Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-09-08
"Innocent blood? Women and children. ;,

| iunVCeut OlOOul w omen ana children"
"Yes,. women and children. II you let
the blacks loose, they will rush into carnage
like horses into burning barn. ST. Do
mingo will be multiplied by q Million"
But ne says ne blood is to be shed, ex-
cept in self defense"
He says 80, and the leaders may moan
so, but they cannot restrain the rabble. -
Every slave has some real or fancied wrong,
and he would take such a time TO avepge Il y
well, | must talk with Garfield. Come.
go with me-"
We crossed the street TO Garfeld's lodg-
ings, and found him bostered ND in bed,
quite sick ola fever The General sat down
at the foot Of bis bed, and handed him the
letter. Garfield read it over carefully, and
then laying it down, said ~ ..
1t will never do, General. We den't
want to whip BY such means. Ifthe slaves,
OF their own accord, rise and assert their
original right to themselves, that will be
tnelr sWn affair, but we can have no COM
pllclty With them without outraging the
moral sense Of the civilized world"
Il knew you'd say SO; but be speaks Of
other department commanders-may they
not come into itY
Yes. they may, aud that should be look
ed to. Send tbi. letter to -, and let him
head off the movement"
1t was net thought prudent to intrust the
letter to the mails; nor with the railway. in
tested with guerrillas, was it a safe doou-
ment to carry about the person? A short
shrift and long rope might have been tha
consequence Of its being found on travel
Ter. 80, ripping open the top of my
boot, slowed it snugly away in the lining,
and took it North. On the 4th of June
following, Garfield wrote me that he had
Just heard from the writer Of the letter. that
i've cut of nine Of our department cemman-
ders had come into the project, and subse-
quently, that another General had also
promised it his support.
But can say no more. All the world
knows that the insurrection did net take
place. The outbreaks in September, amspg
the blacks Of Georgia and Alabama, were
only parts OF the plan, the work of subordi-
nate leaders, who, maddensd at the miscar-
riage of the grand scheme, determined to
carry out their own share Of tbs program
me at al hazards It was a gigantic pIo-
Ject, and the trains were all laid and the
matches lighted, and two centuries Of cruel
wrong we're about to be avenged in night.
when white man said to the negro. "Ysu
will slaughter friends and snemiel. You
will wade knee deep in innocent Blood God
cannot be with you in a midnight massa.
ereFy A white man said that and the up.
lifted torch fell frsm the negro's hand; aud
saying; II will 'bide my time; l will leave
vengeance to God," he went back to his
toll and his stripes.
The time has not come to write the his
tory OF this, and l have said what 1 have,
only to show that while Southern men were
starving our prisoners, butchering our
wounded, and desoorating our dead, we
were supplicating the destroying angel to
pass over their homes and save their wives
and little ones from swift des.ructisn. In
the day when He maketh inquisition for
blood, " on whose garments, my Southern,
brother, think you, viii lie find the stain?"