Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-08-08
BLOODY BEECHER.


How He HOwied for the Execution Of
Jefferson Davis-Nemesis IN the Do
nlesffc Circle Efe J.. M
Henry Ward Beecher once delivered
a long sermon upon the Gate of Jeffef-
SON Davis, which is suggestive Of the
lines:
That mercy to others show,
That mercy show TO me.
In conclusion be said:
speak it with certain reluctance,
and the thought oftentimes, when it
comes, even touches me with grief, but
believe that Mr.. Davis, for example,
win be hung. Already the scene rises
before me. He is tried, he is convicted,
he stands on the scaffold. All nations
have watched the sure process of the
law all nations lave listened to the
charges laid at his door; all nations
gather about the scaffold. There are
some things to plead for him. He is a
man of distinguished ability; he has
conducted his war with pertinacity and
courage; he was the beloved leader of
the multitudes of the South, and even
now millions of them would shield him
if they could. He has a wife who
loves him, and children who cannot un-
derstand his crime; he is surrounded
by mighty, innumerable North, who,
the war being over and its hot pas
sions cooled, have no hate and no
malice, and nothing more and nothing
worse than a chastened, sorrowful in
dignation toward him. EEfEE-
They would release him if they could.
If they could forget the dead; if they
were not compassed about with a great
cloud of witnesses; if their bells of VIC
tory were not drowned by their bells
of mourning; if they could forget their
country; if they could forget their
God, they could give way to their pity
for brother man in his extremity.
They hear voices from over the sea;
voices of sympathy for him; voices of
pleading; occasional voices of threaten
ing, may be. But nothing avails,
nothing avails; he can't be spared; he
would not consent to peace he would
not be just; he would be a patriot; he
must die. And the axe comes down,
and the world shudders, and the great
traitor is dead. And 1 claim that such
n scene and spectacle as that will do
more for the stability of the
country and for the cause of
public order than almost any dozen
great acts of these last four years.
1t will take rank among the sublimi-
ties of history. 1t will have moral
dignity and weight which no magnif-
cent battle we have fought could have.
1t will engage the attention Of man.
kind as none of our battles have. 1t
will be more easily cOmprehended by
them. 1t viii be rebellion and slavery
epitomized and embodied in the form
and person of their chief man, and
then beheaded for their sins. And the
people viii understand that simple
tragic thing. And it will sink into
them; and it viii hallow love in their
feeling forever more. Let it come then.
History waits for it. The greatest
work of modern times-Our loyal war
mean-waits for its capstOne. Let it
be raised to its bed Not with shout
ings, but In silence and tears, if you
please. But let 1T be raised. And, in
the words of our great martyr, when
he wrote the decree which has made
him immortal,
upon this, our coming solemn act
of justice, we invoke the blessing of Al
mighty God and the considerable judg-.
ment Of mankind" Amen and amen