Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1864-02-13
Letter from Col. Keith.
OFFICE PRoyosr MARSHA GrNh. EAST Tenn.
Knoxville Tenn, February 9Th, 1864,

mont that your 'loyaIty has been establish
! ed, TO enable you TO draw the amount of
u the same from the United States,
@ The one that originated September ith.
o. 1868, is for sugar and corn meal and is for
Q the sum of 5000.
e The other originated October 10Th, of the
! same year is for sacks and fabric called
osnaburgs and is for the sum of $40
, Both these bills bear the endorsement
/ "ioyaHy 10 be eStdJdaLed' That must be
o. done before the proper endorsements can be
made thereon TO secure their payment, and
as view the case, the proof must be clear
that you were a loyal citizen at the date
when You claim the accounts accrued 10
YOU Were you at those dates n loyal man?
In reply, let notorious facts in this commu.
nifty answer.
LIST, You advocated and urged the people
to vote for secession.
ID, You furnished money to arm and couip
soldiers to fight against the United States
Government
3D. You offered through the public prints
Of Knoxville, to clothe and uniform At your
own expense, a regiment of mon. if raised
IN Knox county by Il stated time for Con.
itderatc service.
18th, You are charged with being acccsso.
ry to the murder of Charles S. Douglass. q
/ Union man, and with taking the murdcrors
to room whore you dealt out to them
with liberal hand, champagne. in com.
mcndalion of the murder they had commit
ted
9th. You recommended the Introduction
OF, and did introduce into this place blood
hounds, to run down Union men conscript-
ed by rebels for their service
9th. You have pointed ont Union men as
subjects Of rebel vengeance.
9TH. You have given all the moral and
material aid to the rebellion that your high
social position and great wealth would cna-
bic You to give,
There is no evidence TO show that Won
had in any wise changed your views M to
January 29tb, 1864 True no acts Of dis
loyalty are shown to have been committed
by you since the occupation of Knoxville
by the loyal army and am equally with ,
out proof of any change in your wcl-known
sentiments
With such evidence before me. You can,
not reasonably expect me to doubt that un, !
til within Il few days past You have been
known and only known, as n rebel against
the Government Of the United States. using
your influence and your money to overthrow
the Government to which You now fee for
protection; and that such was your petition
go H. 'l".'r 1900. ,--....-l- - - !.
were YOU on the eth day Of September, or 4,
on the 10Th of October last, entitled, of
right, to receive any thing from the Gov :,
crnmcnt? certainly think not, unless the ,
Government establishes new rule and UNI
dertakcs to reward disloyalty.
On the Goth of January last you appear
ed at this office and took the amnesty oath. !
That, most undoubtedly secures you full ,
pardon for all your acts in aid Of TIC exist ,
ing rebellion and restores you to all rights,
where the rights Of third parties have not
Certainly these rights must
have existed to secure their restoration
Whatcycrth Government has taken is not
an existing right to be restored. Nor does
the taking Of the oath in any way galyan +
izc into life that which was dead from its ,
inception. The property taken from you
Gas set out in the accOunts) was taken from
YOU while a rebel No act Of yours, since,
has created such right Any construction
that would require these accounts to be paid
because you had taken the oath, would be
simply saying to all rebels, either in or out
of the army, that by taking the oath they
should have indemnity for all losses by
them sustained, and to which losses, they,
like you, had contributed by supporting the
rebellion. The restoring Of all the rights
claimed by SUCH might include the right Sc
cured by the constitution, to be HING for tred
son.
There is another objection to allowing the
bill under date of September 4th. The ar
tices included in that were abandoned by
the enemy at Clinton, Anderson county,
Tennessee when they We're driven out by J.
the United States forces. Possession Of the
same was taken by the Government agent
The title thereto vested in the United States
as captured rebel property. Subsequent to
this capture, you present an order from an
officer of the so-called Confederate Govern
ment, authorizing you to take the articles
as credit upon debt owing to you from
them. do not see that in this transaction
you obtained any right. If the Confederate
officer after giving YOU the order had sold