New-York tribune., 1876-01-24
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
r,ppr u,sropy OF HIS RELEASE.

ERATE ARCHIvEs-MR. GREELEY's SACRIFICES
TIR BOADsMLS.
TO the Bdftor Of Ths Trtb~ae.
SIR: npprehrnd no will accuse me with hav-
ing ever harbored disunion procvies, or OF any IN
clination toward secession heresles. But truth Is
truth Justice Is justice aud al act OF proposed mag
nauimity should not DO impaired by both an un-
tr.tb and an injustice. The statement in the House
of Representatiyes Oh Thursday last mode by Cen
Banks during the debate on the proposed Amnesty
bill was more entirely correct than. perhaps no hau
reason to credit.
What now relate arc facts Mr.. Horace Greeley
received lettoI, dated June %. 1860. from MIS-
Jefferson Davis. 1t was written at eayahhah'
Georgia. where Mrs. Davis and her family were
then detained under a sort of military restraint. Mr.
Davis himself recently taken prisoner, was at
Fortress Monroe aud the most conspicuous special
charge threatened against him by the - Bur an of
Military Justice s" was of guilty knowledge relating
TO tho assassination of President Lincoln
The principal purpose of the letter was
imploTing Mr.. Greeley to bring about q
spoedy trial OF bor husband upon that ch rge' ana
anon all other suppDSe eruesios that were inferred
AGAINST him. public tr.S prayed that the
accusations might be as publicly met, and her hlis-
band az she insisted could be done, readily Vlndl-
Gated To this letter Mr.. Greeley at once forwarded
mn answer for Mrs Davis, directed to the care OF
Savannah The morning of the next day Mr. Gree
lev came to my residence in this city. placed the
letter from Mrs. Davis in my hand, saying that
he could not believe the charge TO be
trne; that aside from the enOrmity and
want Of object it would have been impoiiIc III Mr
Davis any other leader in the Southern states as
they could not but be of Mr.. Lincoins natu-
rally kind heart AL his good intentions toward
them all and Mr.. Greeley asked mo 10 become pro-
feSsonaly interested in behalf of MIR. DAVIS
called 20 Mr.. Greelcy's attention that although
was like-mndel with himself aS to this one view of
the case, ,ot there was the other pending charge
OF cruel treatment of our Union soldiers while
prisoners at AndersonyIle and other places, and
that uuess our Government was willing to
have II imputed that Wiftz convicted and ms
sentence of death inflicted unjnstly. it could not
now overlook tho superior who was at least Popu-
larly regarded as the moving of those wrongs
and that if Mr. Dav, had been guilty OF such breach
of the rules for the conduct of war in modern cvih
cation he not entitled to the night or nor to oe
manumittod as mere prisoner of war expressed
the thought that my services before military tn
bunal would be of little benefit. hesitated; but
finally told Mr. Greeley that would consult with
some of our common friends whose countenance
weuh give strength to such undertaking, If
IT was discovered to be right and that none
but Republicans and some of the radical kind
were likely to be of positive and; indeed
Any Other would have been injurious. ii
occurred to me, from recO.lectng conveT-
satons with Mr.. Henry Wilson. the previous
April while together at Hilton Head, South
Carolina that if Mr. Davis guiltcss Of this lat
ter offenso. an might be opened for speedy
trial. OF for his manunission any other pris-
oner of war | did consult with such friends.
and Mr. Henry Wilson, Gov. John a. An
drew Mr.. Thaldeus Stevens, and Mr. Genlt
Smith were among them. The result was that
] thcrcupon undertook TO do whatever became
feasible Although not in strictness required to
elucdate our present intent, II u.s. nevertheless. be-
coming the history of the simply TO mention
that Mr.. Charles O'Conor was, from the first
esteemed the most valuable to lead for the de-
fense Ivy Mr. Greeley and Mr.. Gerrit Smith. \
Democrat Of pronounced repute, still his appearance
would import no partisan aspect 10 the great aTgu-
ment and would excite feelings bat those Of ad-
ni:ration and respect among even extreme men of
o,pnsite opinion. Public expectation looked to him.
and soon after it made known That he had
GTeady volunteered his services to Mr.. Davis. Mr..
O'Conn's course during the was decided under
stood, and consistent, but never offensive nor in
trusive: lis personal honor without Tcproach; his
courage without fear: his learning, crulti1n, and
pruricty of professional Jude gmcnt conceded most
eminent.
4
men of the Republican party whom 1 have men
toned that MIR. Davis did not by thought or set par
ticipate in a conspiracy against Mr.. Lincoln; and
none of those expressed that conviction more en-
phaticaily than Mr.. Ihaddeus Stevens. The single
subject ON which light was desired by them was
concerning the treatment Of our soldiers while in
the hands of the enemy. Tux TRIBUNE Of May H.
1865 tells the real condition of feeling
at that moment, and uRequivocallys shows
that il was not favorable to Mr.. Davis
on this matter. At the instance Of Mr..
Greeley. Mr.. Wilson, and. as / was given TO under
stand, of Nr. Stevens, went to Canada the first
week in January 1866, taking Boston ON my route,
there to consult with Gov. Andrew and Others.
While ut Montreal Gen. John C.. Breckenridge came
from Toronto, at my request. Tor the purpose OF
giving me information. There had placed in my
possession the official archives Of the Government Of
the Confederate States which read and coIsid cred
especially all those messages and other acts of the
Executive with the Senate in its secret sessions
cerning the care and exchange of prisoners
found that the supposed inhuman and unwarlike
treatment of their own captured soldiers by agents
of our Government was a most prominent and fire.
oucnt topic. That those reports current then, per-
haps even TO this hour in the South were substan-
TALLY incorrect, is little 20 the practical purpose
From those documents not made to meet the public
eye but used IN secret session, and from inquiries by
me Of those thoroughly convcrsant with the state of
Southern opinion at the time it mani
fest that the people of the South believed
those reports to be Trustworthy. and they
individually. and through their representatives at
RchlDond, pressed upon Mr.. DAVIS, the Executive
aud as the Connnander-in in Chief of the Army and
Navy instant recourse TO active Of rotaa-
ton to the end that the supposed cructies might De