Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1864-04-09
Killing Rebel Citizens.

The Union soldiers in Eastern Tennessee
those who were driven out of East Ten
nessee two years ago, since their return to
the country, have openly hung and shot
certain rebel offenders; and in some in
stances Union citizens have fallen upon a
certain class of these men, and almost lit
orally whaled the life out of them. Loud
complaints are being made because Of these
acts of violence, and cry is raised in favor
of the observance of law and order. For
our part, we do don't join in this cry We
were here two years ago, when Union citi-
zens were Shot down in these streets for
their Union principles, when Union citi-
zens by tens and ,wenties, were thrown
into loathsome prison; when Union citi-
zens were taken out Of that prison and
hung without the form of a trial; when
Union men were pointed out to tho rebel
troops from Georgia. Alabama, Texas and
Florida, and mobbed and rode upon rails in
our streets, these same men, now suffering,
and others not yet punished, were standing
by, and conserving to these murders and
outrages, and exulting at the gallows,
swearing that they deserved all they got.
Could any man in his sober senses expect
less than has beiallen some Of these men
Does not every man who understands the
the working of human nature know that
many "more of the same sort will have to
! bite the dust2
Can the man who drove Union citizens
! out of East Tennessee into Kentucky, and
/ then robbed their wives and children of all
they had to live on, expect less than death
I at the hands of the husband and father on
/ his return to his ruined home? Certainly
not Should these men fail to slay these
! murderous scoundrels, we should lose our
respect for them, and doubt both their
manhood and courage,
Bob Reynolds, Crow Ramsey and Bob For
who arrested and confined Union men in
the Knoxville jail, and then abused them
and robbed their pockets after they were
thrown into jail-Crozier, Stcan, Kahn
iSneed, lEcAdoo, Wallace, and others, who
encouraged this treatment, can never live
.l-ia.lhis country, and they are great fools tt
men gave out az rne opeifnIy5, so1srrrre E's'ay-
non that If they were successful, the Uniol
country, and that they could not live in tn
same region with true Southern men. The,
have made this ISSUE and we Union mel
accept it, and if we are successful in pat
ting down the rebellion, these vile scoun
drcls cannot live among us, Either tn
Union men or the rebels are to occupy AM
control East Tennessee in the future, ant
far, then from our complaining Of thes
murders, with very few exceptions, the,
have our most hearty approval.
This may startle many of the advocate
of peace, and the miserable apologists c
these heartless villains, but let it startl
them; we mean all that we say. Look q
their cold -blooded murder of DOUGLASS
JONES, PIcKENs, PIERCE, TRUHTT, THORN
EURO, HoDdE, BIBLE and son, and others
Look at their cruel Imprisonment Of HoMEI
HUNT, MEEK, CATE, JACKSON, BAxTEI
BUNKER, DUGGAN, and many others, nay
hundreds of others. AShby and his mul
derers arrested four hundred Union meI
shot some of them down, and drove the re;
into Knoxville under a guard, and refuse
them food or water, even in driving ther
through streams, As they came into Kno2
vile, bare footed and bleeding in their fee
they had to stoop down and scoop the filth
water out of mud-puddles and out of ponC
to allay their burning thirst. Let II
scoundrel Ashby, or any of his villainor
associates show themselves to any of II
survivors Of that band Of four hundred pc
secuted and abused men, and death is the
portion We say kill them upon sight al
if these abused and injured men do les
they ought to forfeit the respect Of all tn
patriots.