The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1864-03-31
KEoKUKs
Ne.

s Tofsks CAN CIR. I'D q
No. 3. 80
Without csuse or provocation certain |
lawless persons in South Carolina, feni-
;shly and practically attacked the o(iosrs
and men in the employ Of tho Govern
,nent. aiming to destroy their lives and #
ter protracted struggle they subdued |
Them and took possession Of the govern |
ment property. This was an offense |
against the laws of the State, Of the Uni
ted States, Of humanity, and one Of the
highest crimes in the sightof God. These
were unoffending men, had in no way
provoked the attack upon their persons
and their lives, but were in the discharge
of legitimate duty. No greater outrage
was ever perpetrated upon any govern.
ment, nor more reckless or 6endish act
ever performed since the dawn Of civili-
zation, when the consequences Of chat
bloody purpose are considered. The peo-
pie of the nation. as we'll as those of all
other civilized governments, were shock.
ed at the barbarity Of tina act. and for .
time were stricken in dismay 1t the bold
ness and moral turpitude Of the crime
And yet it wss not dreamed Of BY any
one that this, when it would come to be
viewed in contrast with those which fol-
lowed in rapid succession, would5be con-
sidered as mild and humane in its aspects.
For of those who have gone forth in de-
fence of the government and its outraged
laws, thousands upon thousands have
been slain, and thousands upon thousands
of widows and orphans have been made
to stand alone. bereft of husbands and
fathers. There is scarcely home or
ireside in the loyal States whore sorrow
and grief has not obtruded, and in very
MANY instances destitution and want star
log the unprotected and unfortunate in the
face.
A number of regiments we're organized
and .quartered in this city, full up to their
quota, and composed Of the proudest and
most promising Of our young men. Some
of these regiments have returned and
what sad story do their thinned ranks
proclaim One after the other, A. they
arrive, tell the same sad tale that they
have left behind them more than half
their original number silently slumbering
and Wondering in death aud in their cold
graves, far from home and their birth
PLACES.
Without even the shadow of a cause,
without having suffered the loss Of 1.-THE
of their rights, without one single hostile
set OF the government, without even a
threat. the traitors rushed madly to the
commission of the unpardonable crime Of
treason, intensifying the shade Of that
rank offence, By diving it deeper in the
scarlet blood of their murdered victims.
Look again at the hellish atrocities per-
petrased upon those among themselves
who loved their government and would
not abandon it. In many instances the
Husband and father has been dragged
out Of his house from amidst his family
and either shot, stabbed, or hung up by
the recs in their presence. Look for
confirmation at the horrid tragedies in
Missouri and Arkansas /; in the latter State
at Little Rock where the Union men were
driven into town in squads and hung in
groups and rows along the limbs Of trees,
there hanging, struggling. and dying,
while others we're driven in by tie lash
to witness the horrible fate which vas
soon awaiting themselves. Then look
overlnto Alabama and learn the fate of
the devoted followers of Vance Who, in
the very midst of these rebelious q nds,
and surrounded BY these human butrters
and monsters. loved their government and
Its institutions so we'll that they prefer
red TO be shot. bayoneted, or hung lpon
tree rather than join these armed ban
ditti IN an open and bloody war against it.
These instances might be multiplied,
and yet words will fail to convey an ad-
equate conception of the monstrous airoci.
ties which have been committed by them,
and history will pause when the bloody
story is not half told of the suffering and
agony OF thousands who have suffered
and died, and whose vail and Iamenta-
tons, of mothers and children, have
assembled to heaven with an appeal for
resributive Justice which must surely
come In the providence and BY the JUS
tice of God.
Lock to the loathsome prisons construo.
ted by these demons IN human form, and
gather if you can, the statistics of the un-
told sufferings from starvation 4sd the
numerous dsatbss Of our neiehbors and
friends from confinement in these worse
than black holes of Calcutta. And yet
sfiersan this there are those in our ueyy
midst who sympsthized With these rebel
hends who were daily perpetrating these
terrible atrocities without pity or remorse
upon our fellow-citizens and friends
They wouldrejoice when these outlaws
would triumph over our forces, and
mourn when they were defeated by on,
arms. These home rebel sympathisefs
were ever denouncing the government,
while struggling under load of Difficult.
ties ard embarrsssments to suppress This
wholesale butchery by these rebels: and
all loy NJ men, Who were conspicuous in
their forts TO quell it. were asssiled with
viruience and oftimes In some places thew
used violence. The leaders OF this trait.
or'lov'ng faction we're ever busy with the
people organizing secret hostile bands de-
pomir tied the knights of the Golden
Circle : who we're sworn 10 oppose he
government and the war. They eten