The commission was then cleared for delibertion, and having maturely weighed and considered the evidence adduced find the accused, William Hearst, of Jefferson County, Mo., as follows:

Of the specificatio, guilty.

Of the charge, guilty.

And the commission does therefore sentence the said William Hearst, of Jefferson County, Mo., to be shot to death.

S. D. STURGIS,

Brigadier-General, U. S. Army.

RICH'D D. CUTTS,

Colonel, U. S. Army, and Judge-Advocate.

The commission then adjourned to meet to-morrow, Tuesday, January 14, 1862, at 10 a. m.

The commission having thus performed the painful duty of awarding punishment in conformity to the laws of war and to General Orders, No. 32, 1861, which deprived them of all discretionary power, beg leave to recommend the case of William Hearst to the merciful consideration of the confirming authority.

The members of the commission engaged in the trial have reason to believe that the prisoner is an unusually stupid and ignorant man, and not capable of discriminating between the lawful commands of a superior officer and those that are criminal; that he enlisted in the rebel ranks more from unfounded fear of his neighbors than from any deepseated feeling of disloyalty, and that he volutarily delivered himself up as a prisoner when he could have escaped arrest.

S. D. STURGIS,

Brigadier-General, U. S. Army.

RICH'D D. CUTTS,

Colonel, U. S. Army, and Judge-Advocate.

JOHN SCOTT,

Lieutenant-Colonel Third Iowa Infantry.

E. W. CHAMBERLAIN,

Major First Iowa Cavalry.

EXHIBIT A.

Being illiterate I was made the dupe of bad men who have hitherto borne such a good name in my neighborhood that I was led to place confidence in them. I never entertained a thought of overthrowing the Government, but went to Thompson's army through fear of Federal troops whom I was induced to believe were coming upon me and my neighbors with fire and the sword to commit and indiscriminate slaughter. I was told and believed that the Federal troops were usuring authority and destroying the guarantees of the Constitution. Thus misled I went to Jeff. Thompson's rebel army, who I believed were fighting for the Constitution against usurpation of the President.

The evidence shows that I there enlisted in a company organized as I understood by authority of the laws of the State of Missouri. Being regularly mustered into the said army I became subject to the orders of the officers of the company and battalio. We were ordered to march up to the Big River bridge. We were told that the destruction of that bridge was a military necessity, and were ordered by our officers under the penalties inflicted by military law for disobedience of orders to destroy the bridge. I felt it was wrong at the time, and hesitated. The bridge was fired by others not by myself. The statements of the