Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1862-04-03
From.the Cincinnati Gazette.
PARsoN DRowNLoW's ADDRESS Al
THE MFROHANT,S EXCHANGE.

~
afternoon the President Of the Cham.
ber of Commerce, Jos. c. Butler, Esq,
csl,ed the meeting to order, and an.
nouneed that Mr.. Brownlow had arrived
in the city, and stated that it had beer
proposed to invite him to meet The
members on Change.
Mr.. N. W. Thomas moved the sp'
pointment of ccm mittee OF Eve. tc
invite Mr.. BrownloW to visit the Cham
Der.
The President named as such COM
mittee, N. W. Thomas. Jos. Torrencel
Major G. L. KilburH, o. s. A.. Issas
A. ogborn and ]. W. Sibley.
The Committee immediately waited
upon Mr.. Brownlow, at the Gibsor
House, and he accepted the Invitation
and accompanied the Committee bacl
10 the Exchange -s77 z-..--., .----.
Mr.. Brownlow was here introduced
to the members by the President of the
Chamber, and then addressed them as
follows:
am sorry, gentlemen and iello"
citizens, that l an not in q condition to
make you even short speech. L
have been accustomed for thirtY-hve
years to making public speeches, and
have only failed in the art during the
past three years, while suffering from
a bronchis affection Of the throat. L
am getting better. however, and al.
though for two years past l could
hardly speak above whisper, | can
now make myself heard at the distance
of few feet, particularly when l am
taking about Disunion-fer l never
get on the subject that God, In bis
Providence, does not increase the vol
ume of my voice.
In addition to my other suferings. l
have been incarcerated in a damp,
gloomy Jail, shut out from the fresh
air and free exercise, for three months.
This has been hard on me, who was
always accustomed to jump higher,
fall fiatter, and squsll louder than
any other man in Tennessee, cheers,
always saying what I pleased. For
three months have been kept in close
confinement, and the only favor allow
ed me, was that my little son should
bring me my meals three times day.
The food that was given my fellow
prisoners by the officers in charge OF
The Jail, was the foulest ofal from the
hotel. No true Virginian would give
such food to his dog. Ny food was
prepared by my wife, and brought to
me BY nv little son in little basket.
The officers IN charge, used to take
this basket, lift off the napkin, examine
between the plates and watch all my
movements to see that some little bit
of paper containing information from
nv friends was not concealed in the
basket, and when l had finished my
meal, the same examination was made
to see that did not communicate with
them. The only information l obtain
ed was from my little son, who would
whisper to me that fight had occurred
here. or an engagement there, but no
details whatever were given me, for
they charged that in the absence OF
Gov. Johnston and Horace Maynard
that was at the bottom Of the con-
spiracy and the leading spirit in the
opposition to the Southern Confedera-
cy.
|, however, entered into learned dip
lomatic correspondence with misera
bic little Jew, named Judah. P. Benja-
min, the so-called Secretary Of WaI
of the bogus Confederacy. In that
correspondence ! have the vanity tc
believe that | got the better Of him -
This correspondence has never been
printed. although, now that ! am al
the North, shall take the opportunity
to lay it before the public.
In that correspondence he stipulated
TO let me out He said / was bad
man, and dangerous man to the
Southern Confederacy; and said he
II have directed Maj-Gen. Geo. B
Crittenden TO send YOU through the
lines 10 the people you serve. -
agreed" said l; fit out your escort
and / will accompany it. l proposed
to do for the Southern Confederacy
what the Devil never did-quiet the
country" Cheers. About the tim'
/ was ready to start, an inferior Office
come in with a warrant for my arrest
Holding in my pocket passport of the
Secretary Of war Of the bogus Govern
ment of the Southern Confederacy, ant
the order for my removal signed b,
Criltenden, declind to notice the war
rant. This officer. a little upstar
named James c. Ramsey. seized me
and swearing 10 his own warrant, th
perjured villain, that I had committe
treason against the State Of Tennessee
in writing a certain editorial which wa
published in the Knoxville Wing. an,
which, mark you, was printed May q
one month bsfore the ordinance Of Sc
cession was passed, and Tennessee ha
passed into the Southern Confederacy
and yet this was treason TO the State
] was taken out of the hands or th
military authorities, denied trial an
thrust into Jail on the affidavit of th
miserable, debauched little puke.
After being in Jail three weeks,
was attacked with typhoid fever, an
for twelve weeks / was very low.
was removed to another room, and b,
coming worse they called in an addition
al physician. Although I was so 10
that I had tn he turned over in NV bet