Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-08-09
Despo,ism I'm West virginia.

In another part of this paper we pub
llsh letter from responsible correspon-
dent at Wheeling, Virginia, in relation to
the recent outrages and crimes commit
ted by Major General DAVID HUNTER in
the Department of West Virginia. The
correspondent knows whereof he writes,
and his statements may be confidently ac-
cepted as authentic. He discloses state of
affairs in West Virginia, under the sway of
HUNTER, the simple recital of which must
bring the flush of shame to the cheek of ev-
cry citizen who feels an interest in the good
name of our country, or is concerned as to
the record we are making in history. That
such a blundering.vcious, odious, rapacious
and imbecile tyrant as HUNTER is allowed
to hold supreme power over people who
were once free. is wonder to the present
and will be marvel to the future historian.
He has never, in the field or camp, displayed
one iota of skill or courage, humanity or
patriotism; in theone he is distinguished by
his blunders, in the other by his brutality.
BY his gross incompetency he opened the
way and cleared the path for the invasion
Of Maryland; by his ferocity, vandalism
and robberies on his Lynchburg expedition,
he made hundred enemies where he de-
troyed one, and by his example invited the
burning of Gov. BRADFoRD's house and the
obstruction OF Chambersburg. On the re-
treat, he horse-whipped his own soldiers,
and at the same time compelled them by his
neglect to starve. He lost one-third of his
guns, and would have lost them all but for
the skill and courage of Gen. Crook. The
only trophy he brought back was a stolen
statue of GEORGE WASHINGTON!
To crafty his personal spite and tocrush
out all comment on the part of the press
upon his disgraceful failure, he usurped il
legal power, and maliciously and arbitrari-
1y imprisoned and ruined two innocent
men, These men he still holds in the fl
thiest dungeon in his department, without
the slightest authority, without pretense
: of Justification, and in open violation of his
olth of office and his duties as General in
the army. Without7a single qualification
as an officer, withouga merit to commend
him to the confidence of his men, without
quality entitled to respect, he isstill retain
ed in command, apparently for no other
purpose than to oppress the weak, and run
away from the strong. His career reads
like areyised edition of some one of NERo's
lieutenants, which has come down in histo-
Sry for the execration and hatred of man
aIklnd--a fixed figure for the scorn of time
to point its slow, unmoving finger at.
In allsthe history OF France or england,
in times when bloated and powerful despots
ruled and goaded the people to revolt and
regicide, there is no instance of more un-
justifable exercise of lawless power, nor a
clearer case Of arbitrary and criminal in
Justice to a subject, than the arrest and i'm
prisonment of Messrs. BAKER and LONG by
General HUNTER. 1t seems to us that when
the simple facts in this case are brought be-
fore the Administrative authorities, they
will at least attempt to grace theirunhappy
areign with one act of common justice by
overriding the action of the infamous Hun
TER, and ordering the release of the innocent
citizens who have been made the victims of
his wanton cruelty and barbarous wicked
ness. ras +s~tP ~ 1873 s@As