Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-05-04
40 niaht Klnd uf IN.

These days of wal and bloodshed-of trea-
son and treachery, while they unite the
hearts Of political and personal enemies who
eau join in a common love Of our country,
draw lines between the deares. friends, if they
hold different creeds upon the one great ques-
ton of patriotism or tOFyism. An instance
of this has just come to our knowledge, in
which a prominent citizen Of Cleveland Is an
interested party. Many of his hitherto dear
est friends live in the South, and some of
them in the Plug Ugly city Of Baltimore
This time Of our country s trial, however, has
shut them of from sympathy and love, as the
following letter written by him to them will
show. We are kindly permitted to publish
the extract
We are not responsible, of course, for any
position which the writer holds regarding
the abandonment of Washington, but with
this exception, all OF our readers will agree
heartily with the writer's views:
CLEVELAND, April 2sth, 1861. p
Ny DEAR FRIRSD;-I am in receipt Of the
Baltimore papers you were kind enough to
serd me, for which l thank you, as they con-
tain the proof of the bloody treason of your
city. l have also sent you several numbers
of our Cleveland dailies, which 1 hope you
have received.
wish to express to you, and all Of your
family, my best and kindest wishes, but at
the same time wish it 10 be distinctly I'M
derstoOd that 1 hold in utter dstestation the
conduct Of the South, and your city in par
ticular. sa 81.
A more 'causeless rebellion never trans
pired since governments were instituted
among men, than the present one. 1 have
read your papers carefully, and I rejoice at
the destruction of the public property at Nor
folk and Harper's Ferry, and l wish from my
inmOst soul to hear of the utter destruction
OF all such property in every rebellious State,
and l hope and expect to hear Of the total
destruction ofevery public building at Wash
ington and its Navy Yard. / wish nothing
to be saved but the public archives and the
munitions of war. The sIave-accursed soil
about Washington needs recuperatIng. Let
the marble of the public buildings Of the
Capital, erected within the boundaries of
your State, be burnt into lime and scattered
broadcast over that portion of Maryland,
which is the best use the public buildings
can be put to. Washington should not be
protected a moment longer than is sufficient
to remove the public archives to a place of
safety. Baltimore murders the men sent to
protect it, and her citizens glory in the shame
fdl act.
/ hope you and / may be permitted to live
long enough to see the final issue of this
drama 1t will not last long, rest assured
"Let no. him boast that putteth his armor
on, as be that taketh it off, Baltimore has
got to answer to an outraged people for this
devllish act-remember it; the account must
be settled to the last farthing. The Capital
OF the Republic not suffered to be protected
by citizen soldiers; but they are struck down
by a murderons Baltimore mob, and the citi-
Gems ui.hold their hellish treasonl
Depend upon it, the end is not yet; a fear
full retributlou awaits your city, and indeed
the whole South. | know not what il NAV
be, bur believe there is a Just God who gov
ems aud controls the affairs Of men. and |
bill We he will not suffer such unheard of
wickedness to go ~unpunished. 4eas TskeI
Is written upon the wall. The burning
words will stare you in the face as they did
the Babyionish tyraut. ..sL
Who ever heard of such ma iness as the
South are now enacting2 The whole civil
ized world is looking with amusement at
their insane conduct Their citizens BY hun
dreds are flying TO the North for safety. Why
IS this Z Why come here Z Why not stay un-
der the benign reign of JeE. Davis and his
compeers2 Why not 90 to the city of Balti
more, instead OF coming to Cleveland and
other cities of the free North Why not
stay where they can have the protection of
their negro slaves2
Remember what | i now tell you---a fearful
doom awaits yuu. This unnatural rebellion
will be crushed, and that speedily. l want
no compromise, no re-construction-nothing
short of an unconditional begging for quar-
ter, and an unconditional surrender of the
guilty leaders to cOndign punishment, will
ever satisfy me; and his is the voice Of the
entire North.
l confess am selfish enough to wish my
relatives may in some way escape; but in all
other respects l wish the war to be pushed 10
the bitter end. have now pretty fully ex-
pressed my feelings, and have only to add,
that l am as ever,
Your sincere friend,