Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-10-10
THE MODOCS.


Indians, assembled for the purpose of
witnessing the spectacle. The mock
cry of reading the proceedings of the
Military Commission upon their So
President directing their hanging, was
duly read in English to sayages who
understood from that reading not a
word Of what was said The gallows
upon which they stood, the black caps
that covered their heads, the ropes
that bound their limbs, and those that
dangled from the beam above them,
left little, however, for the interpreter
to do in explaining to them the nature
of the tragedy about to be enacted.
In pen close by, the wives and
children OF the unfortunate victims
were huddled together, and the howls
of grief ana anguish that went up
from them, IS they saw the fortunes of
the writhing bottles Of those whom
they loved, when swung into the air,
| was enough to move the heart even of
| General Sherman. It seems that even
the savage heart knows somewhat OF
the passions of love and grief.
Had all this been done in pursuance
of the mandate Of the law Of the
land, as horrible as the picture
is, there would have been no word
of condemnation, save for the
unfortunate victims of savage pas
sions infamed by civilized oppression.
But until some better authority can lie
shown for the hanging of Captain Jack
and his comrades by General Grant
than the hanging of Mrs. Surratt and
Captain Wirz, by Andrew Johnson,
the agonized shrieks Of these poor ig-
norant savage Indian women and
children viii awake any thing save
pleasant emotions in the bosons of
those uDon whose heads rests the re-
sponsibility for the terrible tragedy
that called them forth. One murder
does not justify another murder.
Strange too, as it may seem, at the
very time when Captain Jack and his
comrades were dangling from the gal
lows in accordance with the precedent
established in the case Of Mrs. Surratt
we have before the country the spec
taclc Of every principal survivor Of the
parties engaged in the hanging Of that
poor unfortunate woman endeavorlng
to wash from his hands the guilt Of
her blood. Possibly, ere ten years
shall have rolled round, we may wit
ness similar spectacle in which
President Grant, Attorney General
Williams and Others, shall be attempt
ing to wash blood from their hands
also.
But il is not this view of the case
thai we desire 10 urge, SO much as it Is
the fact that President Grant has
usurDed the power Of life and death.
It is doubtless true that Captain Jack
had committed acts for which every
known code of laws prescribes the pei,
atty Of death, but for all that, it is an
exceedingly grave usUrpation Of power
for the President Of the United States
in time o. profound peace, TO organize
a tribunal unknown to the laws OF the
country lie has sworn to obey and tc
order men to be put to death III ac,
cordance with the sentence Of that tri
brinal.
Especially is this grave usurpatior
of power on the part of the Federal
President, when the proper State Off
GERS were demanding the custody OF
these men for trial upon indictments
duly found for offences against tbs
State laws.
The circumstances show too plainly
for argument, the purpose and intent
with which it was determined t. take
the lives Of the Nodoc prisoners by 6
Federal Military Commission. There
was 10 fear that they would escape il
tried by the proper State tribunals
The jurisdiction of the State Courts
was perfect, the evidence Of the guilt
Of the prisoners was perfect, their idon-
t;ty was perfect and the disposition OF
every Oregon jury that could have
been empanneIled to hang them was
also perfect, and yet without shadow
Of law they were tried, sentenced and
hung by Federal officials upon the
order Of President Grant. Does this
not look as if the Presidents purpose
was to establish another precedent to
! strengthen The position that makes his
VII paramount to the Constitution and
laws of the country, and to establish
the doctrine that tie States have 10
rights the Federal Government is
obliged to respect q?
Nor is this all. In the further exer-
else of his usurped perogative to take
the lives of human beings or to spare
them, he has spared tho lives Of two of
the Modocs sentenced by the Commits
sion to be hung with Captain Jack
Those two men stand indicted for
the crime OF murder b. a grand jury
of the county of Jackson, in the State
of Oregon. The sheriff Of Jackson
county has demanded the person Of
these pardoned Indians in order that
they may be- put upon their trial before
the proper civil authorities
The Federal authorities refuse 10
give them up, as they refused to
give up those who were hung,
thereby affirming in the most
peremptory manner the suprem-
acy of the will of the Federal officials
over the Jaws OF the States, and yet
the American people submit to these
things in silence. Comment is unne-
cessary.
AFFAIRS are in a bewildering con-
dition in Mississippi. Two State
tickets, both claiming to be Radical,
are in the field but public attention
has been diverted from the considera-