The southern aegis, and Harford County intelligencer. (Bel Air, Md.) 1862-1864, 1863-03-06
LETTER FROM MAJOR JACK DOWN
a- ING. . ...... r
DowNINGv1LLE, STATE OF MAINE, I
February 4th, 1858.
To the Editers of The Caucasian: I'd ID.

L
February 4th, 1853.
To the Editrs of The Cawcashin: a5 e..
i SURs:-I expect you have kinder puz
aled to know why you amt heered from mt
in SO long time. l expect you'll won
der, too, why my letter is dated Downing
vile instead of Washington. Wal, II
heke to narrate the hull story: You
know the. last letter I rit you was jest be
fore the first of Jinewary, when the Ker
mel had promised to issoo his Free Niger
Proclamashin. l was alters teetotally
down on it, an I thought I should per-
suade him out of it, an tharby save the
great disgrace an stane it would be on oul
country But the truth is, the Kernel
an I had row about it an l left. The
story I'll tell jest as it tux place: The
morning after New Years 1 cum down
stairs, an the Kernel was settin in his
cheer with his feet on the tabil oval"
SEES he, 'I've done it." "Done what ?"
ses I. "Why," SEES he, '1've signed the
Proclamation" oval" ses 1, 'syou had
better have sigued your deth warrant, for
that is the deth warrant of the Union. -
SEES he, "Majer, I'm sorry you're so hard on
that. OVAL" ses I, "Kernel, faint too
hard on it, as you'll find out to your sor-
ror." Snow, Majer, let me ask you one
thing. We must take Richmond, an ain t
we tried every way but this Amt we
gone by Shauandore Vally, by James riv-
Ell, by Manassas, and yet we can't get to
Richmond We must weaken the rebils
afore we can do it, an this is the way to
effect it." =
SEES I, "Kernel, don't you know there
is one way to get to Richmond that you
amt tried yet?" "No," ses he, "I didn't
know it" "Wal," ses I, "there is."-
oval" ses he, "what on arth is it ?''-
'Wal," ses I, "it is the constitushinal
,oay !" SEES I, "you've bin tryin to get
there agin the Constitushin, an you can t
do it that way, Eff you hadn't called out
rs, 900 men to whip South Caroliny, old
Virginny would never have left you, an
you could have got to Richmond jest as
easy as old grandfather Welles kin go
to sleep"
"Wal," SEES he, "Majer, mebby that's
so, but you can't dip up split milk. Efthe
thing is wrong, it's gone so far now that
we may as we'll drive it thru an see ef we
We can't clinch it on tother side."--
"But," ses I, "there amt eny tother side
to this questshin, eny more than there is
white side to niger or black side to a
white man, an you may drive on and on, an
you won't get thru" "Wal' ses the Ker-
mel, "what will come of it then, Majer ?"
"Wal," ses 1, "you will split the Union,
but that is all you kin do" "Wal," ses
he, "Majer, that would be jest like my
tarnel luck. 1 never got hold of but one
thing in myli that didn't split" SEES /,
.swhat was that?" SEES he, "ataller candle,
an I defy all creashin to split that" SEES
|, "Kernel, guess you must be sum rela-
shin to the teller out West who split up
all the churches" SEES he, chow was
that 7" "Wal," SEES I, OFF l tell you the
story, you must not get mad, for I'm
Altered it will set putty clus." SEES he,
"Maier, I kin stand joak better than any
other Teller you ever see." "Wal," ses l,
"here goes: There was Teller out
West who got converted, or thought he
did, an jined the Episcopal church. He
hadn't bin in it long afore he got the
members by the ears, an split It oil up an
broke it down. After he had done all
hurt he could, he went and jined the Pres,
byterian church, an he hadn't bin there
long afore he split that all up. Then he
went an united with the Baptist church.
It warn't long afore they were all split up
on broke to pieces. Being turned out
from there, he went an jined the Methodist
church. He soon got that church into
hot water, . One day, when the ministers
were consultin as to what to do with him,
ses one of them SEQ be, "I've bin prayin
most fervently that that man may go to
hell NTut, tut, brother" ses the 81
der, show can you do SO? You should
pray for him that he may be better, and
be fitted to 90 to Heaven" "No," ses
he, 81 don't think 80. I've prayed ear
nestly that he might go to hell, an I'll
tell you why. he has split up an bro
ken up every church an neighbothood
be was ever in, an eff he should 60
to Satan's dominions, think he might
split an break up that place, an you know
what d blessing that would be.' 1sfRa
hadn't more than got the last word
out Of my mouth, wen the Kernel jump
ed up from his cheer, an ketchin hold of
his boot-jack, he aourished itrite over his
he'd in savage style. / thought he was