Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1872-10-15

?
YORK and conduct the prisoners defense
DIX the humane christian gentleman. threw
that letter into his waste basket, replied not
word to 1t, and ordered the Military Cons
mission to go on with the trial. Rpt Mr.
Lucas, not to be silenced thus by the hoary>
heaoed murderer, at once sent on the full doe
nmehtary evidence properly certified to meet
py unequivocai negative averments specifically
sustained by accompanying proof, the charges
whlch the writer in the Chicago Tribune at
thls4ate day well styles charges of the most
Himsy character against the prisoner.
:, James L. Brady, man whose intellect was
only equalled by his heart, seeing Bealrs
manly request for counsel and finding that
Dix had shut the gates of Justice as we'll as
OF Mercy in the gallant Virginian's face. now
volunteered to defend him. Dix would have
refused him permission to do SO, but Brady
was the idol of the people, aud his malignant
soul took counsel of his fears and erudging
permission was given to the great LAWYER to
appear before the Commission which Dix had
organized to convict Of course neither the
genius OF Brady nor that of an archaneel
would have moved the ministers of vengeance.
anu aithough the evidence triuniphautly es>
taoi'shed Jonn Beairs innocence of being
either pirate or spy, so much so that the
Juoge Advocate frankly admitted to MIR.
Brady, that 'tBeall was a rebel officer and
that all he did was authorized bv MIR. Davis -
nevertheless he was convicted and condemned
to death. He was found guilty of both
charges on the 9Th of February. True to his
ref0ety humanity Dix held back from his
doomed victim the knowledge of the findino
OF his Court Martial from the Sth to the l4th
OF February to prevent Beall's friends NOV
Ing on his behalf, and with refined mapnaS
nlmlty and christian charity ordered the sen.
tence to be carried out the 18th of tho
same month, four days after the execution tn
take place between the hours of ~ NJ and
p. NJ.
He ordered his victim, in the meantime to
De buried in dark, narrow gloomy cell in the
/ interior recesses of Fort Columbus. into which
the sun never penetrated and whose onlv raw
OF light, even 1t d>day, came from a gas.
burner. Captain Beall was suffering from a
wound not yet healed, and the damp dungeon,
/ OF course, made it worse. But his friends
had heard the dismal news that he was in the
clutches of the renegade Dix, and that he was
to die in four days. They moved Heaven and
earth, went to Dix, to Lincoln, appealed,
through the fearful prayers of gentle women
and brave men, through the lips of justice.
mercy charity, did everything but in vain,
/ OF
the case as he pleases | will not interfere"
Then Dix said with characteristic hypocrisy
t "AlI now rests with the President. As far as
/ my action is concerned there is not CLEAN of
/ hope" Then BealI said they are thrstipo
! for my blood" And SO indeed they we're
Col Martin had certified that he was responsi-
bic for the attempt to intercept the railroad
/ tram to i1berate high Confederate officers the
i Commission Of the Confederate States NAVY
was offered in evidence to prove BeaI was no
/ spy but regular officer, fully entitled to cap
ture the steamer Pbilo Parsons, Mr.. Lucas
had in vain asked permission to 90 to New
! York to defend Beal and prove his innocence
/ by incontessshle documentary evidence, but
/ all WAS in vain. They are tbirstiog for nv
| blood, =" said the gallant man, and it was true.
/ They never stopped the pursuit till ,hev slaked
| their vengeance in its purple tide.
Let me mention what decent christian men
| said about it. The distinguished Rev. Joshua
Van Duke, of New York. visited John Beall
the dsy before his execution and SAYS, "He
( wns confned in narrow gloomy cell with
lamp burning at nid>day; but he received
me with DIS much ease as if he were in his own
! par!or. and his conversation revealed at every
turn the gentleman. the scholar and the chris
tisn. He calmly declared his con-
the laws of civilized warfare On the same
day James T. Brady visited him and saws II
never before saw human being whose COM
posure in meeting his doom was equally per>
feet, while at the same time he displayed
nothing of the bravo"
Two weeks ago the writer in the CHICAGO
| Irt6""e said of this dark deed which Dix had
tried to shift to the said writer's shoulders
"Anxious to shoot him OH the spot, over some
body's shoulder, Gen. Dix to whom he was
transferred, had designed to have certain
newspaper articles written clamoripr for tho
mans blood" The Albany Arqus copied the
article in full, and the hireling New York
Times tried to screen Dix from the damuinp
! exposure and to prove that John A. Dix the
murderer was John Yates Bealls best friend.
''The hanging" (of BealD continues the
writer in the Tribune, Il have always looked
upon as the sacrifice of young mans life to
feed an old and pitiless politicians desire to
do a popular and dramatic thing"
1t is some satisfaction to feel that tho free
citizens of the great State of New York will
sooa avail themselves of happy opportun;tv
to bury unto siurian depths the canting hu.
mnnitarian executioner of brave and honored
citizen of Jefferson county.
Perhaps your readers would like to see
what the writer in the Chicago 7riLun. has
to say about this nefarious business. Here
| it is:
"A RECOLLECTION OF DIX"
"ln 1868 an Abide Camp of Dig BIZ the
name OF Barstow came to me q was then
residenti in New York;, to say tha. Gen. Dix
wanted to See some newspaper writer on pub
lie and military business. Greatly exercised
in my ace of hearts, and wondering if 7 was
to be shot Immediately on the seven.spot. 7
took my way to an office in Bleecker.street,
before which paced sentinel and several
army warrant agents, the latter of whom
shaved officers salaries, and are pow members
IN sood standing of The Republican party"
Within, screened away like pawn>broker