OF
/ Columbus Immediately on receiving
notification, instructed the commanding
officer OF Columbus, Capt William Mills,
| of the 10th Infantry, TO make every effort.
1 III co-operation with the civil authorities,
| to detect and arrest the criminals. Capt.
! Mills having reported, the civil authorizes
We're disposed to act with energy, | de.
! clined the frequent recommendations OF
parties t. remove them but subsequently,
| Can't Mills reporting that the energy OF
| the civil authorities was all show and mere
| " assumed, and that he could place no re-
| lance on them, / removed the Mayor and
| Board Of Aldermen, together with the Mar
shall and his deputy appointing others,
and appointing Capt. Mills Mayor, About
the 9Th Of April. nearly week after the
IA. how
sufficient evidence 10 warrant his action,
arrested, bv NV order, some ten citizens OF
Columbus, either as participatOrs, accesso-
RES OF for having some knowledge of the
facts Of the ease These persons were sub
seduently released on bonds to appear and
stand their trial
Finding that, owing to the character
of this crime, III great measure political
AS we'll as social. there was no effort on the
part Of the community where 1t was COM
mitted-either through the authorities or
among the citizens to ferret out the guilty,
/ deemed it proper To ask of the War De-
partment that competent detective officer
should he sent 70 report to me, that he
might assist Captain Mills i'll his re-
searches. On the 18th Of April Mr.. Reed
having arrived from Washington. E:!s sent
to Columbus to report To Captain Mills
On Alr Reed reaching Columbus and be-
ing made acquainted with the evidence
then procured, he earnestly urged that |
should send for o Mr. Whitley, then in
Kansas III the service OF the Internal Rev
euue Department. fly application 10 Com
missioner Rollins being courteously re
ceIved anal .tcreded To, MIR. Whitley ar
rived about Nav |, aud was immediately
sent TO Captain Mills. Soon after his arri-
val at Columbus Nj. Whitley reported he
was satisfied Captain Mills was on the
track az the criminals, and had arrested
/ some of the principals, bnt that it was ut
tcrly impnctIcahlc to obtain any testimo-
ny from amy party IN Columbus, rs their
lives would he forfeited II they dared to
disclose what they knew, and he recon-
meulcd that certain PARTIES, whom nc be-
liered mad IA knowledge Of the affair,
SHOULD be removed to some secure place,
wiIeTr, beng protected, they could with
out fear disclose such facts as were in their
possession.
Upon receipt Of this communication,
authorized the transfer Of the parties nam
Ell to Fort Pulaski and directed the COM
handing officer Of the post to permit the
detectives Whitelr and Reed. t. have free
access To the prisoners. and 10 have gen.
eril direction of their treatment. At the
same time | cautioned the detectives that
in their Il ITS To- eAtract the facts as known
10 these parties. no unusual or cruel phys
ical means should be TcS0rted t.. The re-
suit Cf tins movement was the disclosure
of most important facts bv several parties
who had not dared to speak out under the
protection of the government. From the
statements made by these prisoners n num-
Der 81 others were arrested, and brought
to Atlanta arly i'll June Being compelled
to 90 Moth myself, and other circnm-
Stances delayed the organization of the
Military Commission tall late in June. -
Finding, on nay return the most false and
exaggerated statements IN regard to the
treatment of prisoners and witnesses,
called on General Sibley commanding
sub-district of Georgia, for n report on
their treatment Mt this post (Atlanta), and
on Captain Mills and Captain Cook for re-
ports as 10 the treatment of those confined
at Columbus and Fort Pulaski respectively.
/ also called on Mr.. Whitley, the detective,
for report on the same subject.
''All these reports are herewith submit
ted, and il will be seen from them and
from the affidavit of the prisoners them
selves, attached to Mr. Whitely's report,
that the exaggerated statements which for
political purposes, the press have given
circulation to, are false and have no foun-
Whitelev, that he did opernte on the fears
of two negroes, Wells and Stapler, whom
he believed knew something but, soon
finding they knew nothing, they were re-
leased: and with the exception of threaten
ing to shave their heads and continuing them
for some hours in cell at Fort Pulaski,
previously arranged for the punishment of
refractory soldiers, they were well treated,
and were i'll nOwise injured. The trial has
been in progress now some twenty days,
and the evidence for the prosecution made
public. 1t is for the Department and the
people Of the country to Judge whether,
with the evidence as adduced on the trial,
l was not only justified, but compelled to
arrest and bring to trial the parties impli-
Gated. Had the civ
il authorities acted in good faith and with
energy and made any attempt to ferret ont
the guilty: or had the people OF Columbus
evineed or felt any horror OF the crime and
co-opcIated in any way in detecting its
perpetrators, much that was seemingly
harsh and arbitrary might have, and would
have, been avoided
A PHENOMENON. An English paper says:
Something similar to the spectre OF the
Broken was seen the other evening in
Weardale when tue sun was just above he
western horizon. beyond the mountain of
kilhope, on which tine fire was raging. On
the light IN question gentle breeze
brought the smoke down the vale of Kill. I
hope at the end Of which it assembled t.
the skies. presenting the pillar between the
sun and the spectator. Between the pillar
and sun were four men belaboring the fire
on Kilhope with tree branches, trying to