Evening journal., 1912-01-03
new NEWS OF YESTERDAY
How Greeley Came to Sign
Jefferson DaVIS'S Bail
Bond
By Holland.

After Jefferson Davis. following his /
capture in the spring of 1866 in Geor-
gia, as sequel Of the collapse Of the
Confederacy, had been confined in
Fortress Monroe for nearly two years,
a general protest was raised through
out the North against his continued
Incarceration. 1t was demanded that
the federal government either try Mr..
Davis on the charge Of treason which /
had been brought against him or set
MIN at liberty.
Early In 1867 an unsuccessful effort
was made to have Mr.. Davis released
on bail pending his trial on the charge
of treason Then Charles OConnor, ut
that time regarded as sharing with
William M. Evarts the distinction Of
being the leader Of the American bar,
and of the counsel for Mr. Davis, de-
cided to bring habeas corpus proceed
ings. The petition for a writ of habeas
corpus was brought before Judge John
c. Underwood in the United States
Circuit Court at Richmond, Va, and
Mr. Davis was transferred under nom
inal guard from his fortress prison to
the court room at Richmond The pro-
ceedings were very brief The appli-
cation for the writ of habeas corpus
was made and Mr.. O'Conor asked the
court to liberate Mr.. Davis on bail un-
til the habeas corpus proceedings
should be ended The judge instantly
granted the request and fixed bail at
one hundred thousand dollars The
bail bond was luickly signed and the
court announced that Mr. Davis was
at liberty.
The first man to sign the bond for a
hundred thousand dollars, qualifying
personally for that amount, was Hor-
ace Greeley. He was succeeded by
Gerrit Smith, Commodore Vanderbilt,
Augustus Schell; then.a very wealthy
and prominent Democratic leader of
New York and a warm personal friend
Of Commodore Vanderbilt and sew
eral others whose names were not so
widely known. With but one or two
exceptions. they were all Northern
men, several of them were men of very
large wealth, and two-Horace Gree
ley and Gerrit Smith-had ben for
long time the great leaders in the abo-
lition and anti-slavery agitation.
At the time there was great aston
,shment, and among vindictiye people
severe criticism, that Horace Greeley
and Gerrit Smith should have signed
Jefferson Davis bail bond How were
they induced to do it?" was the uni
versal question that, so far as ! know,
received no public answer. Years later
however, / was given the explanation
by the late Noah Davis, the judge who
presided at the trial Of BOSS" Tweed,
in whose prosecution Mr. O'Conor took
a leading part. Judge Davis and Mr.
O'Conor were great friends
1T was from Charles O'Conor's own
lips" said Judge Davis, that l had
the explanation of the reason why
Horace Greeley and Gerrit Smith were
asked to go on Jefferson Davis bail
bond Said OConor to me:
Both Greeley and Smith had been
prominent as anti-slavery leaders. The
name of each was familiar to all of
the leaders of the Confederacy. When
was morally certain that Mr. Davis
would be released on bail, It occurred
TO me that If Horace Greeley and Ger
rit Smith would be the first to sign
MIR. Davis bail bond, that act would
of itself go far towards assuaging the
feeling Of hostility against the North
that prevailed throughout the South,
and that 1t would hasten the era of re-
construction, which could not be per-
manent unless based upon kindness
and good feeling
81 sought out Mr. Greeley, and
basing my request upon those beliefs,
asked him if he would go upon the
bond. Instantly he told me that it
would give him the greatest pleasure
to do so; and he added that he regard
il as intolerable cruelty that Mr. Davis
should have been kept a prisoner so
long without opportunity to defend
himself in court. Then / went to Ger
rit Smith and he also told me that
ii would give him the sincerest plea
sure to qualify as a bondsman for Mr.
Davis, especially as the act would
make it plain to the people of the
South that he, a former abolitionist,
believed that with the termination of
the war and with slavery ended there
should be an era Of good feeling And
when | asked Commodore Vanderbilt
and his friend, Augustus Schell, and
the others to go on the bail bond one
and all expressed themselves practi-
cally as Horace Greeley and Gerrit
Smith had done
"'Well when Judge Undergood, pre-
siding at Richmond announced that
Dir. Davis would be set at liberty on
bail on the qualifying Of his bondsmen,
I asked Greeley to be the first of the
bondsmen to sign. He took up his pen
with alacrity, put his signature to the
bond, and was followed by Gerrit
Smith, and after that by the others
These formalities ended, Judge Under
wood announced that Mr.. Davis was at
liberty Instantly the former Presi-
dent of the Confederacy arose from his
place by my side, wen. over to where
Horace Greeley was seated, and with
utmost cordiality extended both
hands drawing Greeley to him in q
sort of half embrace. And l thought
then that with this demonstration the
country would be persuaded that re-
Cancellation and good feeling had been
restored"
Copyright. 1912. by e. J. Edwards
All rights reserved) J.