St. Mary's beacon., 1862-08-14

sHcsf, aun ~ TACT, anytnng anu every
thing -serviceable for meat or drink, Or
apparel are not safe moment after the
apPtssch Of fllcsarmy. Even things ar,-
pars'sta useIesssAre snatehsd up. because,
Il wrald seem. many men love to steal.
st Z place Hherc not loas ago spent
night. scarcely an article 70 which the
fertility of soldier could suggest the
slightest use remained to the owner upon
the following morning. There had been
soldiers there, you might wager. Pans,
kettles, dishcloihs, pork. poultry, provi-
sions. and everything dccirable had dis
appeared. The place was stript, and with
Out any p Q ess of commissary or quarter
master. So it has been in innumerable
Instances. Many family incapable of
sustaining the slightest loss has been de-
prircd Of ALL
not long ago saw a dozen soldiers
rushing hcadlong through a field. each
anxious to get the first choice of three
horses shading themselves quietly under
tree. The animals made. their best time
into the far:hest corner of the field with
the men close upon them; and the fore
most ones caugh: their prizes aud bridlcd
them as if they had a perfect immunity in
such sort of things. A scene followed. 4
young lady came out and bcsoug ght the
, soldiers not to take her favoritc pony.
The soldiers were rcmolsclcss and un-
yielding, and the pony is now in the
! army.
! know case where a family were jus,
seating themselves to supper. Soldiers
came that way, and going in. swallowed
everything. That was NOT all, but what
! eve. in doors and out of doors the soldiers
wanted was readily appropriated, and the
proprietor of the place told me sorrowful-
Iy that they bad ruined him-he never
could now get out of dcot ! hardly re-
GREETED his misfortune so much on his sc
count as for the influence Of this thievinc
upon the soldiers. was really cratifeti
F.! to hear his little boy say, "Pap says h.
wouldn't vote the secession ticket again il
he had the chance His patriotism was
evidently drawing too heavily upon hi,
fortunes. and | was rcioiccd to find him IN
IN inqulring state of mind. But unless Il
check is given to this promiscuous and I'M
authorized plundering. the discipline and
value of the army will be destroyed; and
| when the enlistments have expired, We
shall let loose q den Of thieves upon the
country.
One favoritc form in which this vii! ex-
hibit itself is in the passing Of Phiiadel-
phla Confederate notes. Whenever We
advance into new section the foo'lgatcs
nre Immediately opened and the f.c simi7e
Confederate notes are poured out upon the
land. They pass readily. and seem to BE-
taken gladly for whatever is held for sale.
Bank notes and shinplaS,ers are given for
change. Horses and other valuable pro-
perty are often purchased with this bogus
currency i party of soldiers entered a
store, not long since, fortified with cx-
haustlcss Quantities Of VS. and Ks, and
commence" trade. Forty pounds of su-
gar was first ordered, and the storckccp-
er, pleased with the sudden Increase of
business, called in his wife to assist in
putting up'the sweetness in small parcels
Seventy-fivc cents pound was the cost
That was small matter Matches were
purchased. Twenty-Five cents per box
was tho charge. Tobacco also found a
ready market. Each man provided him
self with straw hat; but tn. crownine 9
act of all was the abstraction from the till
of money already paid to the dealer for
his goods. and the purchase Of more
goods with the same spurious medium.
Various arguments arc used to justify
this practice. They may not be sach as
would pacify sensitive conscience, but
they are made tn answer in want of better
ones. The genuine Confederate money,
they say, payable six months after trea-
ty of peace with the United States, is en-
tirely worthless, and the spurious can be
no less SO. Then some contend that to
derrceiate the enemy's currency by any
means, Is one Of the wrongs which war
makes right, and the more it is done the
mere the cause is helped. Still others
think that the more injury is done to Con-
tcder:ies in any way, the sooner the re-
hcllion will be crushed. They nhe
Coufcdcrates) must begin to feel it in
their pockets" is a favori,c phrase And
50 these practices are going Oil until be-
licve, If it is not checked, we shall unfit
the men to be soldiers now or citizens
hereafter. Such has been the influence of
these new orlers--tLis new way of deal
ing with the Confcderates The Go1crn-
meut has decided to subsst the army
from the euemy's country. and to give
no safeguards to di>ioyal people. The
soldiers conclude that they are individual
ly tn take whatever subsistence they can
lay ha,n!s upon, and disregard all the
lights of private ciiizcns.
find no fault with this policy Of the
Government toward the Confcderatcs.
Their temper is most evidently not of the
kind to be influenced by kindness JUS
tice always allows that protection should
60 no further than allegiance and pulley
! now requires it. The most efltctual way
Of dealing with tie Cenfedera.es is to
make them feel that destruction and
poverty await thei. if they continue their