The Great North-Western Conspiracy in All Its Startling DetailsAyer, I. Winslow
History
The Great North-Western Conspiracy in All Its Startling Details
Ayer, I. Winslow
Knights of the Golden Circle; Northwestern Conspiracy, 1864
As to this man Grenfel, I confess I have no sympathy with him; no
sympathy for the foreigner who lands in our country when this nation is
engaged in the struggle for human right and human liberty, and who takes
part in the quarrel against us, and arrays himself on the side of those
who are trying to establish tyranny and slavery. I have no sympathy for
the man whose sword is unsheathed for hire and not for principle; for
whom slavery and despotism have more charms than freedom and liberty.
The motive of such a one does not rise even to the dignity of vengeance.
As has been said by his counsel, his sword has gleamed in every sun,
and has been employed on the side of almost every nationality, and after
this he engages in our struggle, and, as testified to by Colonel Moore,
desires to raise the black flag against our prisoners; and after men
have yielded as prisoners of war, he rides up to one, and stabs him,
coward like, in the back.
But he is not true to the cause he espouses. When in Washington he went
to the Secretary of War and betrays the very people with whom he had
been fighting; tells all he knows of the strength, position and designs
of the Confederates. He said he proposed to leave immediately for
England, but he breaks his faith, proceeds to Canada, and is found among
the conspirators, and is now here, charged with these crimes to-day.
There is no throb of my heart that beats in unison with such conduct as
this. He was a fit instrument to be used in this enterprise. What to
him would be the wail of women and little ones? What to him would be the
pleadings of old men and unarmed citizens?
The delivery of Judge Burnett's argument occupied three and a half
hours, after which the Commission adjourned to meet at four o'clock
P.M., to deliberate on the findings and sentence. They accordingly met
at the hour appointed, and, after mature deliberation, finally recorded
their verdict.
General Hooker issued General Orders No. 30, April 22, in which he
promulgates the finding of the military commission which, for three
months past, has been engaged in the trial of the alleged Chicago
conspirators. The commission have acquitted Buckner S. Morris and
Vincent Marmaduke, and they are to be discharged upon their taking the
oath of allegiance. They find Charles Walsh and Richard T. Semmes guilty
of all the charges and specifications, and sentence the former to five
years' imprisonment at hard labor from the 7th of November last, and the
latter to three years' imprisonment at hard labor from the same date, at
such place as the commanding general may direct. Gen. Hooker has named
the State penitentiary at Columbus, Ohio.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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