Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-09-24
The Captive Ladies of Iya.iiinsIuD.

lhc Captive Ladies OIL NashlhStpb.
i correspondent Of the Baltimore Exchange
b.trays m indignation which every chlvalrous
nature must feel. in writing of the treatment
Of ladies by the brutal set in Washington. He
says:
On Saturday, ut II A. NJ, Mrs. - enter
tanning her visitor, lady friend, was surprised
to sac two uea enter and announce to her that
she was under arrest, as well as her family. I'm
mediatclv armed men stationed themselves in
her paro.s at all the doors, and round the house;
while four men proceeded up stairs throwing
open The sacred doors of her apartments,
fcrcing oren desks, wardrobes, drawers, boxes,
tearing tie bedding from the beds, searching
the pockets Of dresses with an activity which
threatened destruction TO everything. Re.
ronstrance was in vain, for they were told to
hush" elsr lEey should have guards placed
over each of them Their hands were violent.
IL seized because pocket.book was detained
and iiic unfortunate female pushed into room
with a soldier over her Their soiled r'0thss
ware nsuted, bringing the tears into thel:
womens' eyes Every insult in net and speech
was shown to them, and wheR their desks and
pockets had been robbed Of their contents,
they were all huddlea into one room With
armed men to guard thcrn.
The regulars Of the United States army
have been gen,lemanly in their department.
] have long wished for some term to define
rnasS Of vulgarity, rutianl, conduct, insults
TO unprotected womet,, and i,aSe found It IN
New York detective policeman. The prison.
ers have four over them; they have turned
them our of their parlors; sleep and smoke on
their SOFAS: answer the bell when their friends
call. and their cards and notes are all exam.
ined. They illuminate the,house, seated at the
front window with their legs over the chairs;
thrust themselves wherever the ladies meet to.
gether (the family being large) to hear their re-
marks; have examined and threatened the SER
wants If they do not tel. The prisoners cannot
get pitcher Of water without guard being
sent with their servants; their mail IS taken
possession OF, ard their privacy lntruded upon
in every way Nov, rs there is tod IN
Heaven, have ] stated exactly what this nine
teenth century has allowed. Isolated from oil
their friends. thus are they left to the ven
geancc Of This Government.
The charge of reasonable correspondence
cannot be sustained M letter has been writ
ten to any Confederate leader; nor can
proof be found to sustain this arrest. They
are entirely ignorant iutn whose hands they
have fallen, and are as much guarded as If they
were the Ycr;eS. cnnycS IN record.
They canno. consistently ,aSk any favors Of
this Government. neither d. they wish to-
Their bones would rather rot in prSon--forgi"e
this strong expreSSion-but my blood holls
will, al indignant strength. No one knows
Of my having written this letter; do so on my
own responsibility.
How lGng these per$eGut!ufiS sre to he con.
tinned we cannot irnsglne; but thepubiic shall
know what Lincoln has inalgurated
Hon Harvey N. Watterson, r,c;nrly return
ed from Washington, made II speech On Nun
daY last Il, McMihuyl!e Tenn The New
Era" says
'.He reminded his htarer. Of his lOrUcr de.
votion to thr Union. and informed them that
whs, !e mad seen ut Washington had thorough.
ly d,sgus.,d aud weaned him from his devotion
to The Stars and Stripes He said if he had
TO olhcr ca,:se, the inhrr'llity and wholesale
rasca,ily Of tie Government at " Mashington
were sufficient to justify Il disruption OF the
old Union. he represents complete reign OF
terror at the old Federal Capital, aud expresses
tine conviction that more despoilc and tyran,
nical Government cannot be found than the
one which acknowledges Abraham Lincoln as
it's ruler. In justice to Col. Watterson, We
wish our people could have heard him on the
occasion. We are gratifsd to hnd him SO
Southern in his feelings, and expressing sueh
confidence in the ability OF the people OF the
South to establish and maintain their indePen-
dence over the powers that be at Washington
Although a long way past muster roll tae
Colonel expresses himself ready, whenever the
country demanded the services Of the able
bodied men Of his age, to shoulder his musket