Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1863-11-30
Barn Burning in Sullivan County.

as 1t may seem, always fall upon Unior
men, though they do not number one il
five of the voting population of the coun
ty. The Sullivan Democrat become:
very much enraged at bare insinuatior
that something is wrong with the democ
racy of that very democratic county. Yet
every time it publishes the fact that such
outrages occur, it makes the insinuation
ITSELF How is it that the barns of demo
Gratis are not burned in the strong Re
publican or Union counties? How is il
that In such counties as Wayne, Henry
and Randolph the property Of the vilest
eopperhead is as secure as that of the
most rabid abolitionist? And then how
does it happen that no property in Sulli-
van county is thus destroyed but that of
the Unionists? These are stubborn facts,
which the Sullivan Democrat would do
well to answer before it abuses other pa
pers for calling its attention to them.
In speaking of the recent burnings,
and in. reply to some structures of the
Wabash Express, the Sullivan Demo
crat says:
We think, with the Express, that stop
should be put to such practices, not only
here, but elsewhere, and so do all our
people; but how shall it be done? The
suggestion above that the property of
their neighbors should be levied oh to
make good their damages, is an intima-
ton that these acts of incendiarism were
done by their neighbors, or that they
were privy to them This is a vile SLAM
der on our people That such acts of
lawlessness should be committed in our
county, causes feeling of universal re-
gret, The sufferers have our heartfelt
sympathy The cowardly incendiary is
condemned by all, and if he could be de-
tected and brought to justice it would
give great satisfaction.
We trust that the loyal citizens of
Sullivan county may have every protec-
tion-suffcient, if possible, to guard their
property from midnight incendiaries, bur
glars and thieves. IF the State or Ma
tlonal authorities can devise any plan to
ferret out the perpetrators. and put-a
stop to these outrages, they will receive
the hearty cooperation of the whole peo-
pie of Sullivan county
In reply to the question, how can a
stop be put to such outrages? We can tell
the Democrat in few words Close
your Lodges of the Golden Circle, stop
your incendiary talk about the despo-
tism of the Administration, the destruc-
ton of the liberties of the people, and
quit importing Dan Voorhees, to rouse
the Ignorant to an uncomfortable pitch
with his inAammatory appeals When
this is done, our word for it, the barn
burning and robbery of Union citizens
will cease.
In the same connection we copy in
letter from Mr. Mckee, whose barn
was destroyed few mornings since. He
places the responsibility where it Justly
belongs:
SULLIVAN, Nov. 81.
Dear Brother-With trembling hand
I embrace the present opportunity of
answering your kind letter.
You cannot have the least idea of nv
feelings when, upon the night of the 18th
inst, between the hours of II and II
o'clock, | was awakened by the cracking
of flames, and upon leaving my cham
Der to ascertain the cause, discovered
my barn, containing ten horses and
some other valuable stock, completely
enveloped by the devouring element MY
feelings were beyond description while
standing a forced witness to that scene
of destruction, without being able to
render the least assistance to the noble
animals who were thus being DESTROYED,
and it is doubly aggravating when | re-
feet that 1t was the work of an incendia-
ry-a develsh fend-commissione by
political organization, who sat in indg-
ment upon my case during the hours of
midnight darkness, when none but the
all-seeing ewes of God hnheld The I--r
iniquity of their doings, the charges
againstme being loyalty to my Govern
ment, and the deep love | bore its free
and benevolent institutions And now,
as l stand gazing over the smoking ru-
ins of $1,000 worth of property-so wan
tonly destroyed-which l have been ac-
cumulating for years, cannot but ex-
claim, " How long, Oh, Governor, how
long, shall the Union citizens thus suffer?
Is there no relief for them? is there no
redress? and then when l reflect upon
the cause of my misfortune, my blood
boils within my veins, and were it not for
my helpless family, would shoulder my
musket and swear eternal vengeance
against all traitors whether North or
South, knowing the principles for which
| suffer are the same for which my an
cestors bled in the days of the Revolu-
ton, and which they handed down to me,
as hope to to my children-pure and
untarnished. When my time shall be no
more on earth my children shall refer in
! memory to this sad solemnity as evidence
/ that their father was a truly loyal and
patriotic citizen In the language of
Patrick Henry, " Live or die, sink or
swim, survive or perish, l am for liberty;
for vigorous prosecution of the war;
for a rigid enforcement Of the laws, un-
til that glorious old flag shall wave vic
torious from Main to Mexico-from the
Atlantic to the Pacifc-when traitors
shall be swept from the earth and doom
ed to everlasting perdition, on to where
their father-the Devil-has place al
ready prepared for them. Yet, and as
the case is, it might have been far worse
for nothing but kind Providence saved
mJ dwelling. No breeze was stirring, anC
thus the FIRE was not communicated from
the barn to the house. The flames reach
ed the height of one hundred feet. 1 firm
ly believe q just God will bring to light til,
leader of this internal organization, ant
then it will be known who destroyed tn,
noble animals who were assisting me il
Il e Z =. II,