M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1863-11-12
MAJOR JACK DOwNINe's LETTER.
HuNsHR TwESfT-SIx.
pOwNNovIrrE, Oct. 9s, ,6a.

herd from me lately, | 'spOse they
think Pm ded, or gone over to the
Abolishinists, which is q tarnal sight
wus /; but amt in neither fix. Pm
pretty we'll, iest'noW. The'hot wether,
durin' the summer kinder tired me,
but 1 carry eighty years jest about as
we'll as any man ever did. The risen
you amt herd from me is jest this:-
I've been leelin' uncommon gloomy and
down-apiriled all sumner. Every.
thing seemed to DO goin from bad to
wus. Linkin wouldn't take my advice
and cum 'o4t 'akin The Abolishinbts,
bit issued his free nigger proclams.
shin rite agin the law and the Con.
sttushin Both. Wal, things have
gone down hill rapid since then. The
Demycratic party didn't cum out
biunty sgin this proclSnashin, but
kept on supportin' the war, an the
consequences is, 1t has been whipped
all around. Politics ere gettin' down
to first principles. The Demycratic
party reminds me Of old Deacon
Doolittle's youngest boy, Bob. When
Bob was.about fifteen years old, he
was the most awful liar lever knew.
An he would not only lie, bu. he
used to steal the other boys dinnera
ont Of their baskets. One day, at
school, the teacher undertook to whip
him, an Bobjumped out Of the window
an run hum across lots, frightening on
his way old Saul !2endergrass's bay
mare so badly that she broke her leg
in tryih' to jump over the fence, an
died tie mex. day. The old Deacon
called Bob up, Au gave him a terrible
whippin'. An 40 he was about closin'
up the job, the Deacon, ses he, bob,
why can't you behave yourself %
oval, Pop" says Bob, drawlin' odt
the words between the blubberin' "the
resin is Jest this: 4 cant dehave
.nless l'mlidtsd !" Az jissat 90 il ID
with the DemmyctatIc party. = can't
behave itself unless ii's licked.
should think ito late thrashings ought
10 put It on its good behavior.
Things are now jest as bad as they
kin BE-, and that is what encourages
me. ] shall never forget HoEiakiah
Stebbins, WHO lived away mp in the
upper part Of PeHobscot. One winter
it had been. awful cold weather, and
'Kiah had had awful bad lack, and
towards spring it seemed to get wores
inetead Of better. he hsa lost his
horse aud his cow, AID his chickens,
aud all his pigs but one. Finally that
&ied, and the next day happened to
go up TO his house to see how be was
getting along. | found the old man
happy 80 a lark. He was singin' and
sholtin as If nothing had happened
When / went in ses |, "Kiah, what on
airth is the matter 2" "Oh," sos he,
"the las. pig 10 ded," and he went to
jumpin and cEWppin his hands as il he
was the happiest msa in the universe.
Ses 1, "what possesses you to act so ."
"Wal," see he, strings 6an't be no
wus. The last pig 10 ded! anything
that happens now must be for the
better" And just so it is With the
Dimmeyciatic party. Anything now
tlat happens to it must be for the
better And l must confess that 4
feel a good deal like 'Kiah. | don't
feel ct all like sittin down aud cryin
like a sick baby over split milk, be.
cause we've been whipt in the late
elecshius. That amt the way old
Ginral HiSE1oy jackson taught me
Dimmocrscy,
The other day I got q letter from
LinkiD, askin me to cum on to Wash.
ingtoh. He ses he 70 setsin into q
heep Of trouble about his next mes.
sidge, oil on account Of the difRkilty
which Blair and Chase are kickin up
cbout what is to be dan with the
sathesin States after the fsbelyon 10
pat down. He Sos he wants me 10
help get up the uessidge, and kinder
fix things up ginerally, | writ back
that cold wetner was comm on, and
roy rumatis would probably trouble
me, so could not tell exactly what |
would do, but if could be of any
service to my coantty, as long as life
lasted I would do my duty. wrote
him also about the matter Of the
southern States. an l told him that it
reminded me of the old receipt for
cooking q rabbit. First catch your
rabbit" ltold him they had not got
the southern States yet, that they
sartainly wouldn't get them this year,
an Ididp't see any great likelihood Of
cettin them next year. In fact the
times of the soldiers were mostly out,
an didn't believe they ever could
cet another sich an army, an that II