The news. [volume] (Bristol, Tenn.) 1865-1867, 1865-09-15
Letter from MeShdcE HOrpcr.
BEAR Cove, Wise county, Va,

long spell since rlt u letter Tor the
newspapers, and the reason is, my old
friends Coale & Barr have quit print.
in, and as iC may be several weeks
Wit before they begin agin, thought
Id drap you few lines, and AK you
to print EN-. Another reason why | .
have mt rit much is, that things have .
bin SO jumbelled and turned topsy-
turvy, that there's BIN no males to tote
letters, and the people have never in.
vented the plan to send them by fe-
males. For two or three years, while |
the dark shadows of the war have bin I
dancn and careerin round like the .
earthquake that the Prophet heard /
when the Lord hid him IN the rock Of
Horeb, I've bin as Uneasy as toad
under a harrow, cant keep my mouth
shet any longer, and If l don't let 1t
60 OF | believe il my soul I'll bust,
and that's q cUnsummauon not TO be
devoutly wished for by sartin indi.
vidual about my size, age and com
plexion. One of the last letters | rlt
to Coale 4 Barr was jIst after my first
visit to Bristol, where | went to see
my friend Conan, to hear him talk
and to see him eat cuesnuts, and
spread himself upon the subject Of
Bristol and its hatterln advantages as
the future seaport and capital OF the
Southern Confederacy, He give me Il
great deal of information about !hiugs
nm gneral and himself in particular,
for which | thank him, and which |
could mt git anywhere else since the
Dutch have quit maxim almauacks.-
Before that l rit several letters ABOUT
spectators and extortioners. and some
of the fellers l punched in the ribs
haven't forgot me nor forgive me to
this day, and reckon they never will,
for piled it on EN- sortcr thick and
fast, and if they had soIes as big as a
mustard-seed they must have fell like
they could crawl into an auger. hole.
But they are done for now, for all the
money they made by grindIn the faces
of the poor is no more account than
so many black jack leaves, and has
left sum as poor in their ilI-gotten
gains rs they are in honor and repu>
tation.
But sot down to make a pint or
two, and with Gods ble5s:n I'll try to
come at EN- square up, like the boy
that butted the bull off the bridge. If
any body don't like the shoe I'm goin
to make, they incident put it on, and
then it'll not pinch em, sartin.
AS things are beginin git sorter like
they used to was, we've had some cleo
tions, and If the news is true that
comes to the Cove we're soon TO have
some more SIGH as my old friend the
Judge and MIR. Martin used to run
for. Now about the elections that
has bin and sat aside, there some.
thing that don't exactly understand,
tho 1t may be as clear as mud to a
Phlladelphy Court. | know I've not
got much sense, but If l had as much
as Timothy Titus, I'm sure l could
never discover the wisdom Of MIR. John,
sons Government in settin aside the
election of good Union men, and gin.
IN the secessioners the chance to wrg.
gle in like passed. of eals tryin to
hide themselves in the mud. This
has been the case all over Virginv
but as you're more familiar with what
has happened in your own county, I'll
take that for a text. Mr.. Fields and
MIR. Campbell, who was elected, one
for Sheriff and tother for Clerk, are
both good men and true, and were
about as much opposed to secession
and as strong for the Union as hones
men could well be, and yit, bekase they
volunteered in the army to keep frou
bein conscripted, and were so unfor
tunate as to git commissions, they'y,
bin sot aside, and the door pushog
wide open for secessioners to come il
and grab the Offices. If there's AM
one fact palmer than another fac
while the war I.gtnd ~ ,ros tb.+ th,