Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1862-09-06
Miscellaneous.
Letter to the President.
HARRISBURG, Aug. 30, 1862.

Ny Dear Uncle Abraham Not in the
name of twenty millions Of freemen of the
North, but on my own personal curve
l am about to address you a few lines
As preliminary text, offer you the fol-
lowing ticket to fancy dress bali to be
given south Of the Potomac, which was
left at my house few days ago:
OFFICE OF THEU S DEPUTY MARSHAL
For the Filth Ward of the city OF
Harrisburg, Aug. 26, 1862
To U. ]. JoNEs.-TAKE NOTICE,
that you have been enrolled as citizen
within the Filth ward of the city o. H,r.
risburg, in the said county, liable to mi-
tary servic. If you csim exemption ron
any cause. the claim will be received aud
determined by the Commissioner to be ap-
pointed for that purpose for this county,
at such time aud place as he shall specify,
by hand bills to be posted in said ward.
GEO. GAavERICH, Jr.,
Deputy Marshal
Physically disqualified to dance to the
music of an orchestra composed of the
"spirit stirring drum and ear piercipd fife"
the whistling bomb shell and minnie ball,
it is not likely that I shall be present;
but, assuming, my dear Uncle, that was
as sound as dollar, would itnot be un-
generous to ask me to do the State some
service after servihgit for sixteen days in
prison as an example and terror to evil
doers.
In this city there are now no less than
two thousand niggers, being an increase of
about twenty per centum since the sum.
mer of 1860. How the increase was made
| am at loss to say-some people assert
that contrabands came here by aid Of gov
nment transportation, the same as an ad :.
dition was made to Philadelphia, and 9th
ers say not-but be that as it may, the
largest portion Of them constitute an idle,
vicious and dssolute class, which subsists
by begging and stealing-ihe Jail being
nearly all the time filled with these valua-
bic chattles.
On the lst day of August, the anniver
sary of emancipation in the British West
India Islands, number Of these darkies
assembled in woods near this city, where
they gave vent to the widest and most en-
thusiastic joy at the prospect of the speedy
downfall of slavery, and recognition Of
their own rights to social and political
equality.
In all cities there are boys who are fond
of fun Ndelicit, Baltimore, where the ex-
huberant spirits of the youth used to
prompt them t. attend the p lis with bob.
tailed pistoles and pegging avis to keep
Dutch and Irish Democrats from voting.
OF course boys in one horse city like this
do not permit their fancy to lead them
quite so far, nevertheless they are fond Of
fun, and on Saturday, the ID of August,
two disciples of Faust hit upon the idea
of giving the niggers big scare. Printer
boys, as general thug, are rather intel
ligeut, and keep themselves posted, they
bad read the extravagant euIogies pub
lished in your organ il this city on Hun.
tcrS negro Brigade-how it was COM
posed of brave and able bodied contra.
bands who would be servicablc, followed
by loud demands that all the negroes
should be armed They had also seen it
stated without denial that Governor An
drews was about to enroll the negroes of
Massachusetts Tor military purposes, and
that Lane had gone to Kansas with autho-
rity to raise, arm and equip negroes. For
the double purpose of seeing how many of
the brave colored population would re
spond, and how many would suffer ter
rible scare, they included to put out a
handbiIl inviting the valiant darkies TO
"come to time" A form of bill was drawn
up By me, and somewhat altered by them,
and dozen or so oopias were printed and
stuck upon the dead walls of the city by
these young practical jokers. This was on
the 4th day Of Augusta day upon which
the recruiting business was lively, and ex-
citement ran SO high that the joke nearly
proved failure. Everybody, ho Tever,
understood it to be hoax. At the ap-
pointed time of the meeting, some ten or
twelve, mostly No. l porters, who wheel
trunks from the depot on the arrival of
trains, and spend the interim in sleeping
upon wheelbarrows, assembled at the mar
ket house, waited an hour, and then left,
and this would probably have been the
last of it, but your organ here came out
boldly and insisted that the bill was put up
for the purpose OF d scouraging enlistments.
In other words, the editor deo'ared that
the attempt to carry out his own theory
practically was treason On n charge