The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-04-19

Letter from a Rebel Prisoner to his Loyal
Uncle-7He Umcle's Reply.

Letter from Rebel Prisoner to his Loyal
U'sele-We Umcle's Reply.
McDowelPa College, Feb. 8, '69.
DEAR UNCLE HEoRGE ~ suppose you
have heard that | was taken prisoner at
milford short time since. We were
brought to st. Louis, and are now con-
fined in this place. Tomorrow, / under
stand, we are to be sent to Alton
write you to ask that you will use your
Influence to, get me out on my parole Of
honor, as | am very anxious to 60 home
to see my family, and especially my wife,
who, have heard, is very sick. If you
will procure my release, pledge you my
honor ! will religiously observe and keep
my parole until am released. I know
that you and differ politically upon this
question. do not know how it affects
you. / have always entertained the high
est respect for you as friend and re.
lative, and my feelings are still the same.
i do not know how you feel. see your
Office is in the Provost Marshals Office.
know you have great influence, and will
be under lasting obligations if you will
procure my release upon my parole. /
am, very respectfully, your friend and re-
lative, s. D. MARTIN.
BARNuA's HOTEL, ST. LOUIS,
February 10, 1862.
Dr. Salon D. Martin, Alton, III.
Dr. SALON Yours of the 9th Feb.
was handed me this evening upon my ar
rival here. / had heard with deep regret
that you were prisoner taken in arms
against the best Government ON earth.
/ regret to cay, after reading your note,
! can not see any signs of repentance on
your part. The crime that you have
committed is the highest known to the
law. The oldest bloodcd assassination
the law regards as Of less turpitude than
treason, and Justly so, too. In the one
case only single victim suffers, in the
other whole communities and States, and
nation is filed with assassinations and all
the crimes of lesser grade.
Society Ia destroyed, law disregarded,
the torch of the incendiary, the knife of
the assassin, with every other crime,
reipns supremacy throughout the land
Had you said in your note that you had
been duped, deceived, betrayed into this
rebellion. and that you repented, hearti-
ly repented, of the course you had taken,
and that now You were ready to peril life,
fortune and your sacred honor, in defense
of the Government your grandfaihers
toiled through eight long and bloody
years Of privation and suffering to estab-
lish, then / would have iabored for your
release, and / doub, not l could have ac-
complished it. This you have not done
and it is now too late you can never have
my aid. This, to you, may seem harsh,
cruel-be it so. If you we're my son, in
stead of my nephew, ! would never suffer
you to darken nay deer, until you could
do SO as patriot and as loyal citizen of
your Government.
Have you ever thought of the conse-
quences of your course upon me? The
party with which you are associated are
my bitter enemies and seek my life. |
have already had to fly from my home,
and my house surrounded by an armed
band of cut-throats the night left. What
was my crime? Loyalty to my Govern
ment--patriotism, your grandfathers, in
their day, would have called it, For this
you and the party to which you have
joined your fortunes think men ought to
suffer death What il the history of the
leaders in this rebellion? It's written in
one word-Infamy. They first began by
committing perjury-base, biack-hearted
perjury--in the sight of both God and
man. They have now added TO their
blackened souls Gf, indeed, they can be
blackened) the crime of murder. Think
of the thirty thousand widows, the cries
of the orphan for bread, the unavailing
regrets Of more than one hundred thous-
and friends and relatives--and then tell
me if you are guiltless. Have you not
contributed, SO far as your influence goes,
to bring this wall of woe, that now goes
up from this whole country Suppose
you could succeed, and your indepen-
dence be established, who do you suppose
would be the leaders and prominent men
of your Government Those who now
are at the head Of this rebellion-men
Who for years were plotting treason against
the very Government they were sworn to
support, with perjury upon their souls.
know your surroundings. This, to some
extent, owing to your age, may excuse or
palliate your crime.
You have committed . crime that for.
feits your life; the leniency Of your cap
tors, or those in power, may let you 90
free. This. however, does not change
the turpitude Of your crime. You will
be spared, if spared at all. because the
Government is disposed to be nsrciful
and forgiving. / have written, fear
you viii think, harshly and pnfeelingly
to you. doubt not It will appear so.-
! was early taught, BY an old revolution