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

iHN v NlVH holulcTh III IdslCIH ltlUchsOc j
those who We're driven out Of East Ton
ncssec two years ago, since their roturn TO
the country, have openly hung and shot
certain rebel offenders and in some in.
stances Union citizens have iAllon upon n
certain class of these men, and almost liz.
orally whalcf tie tfe out Of them, Loud
complaints are being made because Of these
acts Of violence, and cry ia raised in favor
Of the observance Of law and order, For
our part, we do don't join in this cry, We
We're here two years ago, when Union citi-
2cns were shot down in these streets for
their Union principles, when Union citi.
zens, by tens and twcntcs, were thrown
into n lQpthsome prison; when Union citi-
hung without the form Of a trial when
Union men were pointed out to the 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 conscnting to these murders and
outrages, and oxuting at the gallows,
swearing that they deserved all they got.
Could any man in his sober senses expect
less than has bciallen some Of these men
Does not every man who understands the
the working of human nature know that
90 ,bn un,t' will bot.n IN.
bite tho dust?
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 toath
at the hands Of the husband and father on
his return to his ruined home? Certainly
not. Should these men fail to s,ay these
murderous scoundrcls, we should loso bur
respect for them, and doubt both their
manhood and courage.
Bob Reynolds, Crou Ramsey and BOB Far,
who arrested and confined Union men in
the Knoxville jail, and then abused them
and robbed their pockets after they were
thrown into inil-Cro,ier, Swan, Kan,
Sneed, McAdoO, Wallace, and others, who
encouraged this treatment, can never live
in this country, and they are great fools to
attempt return to the country. These
men gave out at the opening Of this rebel
lion that if they were successful, the Union
r.a,, &c leo. To",eeeeo must leoun tha
country, and that they could not live in the
same region with true Southern men. They
have made this issue, and we Union men
accept it, and if we are successful in put
ting down the rebellion, these vile scoun-
drels cannot live among us. Either the
Union men or the rebels are to occupy and
control East Tennessee in the future and
TO this end will our labors be directed. So
far, then, from our complaining Of these
murders, with very few exceptions, they
have our most hearty approval
This may starte many Of the advocates
Of peace, and the miserable apologists of
these hcartlcss villains, but let il startle
them we mean all that we say Look at
their cod-boodcd murder of DOUGLASS,
JONES, PIcKENs, PIERCE, TRUH1T, THORN
nUpG, IIoDGE, BIBLE and son, and others
Look at their cruel Imprisonment Of HOMER,
IIUNT MEEK CATE, JACKSON, BANTER,
BUNKER, DUGGAN, and many others nay,
hundreds Of others. AShjy and his mur-
dcrcrs arrested four hundred Union men,
shot some of them down, and drove the rest
into Knoxville under a guard, and refused
them food or water, even in driving them
through streams As they came into Knox
vile. barc-footcd and bleeding in their feet,
they had to stoop down and scoop the filthy
water out Of mud .puddles and out Of ponds
to allay their burning thirst. Let the
scoundrcl Astby, or any Of his villainous
associates. show themselves to any Of the
survivors of that band of four hundred per-
secuted and abused men, and death is their
portion. We say kill them upon sight. and !
if these abused and injured men do less .
they orgh. to forfeit the respect Of all true .
patriots.