The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-01-07


strong minded moidens choose to strive for
these commanding attitudes Gt is too late for
the matrons to think of such journey, we
shall greet their attainment of them with
sincere pride and exultation. We earnestly
hope that the strong-minded female of the
future, through assiduous discipline and
labor, will be able to preside over meeting
with the ability of Colfax and state case
with the clearness of nist 1o'Ftts lawyer.
ABUSE OF EDWIN NJ. STANTON.
From the Toledo Blade.
The Cincinnati Enquirer, with true Cop
perhead mslignity, continues to pour abuse
on the name of Edwin Nj. Stanton. In a
recent issue il gives an ''Anecdote" of the de-
parted War Secretary, which is little better
than baseless fabrication, what little truth
there is in it being SO artfully interwoven
with falsehood that the whole may be fifty
characterized as o wanton calumny. The
Enquirer starts out by saying
''The press is teeming with anecdotes OF the late
Mr.. Stanton. We have one to narrate, which Illus
traes the cold severity and cruelty OF his character
man by the name OF Davis-living In Maryland,
who had never been In the Southern army, or in any
way in their service but who resided in their lines
had occasion to visit the North during the war. lie
fooshly and innocently consented to be the bearer
OF number Of private letters from parties in the
Confederacy to others in the North he was arrested
as spy, and, with these letters upon him, brought
before a military commission, which, upon the
technicality OF the case, convicted him and SEN
fenced him to death by hanging He was gentle
man Of character and position, and was related TO
some OF the best families OF Maryland, who made
great efforts to prevent the execution of his cruel
sentence"
The ''man by the name of Davis" was
a lieutenant in the Confederate SER
vice; was related to some of the most
bitter and malignant Rebel families at the
South; was the adjutant of General Winder,
the officer in charge of the war prisons of the
Confederates. In this capacity Davis for a
time superintended the Andersonville prison,
and, if we remember rightly, one other pri-
son, perhaps Salisbury, and was dreaded and
hated by our soldiers who were there
starved, tortured, and sometimes shot down
like dogs for no provocation whatever Davis
was q coadjutor and coworker with the in
famous Wirz, who expiated his crimes upon
the scaffold This Davis, then, turns out to
be something else than quiet ''citizen of
Maryland, who had never been in the South
ern army, or in any way in their service"
We speak from personal knowledge of Davis
when we say that the Confederate service
contained no more Jealous, resolute, and
serviceable Rebel against our flag than he
was. In his management of the Rebel pri-
sons he was considered cruel aud despotic,
especially to private soldiers. To officers he
seems to have shown some courtesy and favor,
as in the time Of his peril some of them felt
called on to use influence in his favor.
So far from Davis being an innocent"
civilian, 'foolishly and innocently consent
ing" to carry number of private letters" to
parties in the North, he was in fact the bearer
of most important dispatches to and fro be-
tween Jeff. Davis at Richmond, and the
Rebel Gang who onerated in Canada for the
Confederaoy. The Rebel pirates Burleigh
and Beall were under arrest for piracy on
Lake Erie. 70 save Burleigh, who was de-
manded by our Government of the Canadian
authorities, jeff. Davis forwarded naval
commission by the hand of this young
Davis. He had accomplished his mission
successfully, and was on his way back to
Richmond, with his coat wadded with
dispatches for JEFF. Davis, when on the San
dusky, Mansfield, and Newark Railroad, near
Lexington, Ohio, he was recognized by a
young soldier by the name of Beverstock
Davis had dyed his hair, changed the style of
his beard, and otherwise disguised himself
but Beverstock and comrade who happened
to be in the car, had marked the features of
their old tormentor too well to be deceived
by any disguise he could assume. He was
arrested at Newark and put in Jail. Here,
before he could be searched, he tore his
dispatches from his coat, and threw thea into
the stove of the Jail at Newark. He was tried
by commission at Cincinnati, and sent by
General Hooker to General Charles W. Hill,
in command at Johnson's Island, with orders
for his execution on certain day.
But if Mr.. Stanton did favor the hanging
of this man Davis and oppose Mr.. Lincoln s
unreasoning sympathy and clemency towards
dangerous and misunderstanding spies of the
Confederacy, we say boldly Stanton was
right and Lincoln wrong. Davis deserved
the gallows as richly as ever spy, or traitor,
or. nr11a1 11,nor tnricOna do
served it. Mr.. Lincoln pure as his motives
were, by his tenderness towards such men as
Davis laid many brave, loyal men in un-
timely graves, who but for such mistaken
clemency might to-day be alive and well.
Mr.. Lincoln's humanity nerved the arms of
the diabolical, plotting crew of conspirators
whose last revengeful act sent the assassin's
bullet into his own brain. Mr Stanton took
a sterner and yet more rational and merciful
view of his duty in such cases. He was O
man of Just as true and as tender humanity
as Mr.. Lincoln, but he did not allow his sym.
pathy to override his knowledge and judg.
ment. He valued the lives of loyal men
vastly more than those of traitors He
believed that such resolute, energetic
spies and despatch-bearers as Davis was
were each worth more than five hundred
common soldiers to the Confederacy. The
death of Davis, at the right time, would
doubtless have saved hundreds of lives, each
of whom had far higher claims on Mr.. Lin
coins humanity than ten thousand such
traitors as Davis could have. We cannot be
misled into an unjust estimate of Edwin NJ
Stanton's justice or benevolence, by Copper
head contrasts of it with Mr. Lncoln's veal
and mistaken compassion. In war, especially
mercy to the guilty works death to the limo
cent. In the long run Mr. Stanton's sterI
| justice had moro of real mercy in it, than haj