The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-05-24

SW6r6u NOG guilty. ana asked GnaG Gno
Pennsylvania be brought in to testify in
his behalf.
Over this request the officers of the
court held a hurried consultation, but it
did not take long to show that they
were unit in voting not to send for the
Yankee. The president expressed his
own view and that of his friends in this
way:
"We know what the Federal soldier
said in your behalf 1t may he true, OF
it may not We are very certain that
he would not hesitate at lie to save a
friend. Again, the man is prisoner on
our hands, and we have no power to
compel his presence or authority to re-
ceive his evidence if he were here. -
Snow, still the coolest man present,
unless it might be Coleman, urged that
the Union prisoner would be willing to
tell the truth if brought before the court,
and he cited cases where such action
had been taken in other wars
Had the prisoner been nervous and
excited it would have been in his favor,
but his GOODNESS and intellectual dexter
ity told against him. The two Confed-
crates were examined, and, it should be
said in their favor, that they told the
exact truth. Both had seen the prisoner
about headquarters but they knew moth
ing of his antecedents-did not even
know his name till after his arrest, and
SO could have no malice in their evil
dence. These witnesses stuck to their
first statement, and this Snow, who ex-
amined them in his own behalf, could
not shake Indeed his efforts, able
though they were, served but to empha-
size the evidence against him.
For the defense James Coleman was
summoned. After being sworn he was
asked his name, age and place of birth.
He responded promptly, but instead of
saying he was born at Portsmouth, O.,
he gave it as Transville, KY, a place
with which he was quite as familiar as
he was with his own home. He said
that he first met the prisoner at Corinth,
Miss, about the middle of the previous
May. He had been much in company
with him, and they had often talked
over the war and its prospects. He had
never met more patriotic man than
Snow. One of the soldiers who had
given evidence against the prisoner he
(Coleman) knew very we'll The man
was in the guafdhsuse at Tupalo the
previous July for theft. but got clear in
the course of the confusion that followed
Bragg's preparations for the invasion Of
Kentucky.
Coleman was by all odds the ablest
man present. His cross examination
strengthened his evidence, but this did
not avail, for that court was convened
to convict.
Just one hour from the time the trial
began the officers put their heads to-
gether and talked in low tones for a
few minutes. Then all nodded and be-
gan a nervous coughing The prisoner
was told to stand up, and he was asked
by the presiding officer what he had to
say in his own behalf
Although he could not see spark of
hope in the eyes of the members of the
court, Snow remained undaunted. He
told his story in way that commanded
sdmiration and would have carried with
it conviction had not these men been
smarting under the bloody defeat of that
day. They did not cross examine the pris-
oner. AS their minds were made up such
proceeding would have been waste of
time. There was no motive that they
could see other than a sense OF duty
that could induce the men who made
the charges against the prisoner to tell
anything but the truth. 1t was impossi-
BILE that they could have plotted the ruin
of soldier wig up to the time of their
overhearing of his confession they had
known nothing about.
Then the fact that Snow had been
captured in the Kentucky campaign and
his subsequent escape, instead of being
used in his favor, told against him. His
escape was winged st by the enemy,
whose tool he was, But equally strQng
with the direct evidence against Snow
was the fact that he was born and edu-
Gated in Massachusetts and so was q
Yankee of the Yankees. The Confeder-
ates weFe willing at that time to con-
cede that possible good might come
out of the other northern states, but
from New England, and particularly
from Massachusetts,, nothing that was
not obnoxious to southern gentlemen
could emanate.
Snow" SAID the president of the
Gouft 1--WE are agreed that you are
guilty of every charge and speci
made, but in view of the fact that you
are gentleman, at least by education,
and have, whether Intentionally OF moi
we are not prepared to say, done good
service for the Confederacy we shall
save you from the gallows, which, you
are aware. is the fate of the convicted
spy, and find you guilty of desertion. -
Then turning to the other members of
the court the president asked, "Am
not right in this. gentlemen?"
The officers compressed their lips and
nodded, and the president continued:
81 have never been called on to per-
form more unpleasant duty than that
which now lies before me. The sentence
of this coprt is that You, Allen Snow,
having been found guilty of desertioh
to the enemy while battle was pend
ing, shall be shot to death at daylight
to morrow morning, the I'd day Of JAN
uary, 1868, and the provost marshal of
MurfFeeshoro, to whose charge we now
assign you, will carry out the verdict of
this court. My advice is that you en-
ploy your few remaining hours in max
ing your peace with heaven, and in i'm.
ploring that mercy which it will be folly
for you to look for here"