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LATE PRESIDENT OF THE

CONFEDERATE STATES.

WITH ALL THE ORIGINAL SIGNATURES THERETO.

At a stated term of the bircuit Court

of the United States for the Distnet of Virginia Keld at Richmond on the First Monday of may One Thousand Eight Hundred and sixty seven

Bße Be it remembered that on this Thirteenth (13°) aan · of may in the year of our Lord one mous and right hundva and avaty sevens Lefore the Nonnom ble the bircuit Court of the united states for the Dirtnct of Virginiar at the Bourt Hours in Richmond in the sand Distinct came Jefferson Davey ands acknowledged himself to owe to the limited states of America de sum of One Hundreds Thousand dollars lawful money of the said United States and Fort Smith, Horace Greely, Cornelius Vanderbilt Augustin Schell, Horace I blark's A Helch, Dard & Jochment William at mas forlane, AB storially Socar Davenport Jr. Abraham Harnich, Gintares a Myers, Hilliam & braut, James Lyons, John A meredith, William N Lyons, John mind Betts, James Thomas Jr. Thomas A. Price, William Allen, Benjamin Hord, Thomas W Dowell, each of whom acknowledged himself to owe to the renited States of america the sum if Five Kousand dollars of like lawful money. The said several aurns to de mader to the use of the card United States of the goods, chattels, lands, and tenments of the said parters inspectively. The conditions of this recognizance is such that the wand Jefferson Davig shall in his proper perom well and trily appear at the circus fourt of the couted States for the Distnet of Urginia to be held at Auchmond in the pard Destnet on the Fourth monday of November next as the opening of the Court on that day and then and there aft ear from day to day and stand to abide and perform whatsoever shall be then and their ordered or adjudged an respect to him by the said bours and not depart from the sand bourt without the love. of the raid bourt in that behalf first had and oftarsed; then the said recognizances to recome void otherrerce it remains in full force.

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1867 in open boint before

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THE DAVIS BAIL BOND.

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It will be noticed that two of the parties made their mark, which was duly attested This was owing to the fact that one of the gentlemen had nearly lost his eyesight: and the other was sick in bed, unable to sit up.

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"We found Mrs. Davis awaiting us, with Hon. George Davis, Attorney-General of the last Cabinet, and a few others.

"Mr. George Davis and I just fell into each other's arms with tears in our eyes.

"But Mr. Davis turned to me: 'Mr. Minnigerode, you who have been with me in my sufferings, and comforted and strengthened me with your prayers, is it not right that we now once more should kneel down together and return thanks?' There was not a dry eye in the room. Mrs. Davis led the way into the adjoining room, more private; and there, in deep-felt prayer and thanksgiving, closed the story of Jefferson Davis's prison life.

"Ah, this earth in more senses than one continued a prisonlife for him; a feeling from which few of those advancing in life are wholly exempt. But Mr. Davis murmured not; did not ask to be taken away. He stayed and worked and studied and wrote in his home at Beauvoir till the Lord called himtook his servant home who had tried to serve Him amidst danger and trials, wind and storms. He has gone to his reward.

"And thou, oh, land of the South; oh, thou beautiful city of Richmond, thank God that such a man has been given to you, loved by you, and in his memory is blessed to you. He loved the truth; he served God and his country. Let us go and do likewise."

RELEASED ON BAIL.

There was a desperate effort to "hang Jeff. Davis" on some trumped-up charge.

First, it was the charge of complicity in the assassination of Mr. Lincoln, but they could find no evidence, even with a pack of trained perjurers at their call, on which Stanton and Holt dared to go into trial even before a military commission.

Then he was charged with cruelty to prisoners, but the Confederate records were searched in vain, and stories of swift witnesses were canvassed in vain, to "make out a case" against him on which they could hope for a conviction. Poor Wirz, on the night before he was hung, was offered a reprieve if he

"would implicate Jeff. Davis in the cruelties of Andersonville;" but he bravely replied: "Mr. Davis had nothing to do with me, or with what was done at Andersonville, and I will not, even to save my own life, give false testimony against an inno

cent man."

One of the most scathing replies which Hill made to Blaine, in the memorable debate to which we have before referred was, when quoting this reply of Captain Wirz to the tempter, he said: “And what poor Wirz would not do to save his life, the honorable gentleman from Maine does as a bid for the Presidency."

Utterly failing in these charges they had to face the question. of trying him for "treason," and a partisan judge packed a mixed jury (the first jury of whites and blacks ever empanelled in this country) who found an indictment of "treason" against Jefferson Davis and R. E. Lee.

General Grant "quashed" the indictment against Lee by holding that his "parole" protected him, but Judge Underwood had a mixed petit jury empanelled to try Mr. Davis. [Our pictures of these juries are from original photographs, and are historic.]

The authorities at Washington, however, and Chief-Justice Chase himself, decided, after full consideration, and the consultation of the ablest lawyers in the country, that the charge of "treason" could not be maintained, and so the distinguished prisoner, who was anxious to go into trial and vindicato himself and his cause before the world, was admitted to bail, and finally a nolle prosequi was entered in the case.

We give a fac simile of the bail bond with the autographs of the bondsmen, except that two of these gentlemen were unable to sign their names on account of sickness.

And our artist, W. L. Sheppard (himself a gallant Confede rate soldier), was an eye-witness of the scene, and has given us a picture to the life of "Mr. Davis leaving the court-room."

Throughout the Confederacy there was general rejoicing when it was announced that "the caged eagle" was once more free; but this rejoicing was mingled with deep regret that he had not been allowed his coveted opportunity to vindicate the Confederate cause in the courts of the country and in the hearing of the world.

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