The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-07-12
FalstaH OutdOne-Je6. ThOmp-
SON has = 'sFamfly Talk" with
his RagamufD ns.

SON M0S y E0mlly 1alA WItAA
| his Ragamumns.
| When JEFF. Thompson's men had been as
sembled at Jacksonport, Ark, to be paroled,
a few weeks since, the redoubtable hero of
the white plume mounted barrel and spoke
to them after this wise:
| Gentlemen, l have come here to have a
| little talk with you, as this is probably the
last time ! will ever meet you together.
have come here to tell you the news. Many
Of you don't know yet that Vicksburg has
fallen, and many of you don't know that Lee
or Johnston have surrendered, but | tell you
il is all true. Many of the 5000 men | now
see around me, very many Of you, have been
skulking for the last three years in the
| swamps, within few miles Of vour own
homes, skulking duty, and during that time
| have not seen your own childr4n. | see
many faces about me that have moi been seen
| by mortal man for the last threeIyears, and
what have -you been doing all that time?
Why, you have been lying in the Swamps un-
| til the moss has grown six inchds long on
your backs, and such men call themselves
| 'chIyalruus soldiers. A few weeks ago
| General Reynolds sent flag Of truce to my
| headquarters, and | sent out TO meet a re-
spectablc force TO meet those officers. and
| not one of you responded. A few DAYS later
when Colonel Davis and Captain Bennett, of
| General Dodge staff, bore despatehes to me
| from that General, | again attempted to call
| about me enough Of you to make b respecta-
| bis show, and how many of these brave 5000
| men responded to the call? Orle sore eyed
man Uita green ooggtesf But you rally ike
brave and gallant men around Chele sam 3
commissary stores, and | now come to sur
render you, and hope you will nl AXE better
citizens than you have soldiers. Noice from
| the crowd: General. talk to us Ike gentle
men, Now you just dry up Until | get
| through, aud then you can get upon this bar
| rel and talk. ! know there are some gentle
| men here. and ] know there are more id
| sneaking, cowardly dogs. who have never
| done nothing on nary side, and am going TO
talk TO YOU all
In the first place. | want 70 say this TO you:
The Federal officers who have come here to
parole and feed you, have acted as gentlemen,
in good faith They have not done about
peeping under your coats to see Il you had
pistols, they have not spied about your camps
10 see if you were secreting your arms, but
they have treated you as gentlemen; but |
tell you that yoH have not acted in good faith.
Those of you who had arms, with a very few
exceptions, have left them at home, and those
who had government horses have failed to re-
port them here. Now let me say TO you, one
anu al. iBtt-f pl spu WHO nave fttdlbtI our
arms. as soon as You get home, take them to
the nearest military post and deliver them np,
or burn them, or get rad Of them IN some mar
ner for as sure as there IS d God in heaven
they are fo'ind In your houses, just SURE
will your houses be burned to the ground, and
| hope TO God every one Of you who keep
good arms or property OF any kind IN your
houses viii be hanged. and you viii, too.
Now | wan. YOU To 20 home ami work hard
and take care OF your families, work early and
late. and get mp at night and see if your crop
il growing. Above all things avoid political
discussions. If any man says niger TO you.
swear that you never knew or saw one III your
Iite. We have talked about the niggers for
forty years and have been out talked, We have
fought four years for the niggers and have
been id badly whipped. aud now i Il not
'.vour put the Yankees have won the mig
ger. and they will do what they please with
him and you have no say in the matter; If
,hey want him they will tahe him. and II they
say you must keep him, you must do Il and
uo mistake. tell YOU that you have no say
IN the matter. and you dughn't TO have any.
Go home and stay there Z don't go anywhere
but TO mill. don go to church for the minis.
tiers will pu; knots and mischief in your heads
and get you into trouble. Be good citizens.
and then those of you who have been good,
honest and brave soldiers have nothing to
fear. but | warn those Of you who have been
| nothing. but sneaking, cowardly iayhawkers,
cut-throats, and thieves, that just refrbution
| awaits you. and hope to God that the Fed
eral authorities will hang YOU wherever and
whenever they find you, and they viii do it,
sure.
Now want to talk to YOU Missourians
You are talking about going to your ola home
to live again. What did every one s9f ypn
say last fall. when YOU went into Missouri and
expected to remain there? Why that You
would make every Union man ! climb a
tree and many threats of sinilhr eharac-
ter. Now. do YOU think that thbse Union
men whom von threatened with the halter
few days ago. if B0a got the power, are now
going to permit YOU 10 come and live among
them. and have all the rights and privileges
they enjoy? Not much Now the tables are
turned if YOU 60 back there they NAV make
you " climb trees - ana hope thty will for
many of you richly deserve it. fAbout this
juncture loud murmuring was aud7be in the
crowd, and bystander suggested to the Gen
eral that they might mob him. :. Mob h-lll
| don't scare worth a d-n' replied the
General
want Won all to go home and be peaceable,
quiet citizens, and If mhrauders and outlaws
come among you, do not take the law into
your own hands. but if you can do it, arrest
them and deliver them over, with such evi-
dence as you can obtain, to the commandant
of the nearest military post; by this means
You will place the responsibility upon others,
and avoid neighborhood quarrels and strife.
Do not complain if you are not permitted
to have a voice in elections and civil affairs.
You have forfeited all such rights, and it now
becomes yon to submit to such laws and reg
ulatisns as the Federal authorities may deem
proper to enact. I believe and know they
will do the best they can for you, especially
if yon show henceforth that you now desire to
merit their confidence by strict obedience to
the laws where You may reside.
We are conquered, sublugated: we have no
rights but must accept such privileges and
favors as the Government may see proper to
bestow upon us.
LET A PrpPY BE ATTACHED TO An EwE,-