Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1865-09-07

tleman to whom he wished to sell me was
a Captain Arnold, of the rebel army, who
was shortly after captured by the Yankees
in Kentucky. The owner Of the hotel at
the time Of the sale of the property was
made had difficulty with Dr.. Lee. Cap
tain Arnold told him of the attempt to sell
spite to Dr. Lee, told me all about it, Af-
ter working about the hotel, doing little
of everything, | was hired by Captain w.
u. Cannon, "a quartermaster III the rebel
army. He was under Major Glover was
a hard drinker, very profane, and very
rough. My duty was to haul forage from
Knoxville to the cavalry camps around the
town. In few months the quartermaster
moved to Joncsboro, where his family re-
sided, taking me with him. About month
afterward the Yankees occupied Knoxville
when we moved to Bristol, then to Seven
Mile Ford, Virginia, where we remained
during the summer feeding the stock, in the
fall we went back to Jonesboro, afterward
to Marion, Virginia. where was working
i'll the Confederate shops making horse
shoes. We returned to Bristol Con the line
between Virginia and Tennessee), and
during that summer | was employed as be-
fore in the smithy. In the fall was again
made teamster, and continued to drive a
wagon until we got to Jonesboro again,
when, becoming dissatisfied, and wishing
to see Dr. Lee at Knoxville, | made an at
tempt to escape through the rebel picket
lines | travelled about twenty miles when
| met two rebel cavalrymen, who arrested
me and took me back to JonesbOro. Twas
carried to Captain Cannon, who dismissed
the guards and sent me to my quarters.
! short time after, some of the hired men
came to me and took me to the post hospl-
tai, where | slept that night. The next
morning, DR.. Williams came to me and
said, Griffin, you shan't run away again
! Pm going to cut your feet off, He made
Inc drink something from a black bottle
it was not laudanum, for know the taste
Of that-and | fell asleep. | awokc III the
night, and found that both my feet were
cut of, In the morning | began to feel
pain. DR.. Williams came in and looked at
me He said, Dick, tried to kill you
you are a id hard niggar to kill-now,
I'll try to cure YOU He dressed my legs,
and continued to do so until the Yankees
! began to raid around Jonesboro, when they
moved the hospital, leaving me in charge
of negro woman, who took care OF me till
the Federals came in. When was able to
move about on my knees, | was passed to
| Knoxville then to Nashville to the Sol
diers' Home | was advised to stay here
till Governor Brownlow came home. Some
body saw Governor Brownlow, and told
him of my case. He said he knew Captain
Cannon, and would try to hunt him up.
At Nashville the officers refused to give
me transportation to the North, as they
said it was against orders but two gen
tleman in the transportation office, Mr..
Birch and Mr. Gibson, a one legged man,
paid my passage to Louisville, and from
| that place | was sent to Washington on d
| Government pass"
This is the plain, unvarnished story of a
poor, mutilatcd colored man. His Ian
guage we have followed as nearly as pos
sible. We have seen him. heard his story,
and cross-questioned him, but his answers
are plain and UNMARRIED His two feet have
been amputated at the ankle, evidently by
some one skilled in surgery. He cannot
walk, but is obliged to creep. For no
crime but that of an attempt to seek bet
ter home, a right which even in the South
a free negro possesses, he has been made
cripple for life. 1t was not the ball of
soldiers pistol, fired in anger, that made
this man a mere hobbling animal it was
the skilful knife of an educated surgeon,
applied in cold blood, at the suggestion of
a servant of the rebellion, no more culpa-
BILE, no more demoniac, than the operator
| himself
We call upon Governor Brownlow to re-
deem his pledge. We demand Of General
| Fiske the fulflmcnt of his promise to find
the perpetrator of this fendish act of cruel
ty. We call upon the Hon. Secretary Of
War, in the name of justice and for the
sake of outraged humanity, to have the
parties to this hellish deed uncarthed and
punished
The victim of this terrible act of cruelty
lives at 2l2 X street, between Seventeenth
and Eighteenth, and is without the means
of support. Will the charitable make a
note of this ? Washington Chronicle