The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-12-31
Letter from w. G.. RrownloW-His
Treatment.
We cory from the Nashville Pa,rio, the fol.
lowing characteristic letter from Parson
Bro wnlow:

/ w WY iEou the NaSnNiiit fdfrf0t tne IOI-
lowing characteristic letter from Parson
Brownlow:
KNOXVILLE JAIL, Dec. % 1851.
Eaitors Of the Nasaeiue ra.riot: In your issue
| OF the 18th inst. You say: I'VE learn that w
". Browniow, imprisoned at Knoxville, re-
inses to eat anything, desiring to starpe hinse.j
| have no doaht, lir. Editor, that you have
| Ieaaheo such thing, but 1t is wonderful in l.
.ei.geaee And but for the fact that do
| NOT wish TO DC understood as trying to com
| NIT suicide, would not care TO correct the
erroneous statement. The truth in my case
| Is that have now been in Jail two weeks,
ana l nave eaten too much every day, my
| iaUlG, WIA the permission of Brig. Gen
| Sarroii. furnishing me with three meals each
| oay But for taking cold, and suffering from
| sore throat, could boast of usual health
| As IL is claim to be the most cheerful of
! more than one hundred prisoners tound
| here on my arrival.
But, si., VIII now give you an additional
Hem or so. which many of your readers will
| peruse with interest, if you are allowed TO
PUBLISH them. ! left home about the 5th of
| Novem Der, with view to collect some claims
| que my Office for advertising, and 10 relieve
| the fears of my faIaiiy. who were daily an
noyed with the calls of drunken soldiers,
| calling before my house, and fio1rishing their
| side. e.khives and pistols, and making threats
| CT violence. The last week in November /
| received letter .om Erigadier- Genar al
| carroll, Inviting me to return aud prom Isl ng
| me protection froIn personal violence On tn e
oth OF december received q brief letter from
/ MAJOR Gen. Cri ttenden. inviting me 10 his
| headquarters in Knoxville, promising ME
! passports into Kentucky, ana a military es-
| cort 10 conduct ME safe. At the same time
| was furnished with the copy of letter to
| tne MAJOR GenerS Irom j. p. Ben j.min
| secretary OF War, % vising Rim to give me
passports and a safe conduct beyond the Con-
| federate lines.
Supposing the head of tho War Depart
| ment, ana the MAJOR General commanding
| mere, TO be acting III good faith, reported
| myself IN / ,rson, and accepted the offer CT
| passports. | agreed to start on Saturday, and
| the General designated Captain Giliespie's
| company OF cavalry for an escort
| But, on Friday evening, Just before sun
| aoWh was arrested for treason, founded on
certain e9itorials in the Knoxville H1ig, sine
) une last, the warrant being signed by Com
! missioner Reynolds and Attorney Ramsey
| am therefore, in jail--in close confinement
| perfectly contented, and making no com
nanny, ptan Us aga,nSs any one. am waiting pa
War Department at Richmond associated
| with the M3 jor General in con- rnaud here or
the commissioner Court Tor Knoxville! !!
| Nay, am anxious 10 know whether the high
| uthorities inviting me here were acting in
| good faith, or were only pla.ing off Il rick
| 10 nave me- lncarcerated. am not willing
| 10 oeiieve that the representatives of 3 great
Government, struggling for its inds spenGeace,
| and having in charge the interests of twelve
millions OF pc cpie, intend to act in bad faith
| to RE. The chiyalrous people of the Sou th
l hho otii LHe nave denounced the
| hlgh handed measures of the United States
| Government In ending the AqJeas corpus
act, suppressing public Journals, and incar-
ceratng citizens upon iettrss cachet, and will
rot allow my self TO believe that the Conteae-
rate Governm ent will reso to simiI ar tri cks,
am, sir, very respectfully, &c.,
w. G. BEowELow.
sEeUEL TO THE ABoFB-TRIAL OF B2ovELoy-
HIS KRLEAsE-LBTTER FROM THE sgCRETaRy op
WAR.
The knoxville Register, Of Saturday, saws
that the case OF Parson BrownIow, arrested
lor the publication of incendiary articles
against the Confederate Government. was
called up in court on last Friday:
The Deputy Marshal, Fox, having been
ordered TO bring from jail W. G. BrownIow
reported that BrownIoW was too unvelI as
he represented himself, to appear 1t the corrt-
house Very few spectators were present.
Ihe Com missioner ordered the District at-
torney to proceed; wheTeuPon the District
Attorney arose and read the following letter
which he had just received from Mr. Benja-
min. Secretary of War at Richmond:
CoEFEDERATE STATES OF AMERIcA
HAs DEPARTMENT,
Richmond, Dec % 1861 \
Sir: Your letters Of the l7.h and 10Th inst
have been received In relation to Erou-n-
lows case, the facts are simply these: Brown
tains, made application to Gen. Crittenden
for protection against what he called. mill
tary mob or military tribunal, if he came to
Knoxville, protesting his willingness to un-
dergo civil trial, g., triL before the civil
Court, as distinguished from court-martiaI
and as l understand Gen. CTittenden pro.
missed to protect him from any violence and
from any trial bet re a military tribunal
In the meantime Mr. BAKER came bera
and represented III at Brownlow, who was
entirely beyond our power end SO concealed
that no one could get possession of his per-
son, was Will ng to leave the country and 90
into exile to avoid any further trouble In
East Tenn essee, and proifered that Erownlow
would come in and deliver himself up TO be
| conveyed ont of East Tennessee, if the Gov.
ernment would agree to let him do so and to
protect him in his exit
II Brownlow had been in our hands, we
might not have accepted this proposition;
but deemi ing it better TO have him as an open
enemy on the other side of the linz than q
secret enemy within the lines, authority was
| given to Gen. Crittenden TO assure him OF
protection across the border if he came into
Knoxville.
| 1t was not in our power, nor that of any
one elso, TO prevent his being taken by pro.
| cess of law, and confess 1t did not occur to
me that any attempt would be made to take
him out of the hands Of the military author.
| ity. This has been done, however, and it is
only regretted in one point of view, that is,
color is given to the suspicion that Brown
low has been entrapped, and has given him
self up under promise OF protection which
has not been firmly kept. Gen. Crittenden
| feels sensitive on this point, and l share his
| feeling. Better that any. the most dangerous
enemy, however criminal, should escape
than that the honor and good faith of the
Government should be impugned as even
suspected General Crittenden gave his
word only that Brownlow should not be
tried by the court martial and l gave au-
thority to promise him protection f he would
surrender, to be conveyed across the border.
We have both kept our words as tar as was
In our power, but every one must see that
Brownlow would now be safe, and at large,
If he had not supposed that his reliance on
the promise made him would ensure his safe
departure from East Tennessee.
Under all the circum stances, therefore, il
Browniow is exposed to harm from his ar
rest, shall deem the honor OF the Govern.
ment SO far compromised as to consider it
my duty to urge on the President pardon
for any offence of which he may be found
guilty and l repeat the expression OF my
regret that he was prosecuted, however evil
dent may be his guilt j. +. BENJAMIN,
Secretary of War.
J. C. Ramsey, Esq,
C.s. Dist, Atty, Knoxville.
Upon the reading Of the foregoing letter,
the Attorney remarked that the arrest of
Brow low had been made after consultation
with the military authorities, who had given
assurances that if Brownlow should be ar.
rested by civil process that the military
would in no manner Interfere in his behalf,
except to protect him from personal violence
that this arrest had been IN ade because of the
following and similar rticl.s which had
been published In Brownlow's paper:
"Let the railroads on which Union citizens
OF East Tennessee are conveyed to Montgo-
merry in irous, be eternally and hopelessly
destroyed, Let the property Of the men con-
cerned be consumed, and let their lives pay
the forfeit, and the names Will be given ~
District Attorney Ramsey then proceeded to
say that he would enter a notle prosequi only
the Confederate States Government should
be carried out in this ease, and Rrownlow be