The Abingdon Virginian. [volume] (Abingdon [Va.]) 1849-1883, 1863-04-03
aJohnny Hook, yr.

The Bristol Advocate of last week comes TO
us with a communication on the subject of
YOUR next Delegates over the signature df /
s.Hardshell.D It is net our custom to reply
TO anonymous communications, but this mis- (
represents as SO much, either ignorahsly or /
designedly, and is SO very remarkable in its
character, we feel constrained topay it a pass
ing notice We don't know the writer, nordo |
wedesire to know him--but we will venture
the prediction that he is not regular old-line
Democrat, or even Democrat from principle,
but one who, at time when it would poy,
rushed into the ranks of that ''faith and or
der" The old stagers of that party have too
much discretion, too much sense, too much
foresight. to be caught at anything so ridicu-
lous, and SO much out of time and place, as the
communication referred to. The writer OBJ
jects to voting for gentlemen for the Legisla
ture who had been Wings, and will not be sa-
tis6ed with less than, one Democratic candi-
date. He objects very seriously to the Gallup
on Col. A. C. Cummings and J. T. Campbell,
Esq, who, while he expresses high iadmira-
ton of them as gentlemen, he would not, TO
use his own chaste expression, trust either of
them as far as he could 'sling an elephant by
the tail" merely because they did not belong
to the Democratic party-a party now, with
all other parties in the South, buried thou
sand fathoms deep, never to be resurrected.
We head these comments with the name of
Johnny Hook," Jr., Oh account of the great
similarity between the writer for the Advocate
and Johnny Hook of Revolutionary notoriety,
80 graphically described by VIM. Writ The
most of our readers are doubtless familiar with
Mr.. Wirt's story, but it is 30 appropriate, we
must introduce an outline of it here. Hook
was a Scotchman of wealth, and suspected Of
being unfriendly to the American cause. Dur
ing the distresses of the army, consequent on
the invasion Of CORVALLIS, q Commissary had
taken two of Hooks cattle to feed our famish-
cd troops. After. the establishment of peace,
Hook brought suit against the Commissary.
Patrick Henry appeared for the defendant
He carried the jury, by the powers of his i'm
agination, to the plains around Yorktown. the
surrender of which had followed shortly after
the act complained Of. lie depicted the sur
render in the most glowing and noble colors
Of his eloquence- audience saw before
their eyes the humiliation and detection of the
British, as they marched out of their trenches
they saw the triumph which lighted up eve
~ patriot face, and heard the shouts Of Veto
~, and the cry Of CIV ashington and Liberty"
as it rung and echoed through the American
ranks, and was reverberated from the hills and
shores Of the neighboring river But bark p
exclaimed Mr.. Henry, "what notes Of discord
are those which disturb the general Joy. and
silence the reclamation of victory? They are
the notes of johnny Hook, hoarsly bawling
through the American camp, '.Beefl beef!
5eefW
Now change this picture, from time of ge-
neral JOY toia time Of gloom and sorrow, and
We have in the communication Of 8 Hardsheli''
the exact counterpart of Johnny Hook and his
beef. This is a time of deep emotion and sad.
dening anxiety. Thered cloud Of war over.
spreads the whole Southern heavens, and a
wall is going up from almost every Southern
dwelling. for the MANNED, the dying and dead
OF our households. All men of every shade q
opinion have laid aside their political pre;udi
ces and passions, and have united as one mar
in great fraternal brotherhood, to meet ths
common foe by common sacrifices, common
privations, and common libations of bleod. =
No, they have not al united. for above tn,
sigh of anguish and the groan of suffering, thu
head of Johnny Hook, Jr, is thrust from hi.
hiding-place, and his raven-like voice, in dole
full Inference, exclaims, Democracy! Demo
crazy! Democracy"
We might stop righ.here, and leave the cor
respondent of the Advocate to his own narrsy
and unpleasant reflections. and tl,e ridicu],
andfpity Of those who read his iH-conceiyet
and ill-timed howlings, but we have some
thing further to say for his edifeation. H,
complains of our having spoken harshly q
the Northern Democracy. We did that thing
and if he will refer to our paper Of the 9th O
October last, he will find our definition o
what we understand the Northern Democrac,
to be. Not the Democratic party proper, al
heretofore organized, but a mongrel concern
composed Of Democrats, Wings and Republi
cans alike, or of all who profess to be conser