The herald., 1894-01-07

attained'the rank of major, which posi-
tion he now holds. He Joined in tn,
recent military invasion of his nativ,
state, and, having by some means no
explained become separated from hi
command, he availed himeslf of the op
portunity to make a clandestine visit t
his fathers house in Louisville, where ht
was captured. The authorities have
not thought proper to proceed against
him as spy, but have treated him as g
prisoner OF war, and as such he is now
confined at Camp Chase. His father,
speaking of him in letter to the presi-
dent, says: ''He desires, / know, to serve
no longer in the war;" and in considera-
tion OF this seeming weariness of the
crime in which he has been engaged be
aeks that on his taking the simple oath
OF nou-combatRnt hs may be allowed
to go anywhere outside OF the United
States and of the rebel confederacy.
Clarence ]. Prentice himself has made
no communication to the government
expressive of his feelings in regard to
the war, or OF his future plans and pur-
poses. When prisoners OF war are will
ing to take the oath OF allegiance it is
the practice to permit them to do so.
When they are not thus willing, they
have been invariably exchanged under
the cartel. The intermediate course
now proposed has not been pursued be-
cause the government would thereby
lose the advantage of the exchange, and
because no satisfactory or reliable guar
antee would exist that the prisoners
thus tenderly dealt with would not, at
the first opportunity, re-enter the rebel
military service. Doubtless investiga-
ton would show that the treason of
many officers and soldiers in the rebel
armies is palliated by the pressure of an
excited public sentiment and by the
military despotism to which thev have
been subjected. Such, however, was
not the caae Of Clarence J. Prentice.
He left his home in a state then and
still loyal and voluntarily and wantonly
banded with traitors for the overthrow
OF the government OF his country. 1t is
for the secretary to determine whether
the established policy which has pre-
vailed in the treatment of prisoners OF
war shall be modified in his favor.
j. HoLT,
Judge-Advocate General.
But on the 13th--in fact, three days
before Judge Holt sent the foregoing to
Mr. StantoD-Prentice had already,
through the Interpolation of Mr.. Lin
coin. been sent from Camp Chase to CITY
Point for the exchange. On the elder
Prentice's representations the presi-
dents first plan was to let Clarence take
the oath and quietly go abroad, but this
alternative he declined, choosing rather
to rejoin the Confederate army, despite
the fsther's earnest protestations of the
yonng mans desire to serve no longer
in the wRr-that he would "never bear
arms againet us sgsin"-thus justifving
the cold but keen discernment of Judge
Holt.
This has somewhat the appearance of
double dealing on the part of George D.
Prentice. The fact is that he was very
much frightened for the personal safety
of his son, for whom he seems TO have
borne an almost frantic affection. Some
vindictive unionists of Kentucky and
elsewhere whom In the past he had
doubtless lashed with his bitter ed
itorial pen, were deairous to "even up''
with their old enemy by having the
aon--the apple of his eye-tried and
shot as a spy.
1t may be well imagined, under this
pressure of fear and impending disgrsce,
that the pleadings of his father, and per-
hapH his mother and wife, probably
wrung from the son some half-hearted
promises to desert his cause, which were
greedily seized upon and thankfully
hurried off to MIR. Lincoln as peace Of
fering Clarence, on reflection, found
that he could not conscientiously and
hoporably make good those promises.
No doubt the elder Prentice acted in
the utmost good faith in treating with
Mr.. Lincoln. At any rate the son was
not released on those promises.
However all this. may be, the fathers
prayer was granted in some form, and
for time all went well again. But it
was not long ere the young hothesd
needed the help OF his influential union
father again, this time on both sides
OF the line. In September, 1864, by
consent of the Richmond authorities,
George D. Prentice passed through the
confederate lines to Pound gap, in the
Cumberland mountains, to visit Major
Prentice, who Was there stationed. The
journey was probably occasioned By
some serious difficulty into which Clar-
ence had fallen, the nature of which is
not made apparent in the correspond
ence.
Returning home via Richmond and
Washington, in which capitals he held
consultations with the leading public
men, we find Mr.. Prentice again ap-
pesling for the aid of President Lincoln
in behalf of his son as follows:
LOUISVILLE, January 81, lS65.-Mr.
President Lincoln: 4 Mr., Presi-
dent, you were very kind in your assur-
ances as to what you would do when |
could give you the necessary informa-
tion as to the witnesses desired in my
sons cAse-on trial for his life at Abing-
don. Well, one witness-and an all.
important witness--is Captain R. III.
Baptist, prisoner of war at Johnson's
Island, poor fellow who has been
an invalid forsthe last year. My son is
innocent, and Captain Baptist Gas hon
orabe an officer as the Confederates
ever had) can establish his entire inno-
cence. So ask, MIR. Preeident-not
simply in my own name, not only IN be-
half of abstract Justice, but also in be-
half of very gallant young boy improp-
erly exposed to mortal peril-that you
parole Captain John H. Baptist from
Johnson's island to the southern con-
federacy. Most respectfully yours,
GEORGE d. PRENTICE.
What steps, if any, Mr.. Lincoln took
in behalf Of this last request is now un-
known, but from his well-known char
acter it 10 morally certain that the boon
was granted. And whatever the peril
WAS, the son eventually passed through
fts,ecaf h Oh ~ a17rrardar or fhn and of