Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-02

calm and defiant. Her face had not a
sign of fear. She viewed the officers
straight in the face, and in the superior
contempt which flashed from her eyes
there was proclaimed a bold indifference
to the fate awaiting her. Her tightly COM
pressed lips carried out the picture Qf
heroic determination, daring and impeni-
tence. She was aggressive from the start.
No sooner had she been brought before
the officers than she began to upbraid the
Union army and all those who were in
the hearing of her voice. She applied
epithets to the commander and stigma
tiZed hhim with words, which,
though not vulgar, were all
the more unwelcOme because
a woman spoke them. The commander
appealed to her to restrain her feelings
and to respect his position and rank. I'm
less there was some mitigating cIrcum-
stances, he said, the stern rules of mill
tary discipline would compel him to have
her shot as a common spy. For this rea-
son he begged her to be quiet. But the
more he beseeched her the more she
seemed disposed to disObey his entrea-
ties. She boldly said that she was glad of
our defeat; that she was proud of the part
she had taken in it, and that she felt no
repentance in anything she had done.
st. Clair, a professional lawyer and a
staff officer, offered to plead her case and
| to exert himself to overcome the preju-
dice that was fast forming against her.
The other two ladies were at once seen
! to be only accessories to the crime, and
they were only kept under arrest for the
time.
But Miss Alice was ordered to appear
before drumhead court martial the next
morning. With all the prejudice, there
was very general sympathy tor the fair
prisoner, and hope was entertained that
/ moderation might be eXerted in her eX-
traOrdinaTy case. The court met in a large
hospital tent, prepared for the occasion.
| The intense excitement which abOunded
| everywhere reached even the digntaries
| who acted as judges. The only person
unaffected was the accused. She faced
the whole proceeding with calm, i'm
movable cOmpOsure. Those who hated
her crime could not help but admire her
/ nobility.
! The trial opened and progressed amidst
/ 4 most oppressive silence. The evidence
I against the prisoner was conclusive. In
/ vain Lieut.. st. Clair tried to gain time
| for his client, but the necessities of war
! were imperative and the time could not be
| granted. Then he tried to give rose
/ colOred meaning to the dispatch, which
| was displayed in the court, by saying that
! it was in cipher, and only to be under
! stood by the lady who received it. Then
! he waXed eloquent. He described her
1 womanlv qualities, her filial affection, her
! love of nome, and even went so far as to
! slip in a few compliments about her
! beauty. and to cap the climax of the
wonderful defense. he ended his speech
by entering for his client a plea OF
insanity. His address had telling eff
feet
"A soon as he had finished epoelsina,
| Miss Alice rose to her 1eet, and, III ring
! ing tones, exclaimed:
..NO moi Gentlemen | will stand nc
such nonsense. | am not and never nave
been insane. What | have done have
done knowingly and purposeiy, and | am
not afraid to say SO. Enter the plea OF
guilty if you want, and do your worst.
When YOU first arrested me, with Capt.
Latimer, l told you that we both belonged
10 the Confederate service. | meant
what 4 said, and am no spy. Ii you
doubted my word it is no fault of nine,
for l frankly told you what you now
! know to be true. But to show you how
! little l care for your decision, | will say
| that the carrier-pigeOn was especially
| trained by Capt. LatImer and me for the
work which il mas so successfully done,
! Now you know why you have been de
| teated SO many times-nOw you know
why the noble Confederates have always
been ready for your attacks-now you
| know why they have been able to kill So
| many OF your men, and now you can see
! how much a WOman-Ot-waT can do when
she has enough resolution to bear up and
| spur her on. l am proud Of my work, and
TO the end l shall be proud of it still. |
| hate your cause; l hate the sight of you,
| and despIse any offer of mercy you can
give me. There are more honest, noble
| hearted men over yOnder in that COnteder-
! ate fort than in all the armies OF the blue
! coats put together. | am Confederate
woman, ana l want no pity from any of
! you. Now, end this farce of trial as
| soon as you can and pass the sentence of
! guilty. l am ready to hear it -
| Her speech was listened to with indie
scribable intentness. Never before had
men heard a woman 80 auddciOus, So
! brave and yet so eloquent; but it was the
! -IOquence that cOmdemned-not the
el0qu nee that saved. To The court no
Y Otuer course was possible than d verdict
of guilty. Thus they decided, and she was
s, ntenced to be shot as a spy.
The execution was fixed at s O'Clock the
n xt morning. The tent in which the
court martial had been held was given up
! entirely to the prisoner. Until Good
! Night was sounded, Mrs. Batheley and
! Miss Blanche We're permitted to visit the
condemned and offer her whatever cOnsO-
| ton lay within their power. Miss Alice
| was still calm, and she answered the
! tears Of her mother and sister with words
| OF lONe, bOldCe anu encouragement. W men
! the bedtime hour came. at O'Clock, the
| two ladies retired to their own quarters
! and left Miss Alice alone. sympathy for
| her became universal Even the officers
J who passed the dreadful sentence were
| moved to pity when they contemplate
| the fate of woman SO pure and OeaLti-
| iul. The verdict was thought to be too
! severe. Her sex seemed to deserve more
! lepient consideration. She should have
| been sent u prisoner to Fort Warren or
! Fort Lafayette. But sympathy was use
/ less, for the sentence was passed.
! That night the Guard was doubled
/ around the prisoners tent, so as to make
| all escape impossible. The men comprs-
! ing it did not anticipate their task with
any evidence of pleasure, but duty as
| soldiers cOmpelled them to accept the re-
| spOnsibilitv. They began the watch with
| Il sadness that was deepened as tbs min
utes flew by. The thought OF a youn-
| lite so near its doom made the night more
! gloomy than it really was. No wonder,
then, long after the tattoo had died away,
| long after the Ii ghts had faded into dark
ness, long after the minutes had slipped
! into hOurs-no wonder that the guards
men stopped suddenly as they heard the
murmurlngs of a sweet, plaintiVe voice,
uttering the suppicatiOns of a brave
heart. All, how sweetly she prayed! How
earnestly! How touchingly!
She called upon the God of the helpless
and defenseless to look down in his great
mercy upon her. She thanked him for the
strength he had given b er to face death
for her country and her people. She had
not sought glory or worldly fame, but in
serving her country she deemed herself to
he serving him. BLESS our cause" she
beseeched, "and comfort the bruised and
bleeding hearts throughout this great
land. l pray thy special grace for those
nearest and dearest TO me. Be with them
in the hour of affiictiOn and help them to
bear the burdens that thou hast seen fit
to lay. upon them. Be merciful to him
who was to have been my husband; carry
him unframed through all this terrible
conflict. and grant that we may meet in
that better land beyond the tomb. And
these things 1 ask in thy sons name"
Amen.
A prayer so sweet would have touched
rougher heart than a soldiers. The
guardsmen's eyes, wet with tears, told of
its power more elOquently than words. 1t
had gone straight to their souls.
That night a most violent storm arose.
1t lasted until the dawn Of day, but by
sunrise it had disappeared as suddenly as
it had come.
The next morning the brigade assem-
bled for the execution, The band played