The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1878-11-14

corning these forces, and conveying
the same TO the enemy; and was ar
rested within the said lines, on. or
about November 10th, 1868. This
IN Giles county, Tennessee"
Charge 2d-"Belng a carrier of
mails, communications and informa
ton, from within the lines of the
United States Army to persons in
arms against the Government"
specification: ''In this, that the
said Samuel Davis, on or about No
vember 20, 1868, was arrested in
Giles county, Tennessee, engaged
in carrying mails and Information
from within the lines of the United
States forces to persons IN arms
against the United States Govern
ment' FL
To which charges and specifca-
tions the accused pleaded as follows:
TO the specification first charge,
mot guilty"
TO the first charge, "Not guilty.
= To the specification of second
charge, Guilty"
To the second charge, Guilty"
After patient investigation of
several days, the following were the
FINDINGS AND SENTENCE:
The court fnds the accused as
follows:
OF the specification to first charge,
Guilty"
OF the first charge, Guilty"
Of tho onaoifioafinn
charge, Guilty"
Of the second charge, Guilty"
And the Commission does there
fore sentence him, the said Samuel
Davis, of Coleman Scouts, in the
service of the so called Confederate
States: ITO be hung by the neck
until he is dead, at such time and
place as the Commanding General
may direct; two-thirds OF the mem
bers of the Commission concarring
in the sentence"
Finding and sentence of the Com
mission approved. The sentence
will be carried into effect on Friday,
November 81, 1868, between the
hours of 10 o'clock A. NJ. and 6
O'Clock P. N.
Brigadler General L. w. Sweeney,
commanding Second Division, will
cause the necessary arrangements
to be made to carry out this order
in the proper manner.
The Military Commission, OF
which Colonel Madison Miller.
Eighteenth Missouri Volunteer In
fantry, is President, is hereby dis
solved.
BY order of Brigadier- General G.
NJ. Dodge.
j. w. BARNES, Lieut.. d A. A. G.
The prisoner was informed of the
finding and sentence OF the Military
Commission by Captain Armstrong,
the local Provost Marshal. and.
though manifesJing some surprise
at the severity of the punishment TO
be inflicted, he bore himself hero
ically, and showed not the culver
of muscle. Later in the day Chap
lain Young visited him, and found
him resigned to his fate. After
prayer by the Chaplain, he inquired
in relation to the news of the day,
and being told thatBragg was defeat
ed, he expressed the deepest regret.
The scatfold for the execution OF
the prisoner was built upon an ele
walton on the east side of the town,
near the college, and Immediately
IN front of the house now occupied
by James McCallum, Esq, posi-
ton that can be seen from almost
every part of town. At precisely
10 CLOCK on the morning OF Fri
day, the 9th of November, 1868,
the arms of the prisoner being pin
toned, he was placed on a wagon,
seated on his coffin a refinement of
cruelty }, and conveyed TO the scat
fold. Davis stepped from the wagon
and seated himself on a bench at
the foot of the scafold, glancing
occasionally at the coffin as it was
being taken from the wagon. He
displayed no trepidation, but calmly
and quietly turning to Captain
Armstrong, asked how long he had
to live, and being told just fifteen
minutes, said in substance that the
rest of the battles would have to be
fought without him. Captain Arm
strong. turning to him, said Il am
sorry to be compelled to perform
this painful duty" to which Davis
replied, with o smile, at does not
hurt me, Captain; / am innocent,
though l stm prepared to die, and
do not think hard of you" Cap
tain Chickasaw, then approaching,
asked the prisoner if it would not
have been better to have saved his
life by disclosing the name of the
officer who furnished tie facts in
relation to the fortlfications, ETC.,
and intimated that it was not yet
TOO late, when the prisoner answered
with much Indignation, "Do you
suppose that l would betray a
friend? No, sir; l would die a
thousand times first. l will not be-
tray the confidence of my in ormer."
Committing, then, few keepsakes
to MIR. Lawrence, a methodist min
lister, he mounted the scafiold with
a serene counteBance, in company
with Chaplain Young, whom he re-
quested TO pray with him. After a
prayer. the delicacy and appropri-
ateness of which may be well ques-
toned under the circumstances the
prisoner stepped upon the trap, and
paid the severe penalty of devotion
to right and principle. He died
with the calmness of a philosopher,
the sternness of a patriot, and the
serene courage of martyr. Never
did deeper gloom spread over any
community than did over that OF
| Pulaski when Davis tragic fate was
made known. The deed was open
" and boldly stigmatized by the
common soldiers as a needless as
sassinatlon; men and women, in
every part of the town, INDUCED in
unavailing means, and even the lit
tie children, with terror depicted on
their countenances, ran about the
streets weeping with uncomfortable
grief. No man ever awakened a
deeper sympathy. His sad fate is
one of the touching themes of the
county; and whenever his lame is
mentioned, the tear rises unbidden
to the eye of the oldest as well as