The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1863, 1862-04-03


cy." | turned round to him. at this in
sulting proposition. "Sir,' said /, "be
fore | will take the oath of allegiance to
the. Southern Conf, doracy to obtain my
freedom, will rot in Jail with disease. or
die with old age. Nay, more-I deny
that you have government; deny that
you are authorized to administer the oath
OF allegiance to your rotten n OBJ Govern
ment, which no power on earth will ever
recognize, Before | will do so, will see
the entire Southern Confederacy in hell
and you and | on top oft. Grea, chez.
ring, "Sir.' said he, "Lhat is id
plain talk" eyes sirIee," replied L.
He tipped his hat, made bow, which 1
returned and we parted. hope to meet
him again. and that will be when The
Federal army takes possession Of Knox
vile.
The Union sentiment Of east Tennessee
has never given way, not particle. A
more loyal, DEVOTED, ,untiring band of Un-
iouists never lived on Gods green earth.
That little valley, forty miles wide and
about sixty miles long, Of which Knox
vile is the center, is full Of such Union
men and women. When l came away,
the jail Of Knoxville was full Of Union
men. was there in Jail when they took
my companions out and hung them. |
did not see them bubg, because this was
done over the hill; but l saw them go out
with the black poplar cOfins, and the sol
diers would turn round, and pointing to
Brown'ow, would say, "You will swing
next" Ny reply was, 81 am ready TO
be hung, and all | want is one hour under
the gallows, to give the pedigree of these
men,"
l expected 10 be hung, aud had made
up my mind to it. was told that the
drum head court'martia lacked bnt one
vote of confirming my doom, and that was
the vote Of SecessioList. NJ nan ever
came SO near being hung and was not
One of my companions, A. G. Hawn-
the gallant Hawn, one Of the most moral
land upright men in Knoxville, with a
wife and two small childIen-was sen
teaced to be hung BY this court. INA, ,tial,
and he had but one hours notice to pre-
pare himself. He asked for a minister Of
one Of tha churches in Knoxville to be
stnt for, but the reply OF the jaier was.
''No id traitor in the South has the
right to be prayed for, and God does not
hear such prayers" Poor Hawn was
placed on the scsGold, and a miserable
drunken chaplain Of The Southern req.
ment was sent to attend him. ,
j Just as they were about to launch Hawn
into eternity, the chaplain said: "This
poor unfortunate man desires to say tina
he was led into committing the acts fol
which he is now TO atone with his life
bysthe Union men, and lie is really an OBJ
Iject oi pity" lr...a ,..... t.
| Hawn rose, and in stentoian voice re.
piled, Il desire to say that every word
that man has said is false. | am the
identical man that put the torch to the
timbers Of that bridge and am ready tc
swing tor it. Hang me as soon as you
, can" He said he would do again if be
knew this was 10 be his fate for it.
, No one can tell of the sufeTings ant
, hardships that the Union men Of Eastern
Tennessee have had to undergo, nor how
many innocent men, without hearing O.
trial, have, been put 10 death. Squads Q
cavalry are rowing about the country
committing all manner of crimes, an
shooting down all suspected Of tretson Il
[ the Southern Confederacy. 1t was ,onl,
necessary to have finger pointed to
man and some one was ready 10 shoe
him down This was the case with poo
Pierce. He had committed no act Q
treason, but was supposed to syDpathiz
! with the Union men, Walking across on
of his fields one day, some one said ther
= goes a traitor, when one of a squad Q
cavalry fired, aad he was struck with
= Minnie ball.
" The iaiIs in the South are literally fu
of Union men, many Of them taken from
East Tennessee. Never was a people 8
- broken down. The Government owe
= it 10 the people, il they never 90 any
: where else, TO take care of East TenneI
- - see. They have stood finn. '...
= Tbeve are no Union presses left 10 Il
= = South, and not Union ediiOt but one
:, y and that is myself. They have all bee
- bought up. They offered me large amoun
), of money, but my reply was, Thy none
, persh with thee, | will see you to Il
!, devil first" -.''a 20 r as.
ii They took my paper, my press and n
= type, and gave me notice that | shou
~ ~ not publish any more papers. | took Il
j., ~ advice OF my friends and family, oil
!, stopped The Wing. II was the only tin
~ ~ in my life that | ever gave in, for. Ill
70 - Collins ram, always had head OF n
ID own. Laughter. r...' 's...e. i." 4.
m IN They took my building, which W
10 10 sixty, iset long and two stories high. al
~ ~ transformed it into an arsenal to repi
!, - the guns which Floyd stole from the VI
+. ted States Governments. .t-,r - g.
. And this was not all. An Alabal
., regiment came along one Sabbath d
- and stole from me my only nigger.
~ a. young man ofwhom | thought very hue
~ I might have expected this trom {
rs Northern army II had believed all Il
ID ~ was said oft, but / did not expect Il
ID ID the cbiyalry and flower oflh South wor
n, re- be guilty Of such an act, alter all tn
en- bOastiug. #s'9 DO 'asne arr
ey l lell you to-day, upon the htnor o.
-e, man, that the Southern army aud its har
ed ers on have stolen more negroes in Virg
m. is, Tennessee and Kentucky during
N rnost e;v n,1ntbs Than tha A holitioni