Washington sentinel., 1900-08-11

as guilty OF the same crime II was the
intention evidently Of the Northern
cOnspirators to use the suborned Wirz
as a witness for the purpose of trying
and hanging Jefferson Davis, just as they
tried and hung Wirz That dastardly
attempt, however, tailed because Wirz
was not the scouudrel that they had tried
TO make him appear to the world The
story OF the attempted subornation OF
Wirz was given in an article written by
Jefferson Davis and published by the
Beliord Company, New York. 1890. and
entitled ''Andersonville and other War
Prisons" from which we copy;
Major R. B. Winder, M. d and Dean
of the Baltimore Dental College, was a
prisoner in the Capitol Of Washington
at the time of Captain " Wirz's confre
ment there, A statement oi his in regard
to an event which occurred the evening
before the execution Of Wirz has been
widely published. therefore make but
a brief extract from it:
"a night or two before Wirz's execu.
tlOn, early in the evening I saw several
male individuals Uooking like gentle-
men) pass into Wirz's cell, l was natu-
rally on the QHfvi0e to know the meaning
Of this unusual visitation, and was
hoping, and expecting too, that it might
be a reprieVe-for even at that time
was not prepaye ed to believe that so foul
judicial murder would be peTpetrated.
! think-indeed l am quite certain
there were three of them WiTz came
to his door, which was Immediately
opposite to mine, and gave him look
ofinqulrY, which was at once uu derstOod.
He said: These men have lust offered
me my liberty if / will testify against
Mr.. DAVIS, and cumInate him with the
charges against the AndeTsonville
prison; | told them that could not do
this, as | neither knew Mr. Davis per-
sonally, officially or socially, but il they
expected with the offer of my miserable
life to purchase me to treason an.
treachery to the South, they had under
valued me | asked bIm # he knew
who the parties were. He said, No
and that they had refused to tell him
who they we're, but assured him they
had full power to do whatever they
might promise"
We are informed by the brave and
faithful counsel OF WirZ, Louis Schade,
Esq that ION the same evening some
parties came to the cOnfessor OF Wirz,
Rev. Father Boyle, and also to me, one
of them informing me that high Cab
met officer wished to assure Wirz that
II be would implicate Jefferson Davis in
the atrocities committed at Anderson
Vile. his sentence would be commuted.
He, the messenger, or whoever he was,
requested me to inform Wirz Of this
In presence Of Father Boyle told Wirz,
next morning. what had happened. The
Captain simply and quietly replied: "Mr
Schade, you know that | have always
told you that | do not know anything
about Jefferson Davis He had no
connection with me as to what was ne
a. Andersonvlllr, l. / knew anything
OF him ! would not become traitor to
him, or anybody else, even 20 save my
life He likewise denied that he had
made any statement to General Baker.
Thus ended the attempt to suborn Capt.
Wirz against Jefferson Davis. chat
alone shows what a man he was. How
many of his deiamers would have done
the samep With his wounded arm in a
sling, the poor paroled prisoner, two
hours later, mounted the sea fold. His
last words were that he died innocent
In answer to an inquiry addressed by
me to the Reverend Father BOYLE, I
received the letter Of which the following
is a copy:
Washington, D. c., Oct. 10, 1880
Hon. Jefferson Davis
Dear Sir: Absence from the city; and
the desire since my return TO obtain
Information on the subject ofyour letter,
have delayed my answer, I have not
succeeded in the lattr T purpose But
know that on the evening before the
day OF the execution of Major Wirz a
man visited me, on the part OF a Cabinet
officer, to inform me that Major Wirz
would be paTdoned il he would implicate
Jefferson Davis In the cruelsies at
Andersonvile. No names were given
bV this emissarY, and, upon my refusing
TO take any action IN the matter, be
went to Mr.. Louis Schade, counsel Tor
the Major, with the same purpose and
with like result
When l visited Major Wirz the next
morning he told me that the same pro.
posal had baen made to him and been
rejected with scorn. The Major was
very indignant, and said that while he
was innocent OF the charges for which
he was about to suffer death. he would
not purchase his liberty by perjury and
a crime such as was made a condition
OF his freedom.
attended the major to the scaffold,
and he died in the peace OF God and
praying for his enemies. | know that
he was indeed innocent Of all the cruel
charges on which his life was sworn
away, and was edited by the Christian
spirit in which he submitted to his
prosecutors,
Very truly yours, +. +. BOYLE,
Jefferson Davis concludes:
These witnesses we're men OF high