Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-12-04

a my had trafficked in produce from bales o
cotton 10 hens eggs. They prosecuted Gen.
Curtis numerically. He could not be pres
ent, of course, to cross-examine witnesses, OF
explain any transaction, because he was not
mentioned in the order making the Inquiry
By professed spies, by testimony which would
be secuted in court Of Justice anywhere, the
court, having travell. from st. Louis to
Lake Providence, found that he was connect.
ed, some way or other-they did not know
exactly how-with four lots of cotton. The
President looked into the case, and couldn't
see it. He requested Gen. Curtis to make a
statement. He did so, fortifying it with
the testimony Of others, and fully, fairly,
squarely, and completely vindicated himself.
There never was more thorough triumph.
Halleck is as badly whipped as was Mellow
ell at Bull Run, or this same Cooke on the
Peninsula, when, in command of the cavalry
of our army, he permitted Stuart to c,rcum-
raid our entire lines This is the second
time the General-in-C Chief has been badly
worsted by an Iowa General, the first being,
as you will remember, in the case of General
Warren. He had better conclude, once for
all, that the Hawkeye State, unlike Achilles,
is vulnerable nowhere. Meanwhile, it is mat
| ter Of congratulation not only to Iowa but to
the country, that the hero of Pea Ridge, ard
the only man who has fully succeeded in the
Department in which is Missouri, has tri.
umphed over all those "envious command
ants" who sought to dim the lustre of his
reputation and cast stain upon his personal
character. in letter which wrote you so
long ago as the 18th of March last, IN speak.
ing of this very charge, | used this express
f{int nd
founded upon not unthorough knowledge of
Gen. Curtis conduct, that it will be shown,
if this matter Of cotton speculation ever
comes to be examined, he 10. only has not
grown rich in the business as charged up
on him by his enemies here and in the west,
but that he has not m sde dollar by reason
of his position in the army, whether by cot
ton or by any other means whatever" And
so it has turned out. | do not feel 50 saE-
guine as do some that Gen. Curtis will at
once be assigned command, for know too
we'll the power and the high position Of the
men who, dogs and bloodhounds of slavery,
have so long pursued him, friend of the
slave, with such relentless cruelty. But it is
glorious thing that his just cause has thus
far triumphed.
1t has been the general opinion here lately
that WaShburne's chances for The speaker.
ship were the BEST Six weeks ago opinion
was in favor Of Colax, but more thorough
counting of noses gave the chances to
Washburne. Mr.. Colfax got off little piece
of sharp pr,ctice day before yesterday, which
it is thought will turn the balance in his fa-
vor again. He had big quarrel with Mont
gomery Blair. If the Postmaster. General
now takes his revenge by going for Wash
burne that gentleman will fail. 1t is pretty
we'll settled now that the Blairs will drag any
friend down. l wish they would keep out of
this little skrmmage altogether. But it was
shrewd trick on the part of Colfax, that.
Messrs. William Stannus, Rob rt Gray,
William Vermillon and Chas. II. Beas sley, of
Keokuk, in our State, more recently from
Richmonn prisons, reached this city day or
two ago, having, with about three hundred
others, been paroled by the rebel authorities.
This correspondence long since narrated the
particulars of the capture Of the first three
namei, by the guerrillas on the Mississippi,
early in May last They were first taken to
Vicksburg, where they remained in Jail sew
eral days. Then they were trans ported to
Richmond. stopping at Atlanta one day.
Since about the Goth of May till few days
ago they have been at pichmond. Mr.. Beas-
ley was captured at Chickamauga In the
letter in which I before spoke of them, l
dwelt upon the horrors of Libbey prison, as
they had been described by one who had just
left there. That narrative is more than fully
sustained by these gentlemen who unite with
all the others in the opinion that it is the OBJ
ject of the rebels to starue our prisoners to
death! Such atrocious barbarism it is hard
to believe in, but these men, who had nine
months experience, which was hard, hard to
bear, cannot think otherwise. esarr
The Hon. John A. Kasson, NJ. G. from our
Fifth District, paid the city flying business
visit the other day, laid seige to Depart
ment, carried the works at once, and retired
again in good order to New York.
t. LINKENsALE.