The Portland daily press., 1865-07-08
DIR. AUGUSTUS M1ToHn1L.

DIR. AUGUSTUS MITCHELL.
This is the gentleman who was made the OBJ
| ject Of severe animadversion In communica-
ton in the Press Of Tuesday morning, signed
"King's Ferry DR. Mitchell was charged
with having been violent rebel, who we.s
South at the beginning of the rebellion z t s.u
the South, who had been bitter aga.i'. 'ne
North, who had boosted of being :. sne
first advocates of secession, and Wv 'toou MS
influence to make Northern 7 lion men az the
so,,fl, the objects Of su4,iclon with the so
called sevigilance Co-4mittees.' In fact, the
,rr;tor of thot munication, in private
note. claimed ], nave been one of the first
victims Of f.ls conduct of Dr. Mitchell, and
- have s-dered severely form his interference.
THAT communication came to us with a re-
spclsible name, accompanied by responsible
.eferences, and we received the impression
from 1t and the note accompanying, that Mitch
ell had returned from the South where he had
sinned with high hand, and was now swell
ing about in Westhrook Extensively, treading
upon and insulting loyal men; in other words,
that he was mere staggering bully.
Since then DR. NJ, with certainly very
peaceful citizen of Westbrook, has called upon
us, and we have had the. benefit of an hours
conversation, and heard something of "the
other side;. and we are free to say that, as the
case now appears to us, the communication of
Tuesday was unjust if not brutal, and should
never have been made public. DIR. Mitchell
made no complaint against us, and though he
felt and acted like an injured man, he was mild
and gentlemanly in his conversation, and back
ed up many Of his statements by documenta-
ry proofs, while those which he had no means
of proving at hand, he simply asked us to re-
eeive upon his word until reasonable time
elapsed for him 10 receive answers to letters he
had just addressed to confessed Union men at
the South. The truth is, DR.. Mitchell return
ed to his native town but few days since,
aoitk he remains Of his deceased ,oJe, who
died last August, and lthougha native Of South
Carolina, desired, before her death, that she
might be laid beside her children in the grave
yard at Stroudwater village. 1t was to ac-'
conplish such sad mission as this that DR..
M. came to his old home, when he was made
b1C ODJCCb vi oil dbltCh WCu CdlCuldbCu W uIdhC
him the victim of brutal violence, c.rsUT 81
DR.. M. asserts that the communication in the
p ess of Tuesday was grossly incorrect; that
he went South in 1861, because it was his
home; that he declined to take the oath of al
legiance to the Oonfederacy when called upon
to do SO, and was excused simply on the ground
that his profession was peaceful and humane,
and that his services as a physician and sur
geon were required in the section of country
where he was. He says he never wrote a
word in favor Of secession, that he was consid-
cred by his neighbors as a friend Of the Union,
but was unmolested because of the nature Of
his profession, and the scarcity of physicians in
that region. He furthermore says that he had
no agency In any way in bringing men before
Vigilance COMMITTEES, and that he did nothing
whatever to support the Southern cause except
in the payment of taxes assessed upon him,
Keeping quiet as his only means of protection,
while he labored necessarily to heal. the
wounds that war necessarily created. These
things he says he is prepared to prove, but can
do s6oniy by first obtaining the testimony
from the South. He may wish to make a brief
statement in our columns, and should he ask
the favor Of doing SC, we certainly should not
be disposed to refuse him.
One word more. We hope no person viii
hereafter try to use our columns to reopen
wounds which it is for the interest of all class
es to have healed up. If man comes among
us who has been in the rebel army, or even an
officer of subordinate rank, if he falls within
the Presidents amnesty proclamation, and has
taken the oath of allegiance-as we know DR..
Mitchell has, for we have seen his official GER
tifcate-and does not stand charged with acts
Of brutality towards our soldiers or Union
men, and has behaved aoeu since the rebellion
acent w, then we deemit little short of criminal
to assail him. Such amanh has leqal riqlt
to protection, and it is for the common veal
that he should be treated well that he may be-
come good citizen. Heaven knows we have
had war enough, wounds enough, alienation
and division enough; now let us strive to heal
these wounds, to obliterate divisions, and to
re-induce that condition Of love and charity
which, but for slavery and ambitious de1na-
gogues, would never have been disturbed.