New-York tribune., 1876-01-24

,,a,, ond tbose others in sympathy with them,
changed their former suspicion TO- laVortole oplt-
ion and a friendly disposition Ihry were Loh 'n'o
time kent informed of each movement as illade 10
iboro4o Mr Davis or to compel the Government 10
bring the prisoner to trial. All this LOOK place pc
fore counsel indeed before any one acting on DIS pc
half WAS allowed TO communicate with OF 10 see nlIi
TuF TRIBUNE now, at once. began series oi lehu-
ing editorials demanding that our Gov ytrAmcat pro-
ceed with the trial and on January 10; lcoo, iic
cited by those editorials Senator liOWnru Ol
Michigan. offered joint resolution, AIDED bE MI.
Sumner, recommending the tIiai OF Jefferson
Davis and Clement e. Clay before military triDu-
nal OF court-martial, for charges mentioned IN te
report of the Secretary OF War, OF March 4, loou.
Ii will he interesting 10 mention now that II t'i'
proceeded III this manner. was then credlbly, IN
formed, Mr.. Thaddeus Stevens had volunteered as
counsel for MIR. Clay.
After il had become evident that there was no nm
mediate prospect of any trial, if any prospect at all
the counsel for Mr. Davis became ANXIOUS tlat theli
client be liberated on bail, ald one ot lhen cohsea
with Mr. Greeley as to the ieaSiDhly 1I PIoo'ans a
some names as bOndsmen of persons Who had con-
spicuously opposed tho war of secession; lhis was
found quite easy and MIR. Gerrit smith and Com
odorc Vanderbilt Nere selected amu i .raesary
An this could not have been accom-
piished had not thOse gent einen, ana
Others in sympathy with them, been already
convinced that those charges against Mr.. Davis
were unl0rnded in fact 80 an appncanoh was
made on June II, 1866 to MIR. Justice Underwood,
at Alexandria Va, for n writ OF habeas corpus;
which. after argument, WAS denied upon the siyuid
that Jefferson Davis was ari eStcd under PfotIt-
nation OF the ITesideLt charging nun Wiui o"ln t
plioity in the assassination OF mo idte iresldeh'
Lincoln. lie has been held says thY De
csiog ever since 9Pa a.aSSa + @SS 1l Gcsos %
of That date Insisted that the caso is one well
entitled to trial before a military tribunal the
tesimony before the Judiciary Committee "i the
House all Of il bearng directly, mol copcasircig
certain intention 10 take the NE OF NJ I'm I'm
coin. is most important element IN the case ms
reported as nom thc pen OF Sii' Johh ! on UaI
noy himself. then Clerk Of tho SENATE ana Is 'lc!
bv me as an expression of q general tone "i
the press on that occasion. Lien, tho h".lo
Of representatives, ON tho Llo-3n m M ,'ay 1aI,
boutwell, of Massachusetts,. the following day
passed a resolution " tnat IL was we op.h,
ION of the House that Jefferson DAVIS should
be held il custody rs prisoner and subject 'o ilai
according 10 the laws OF the land 1t was aIop'od
by IL vote of 100 II 10. ,
It Is very slcy,iil to reflect Just here That IN the
il.ermediaie tnne, Mir. Clement &. Clay had been
discharged from imprisonment without btluP
bIO,Iglt to trial on elmer OF thec ch'lISea' |HoL
which he had been alnSted, ANA IOr wnlch Arrest
the 300. 900 reward Lad been lali.
THIS iaiiuie 10 iiDeIate Air. DaYlS would nave
been very dScOuTaging 10 most OF inch-"ut MI
Greeley, and those friends VINO were acting "ith
him, dete lnIned 20 meet the issue hauc, promptly
and sAaI ly, AID push tIe Goy Crluneht 10 HlaI
OF tS prisoner, or 10 withdraw Llo charge maze Dy
IFS Board OF Military Justice The point was soon
TO New ok. and luz TIEuNE OF Juno IL. looo,
contained, in leader from hls Icn this uiAis.iii-
ab- demand and protest:
How and When dd Davis bccomc prisoner of wGrt
He was not arrested puhc cuciaF, but aa ic"u'
l,e fpuicst, most tNccgai, gWthat uf haNiu5 sub
oined asssss 10 murder rTe,idynt ncon crime NE
fins tnat 100000 offered and paid ior hi. street.
And The Proclamation of Andrew johnson AM william
H. seward OfriIug this reward says las Cumilci} WIN
MKUs BOOt a CO. l. established ~ eFidchcc boN ~
tne DtiIaa Military Justice" 50 there Was no nnei
Ii has been assorcd that Davis is responsible FOR the
death by oSlne and famine OF our oap,ured s'dere;
aud ms official position gives p.alSOtl 10 tie c-ISr;
Yet wLc ncnfy Wir2-a miserable wlri"i-A myIr '."i
OF long ar1aigIcd, trcd. convicted Sci
Tor TINS CuiISC LAs "ttit
olic.any procuod against DAVIS. - We presume none
Is 90 he. ,
Tmr TuEUNE kept up repeating this demand our
iHg the following part g! iIIt lr,I, AEd Hdhuhis'u
the G0yer.hneni of the Increasing a''7 ny ol 40
POSITION not daring. seemingly, - prosecute grtI
criminal against whom ~ had oiucidily doc area IL
was Possessed ui evidence TO Prove tHat c.nt. Ol
November -, 1866 lHE iEJsuNG ngdin mus ehi-
pnaszed tho Thought:
!. nte n months nearly elapsed since Jefferson
DAVIS Nsr nhtc Sta prisoner, io i'oG % '-o'''''
been pubitB charged Il! TIE It'''nt Hl -" @
with consiu 10 "Ss.0~naio President lth'"h'
ana Sl0OVO0 ocseu tor Lo cIi-1ic inee edlon ihoei-
az nOur. tncIc LAS not been even IN ttea made
by tnc GO, cinncut 1" procure az lAd! lH"hi "l l'i'
caS' lie n's, tlSo, n.ch I"li.i = ~ NJ ivy u.' 81 -
auc.sod cOmInicy Ia tGc virtual Huiutr Al tinai
neeurs- nuiiiau cA AOsJrc. uriyaiion ana aisc; Bat
Io Oig..l attempt Ia, been made 7" Htct iui on tt
OH. .rrs but lhe.nly II cannot afford to s-sn uh-
Wiling % r, IfIlr an oDNiDus wrong
The Government, however, continued to express
It's inability to proceed with the trial. ABo.her
now another attempt to lbcIaio Inn by bail was to
be made. The GOyerument, b. is conduct. having
;acitly abandoned those special charges % inLu-
manly a petition for writ 90 be presented ~
which the prisoner might he handed over 4" ths
yl uthOIiJy to answer the Indictment for treason.
iu aid of thi, project Nr Wilson, Chairman of the
i0!nniIteo OF Ri.i-aIy Aars, oil red Ia the senate,
on the 18Th of Marcn, lobI IA rrs3iutOA urgin3 ne
Government 10 prOtccd with tlc trial. Ihc Remark
able thou-its ald Language Of that ps1iution vcre
observed ~ tine time. ard NECESSARILY caused p opl'
10 fer that Mir. Wilson, ~ least, Was NOT under 90"
100 common deldsuu that the Government ally
had case either II tliOse twO particular cIdis
against Mr. DAVIS individually and a shOit time
aitcr tins MIR Wilson went 10 FORTRESS Monroe and
saw Mr. Davis. 1 he visit was simply friendly, ana
NOT iOr any purpose rciatnig 20 his hbeiaiiOi.
OI May II. 1867, Mr. DagIs was driyerod 10
the civil authority; was at once admitted to naii,
Sir. Greeley and Mr.. Geril Snnth gong personally
10 Richmond, ia atestatlon OF tIcr Lcllci that
wrong had been done 90 Mr.. Davis IN holding Inn
30 long accused up1 those chaTBcs, now abandoned,
and rs an expression of InagbaniHliy toward the
south Commodore Naudel bill, then but recently
tie recipient Of the thanks ot Congress for is sd
peIb aia 10 ihc GOyeTnuoit uuuAg the war,
also represented there, and aisned the bond through
AiT. Horace +. Glars lls sOn-in-laW, ana Dir.
Augustus Schell, hIs friend.
Inc apparent uuwillugneSs of The Government to
prosecute uader every incentive of pTldc and honor
10 the contrary, was accepted bs those gentlemen
and ,hc others whom | have mentioned as II CON
hrmdtiOn Of the information glve4i ~ me al MOu-
ircal aul OF its entire accuracy.
Tnose nlen-Andrcw, Greeley. Smith, and vii son
Lave passed from liilS lie. ne history OI
their efforts 10 BRING ali parts oi our common coun-
try once more and abdingly into unity, peace, and
concord and of Dir. GIecleys enormous sacrlHcc To
compel Justice 10 DC done 10 one man. ana no All
enemy, should be wrlttOn.
/ viii add d single incident tending the same way.
In a consul cat On with s,r IhidouH Stevens, at
residence on Capitol Hii a. Washington. IN May,
S6G he related 10 now the Cuci Oi tins Mill
lary Bureau showed hlm the eyideuCo' upon
W uich the proclamation was Issued charging DAVIS
and Clay with cOmp,ii Y in tins assassination OF
Sir. Iinooin. He said That he refused 10 give the
ining any support, and That lac told tat gentleman
the evidence was insufficient In itself ana iDCIed-
hla | am not hkelY ever To fOrgel the earnenL mAn-