The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-02-01

A WESTERN GOVERNOR, AND SOMEBODY
" PRETTY SISTER. The Washington cores
pondent Of the New York Tribune relates the
following:
A clerk in one of the Departments in WASH
ingt0n was lately detected in the act of com.
municating information to the rebels, and was
Immediately discharged A few day after, he
appeared at the Secretary's office with letter
asking his re.appointment. This letter was
from Governor of one of the Western States.
He writes to the Secretary that the ex-clerk is
an old and intimate friend of has, good and 10y
al citizen; has been most unjustly dealt by, and
winds up by asking it as particular persona,
favor that Mr. ex-Clerk be reinstated in his Of
fee. And the request was Immediately COM
piled with Directly after, an acquaintance,
meeting Mr.. Reinstated, said to him:
''Where did you get acquainted with Gov
ernOr -?'
81 never was acquainted with him-never
spoke to him in my life
Chow, then, did you get such strong letter
from him to the Secretary"
"Oh, have pretty sister, who went to
Alexandria the other day, with the Governor
She procured the letter for me !'
The story is well authenticated and the
writer believes it is true. Put what should
be the punishment of n man who would thus
betray his country, or what is the same in eff
feet, protect those who would betrsy it?
TREASON IN HIGH LIFE.-f the war for the
Union fails, its failure will probably be caused
more by treason than by force of arms There
is every reason to believe that the success of the
rebellion hitherto has been secured almost wholly
by treasonoble communications from trusted
men in our own ranks or employed in the man.
agement of military affairs. Many such COM
munications are known to have been made, and
many more are suspected to have been made,
ever since the beginning of the war. Again and
again the Confederates have boosted of their
previous knowledge of all the movements of
our armies; and many facts have proved their
boasts true. We have just learned a most as.
founding circumstance, which may we'll mako
every patriots heart sink in dismay, and almost
in despair.
that, to his knowledge, on the day when the
Pensacola ran the gauntlet Of the rebel batteries
and before the usual hour of communicating the
countersign Of the day to our pickets opposite
one of those batteries, the rebel pickets boast
fully shouted the correct. countersign across the
river, and added "The Pensacola is coming
down to-night~ What does this fact prove
appears that the counersigns, phicA are sent from
tie War Department to our camps, are made kno,.
to tie rebels By traitors IL confidential positions in
or near that Department, and that other intorma-
ton IN reference to contemplated movements of our.
naoal forces Is ikewise communicable tie esenyi
What Is to be the end Of all this? Can there
not be some publication of the Departments, so
as to save our country from the destruction that
must otherwise result from such fearful treach-
cry? The depressing fact is known that prefer
ence for the Southern rebellion, or base corrup-
tion, has led officers of Government to carry on,
unsupported, correspondence with the rebels to
an extent unknown and undiscoverable.
Shall no effort be made to unmask these vile
traitors? If discovered, shall we "swear them
and let them CO." or shall We rather hang them
to the first lamp.post? II ever crime deserved
summary and extreme punishment, surely such
base betrayal of confidence as is shown by
such acts, should be most promptly and severely
visited with the laws heaviest penalties
Whether prompted by love Of the rebellion, OF
by brides offered by the enemy, or by merce.
nary wish to prolong the war, and profit by plum.
dering the Government and the poor soldiers,
such aggravated . thousand fold by the
confidence reposed in the Endorsements ever.
lasting shame and contempt, and should receive
such administrative even-as will make
the boldest forever shrink from following the
base example. Washington Globe.
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