The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-06-07

was arrested in lrvingtol, Ga, and
carried 10 Savannah and from there
by ship 10 Fortress Monroe. The
iron door Of this prison closed With
Gang upon the n-st !llustrious
captive mat had ever been confined
in this country. Most al the prom
iue1t officers and officials Of the
southern states were placed in pris-
On NJ. Davis was charged with
conspiracy 70 assassinste Lincoln,
with treason against the United
States 2n5 With cruelty - the Fed
eral prisoners confined IN South
ern prisons On the first charge
there vas never sufficient evidence
10 convict On the third charge they
could fi1d nothing in his whole rec
ord s. president that did not look
10 the salvation Of the prisoners
He offered 10 exchange Federal pris-
oners for Confederate prisoners and
this vas refused. Then he Offered
10 receive medicines for their treat
ment. and this wzs refused. He SEN
Nj Stephens. his vice president. TO
Washington with an offer 20 buy
medicine ard rations for the prison
ers, ana Nj stephens was denied
an audience. Mr.. Davis demanded an
immediate trial. which was refused
him. Captain WirZ, who commanded
the Andersonyille prison, was tried
by q drumhead court martial and
sentenced TO death. The night be
fore his execution he was offered
reprieve and a pardon If he would
iInplicate Mr. Davis IN the treat
ment OF these prisoners, but 20 save
his own life he refused TO DO il and
said that the orders from the pres
ident OF the Confederate states were
those Of humanity and the prisoners
crate government had the means 10
treat them.
Years afterwards, Mr. Blaine OF
Maine charged on the floor Cf the
United States congress that Mr.. Da-
vis had caused cruel ant brutal
treatment TO the Federal prisoners,
and in a reply by Mr.. Hill Of
/ Georgia, he referred 10 the Wirz
incident and said, What poor Old
Wirz would not do TO save his life
the gentleman from Maine has done
as a cheap bid for the presidency"
/ As matter of fact, there were
[ $4,000 more Fe1eral prisoners in
| Confederate prisons than there were
| Confederate prisoners in Federal
] prisons, and 5000 more Confeder-
ate prisoners died while in prison
/ than the Federal prisoners. All the
argument in the world and all the
| battering rams of rhetoric and die
ton cannot shake and break down
I d pusSIt ldNN. 10y MI Dd'AS Oi-I'
the Federal prisoners were given
/ the same fare and the same treat
ment as the Confederate soldier
The charge of treason could not
be maintained, for at that time the
1ith amendment TO the constitution
had not been passed. A man vas
! a citizen OF the United States by
virtue of the fact that he was a
citizen OF a state. And when Missis-
sippi seeded. Nr. Davis remained
true 10 his state and did not levy
war upon Mississippi nor extend
aid and comfort to her enemies.
The prison life OF Mr.. Davis has
never been clearly written. He was
too magnanimous 10 talk about II
or to tell the indignities heaped
upon him. The meanness OF Sir
Hudson Lowe 10 Napoleon on the
Isle Cf ST Helena did not in indig
nifty begin TO compare with the
treatment Of General Miles to Mr
Davis while in prison. a constant
sufferer from neuralgia, sick, with
his eyes inflamed and almost in
danger OF losing his eyesight, he
vas put in irons by General Miles
on the grounds OF a military neces-
sity.
In 1898, Chas. \ Dana, who was
assistant secretary Of war, told the
true story of the shackling Of Mr..
Davis He said that it was commu.
nicated 10 him that improvements
or repairs had to be made. or tina,
probably IL was unsafe 20 leave
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