Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1865-01-11
Knoxville, Tennessee, Jan. II, 1865.
Personal.

Some Of the peace-loyng, constitutional, conser-
vatve, fcnce-riding half Union, half rebel, half
horse and half alligator men, of East Tennessee,
complain at the severity of the articles written by
the editor of this paper and ascribe to their inhu
ence the murder Of many of the rebels who have
been welcomed with bloody hands to hospitabe
graves, since the Federal occupation of this end of
the State If we have been instrumental, by our
speeches editorials, in bringing to violent death
any one or more of the God-forsaken and hell-de-
serving prosecutors of Union families in East Ten
ncssee, we thank God most devoutly-shall take
encouragement from the past, and do more of the
same sort of work
When we reflect that the peace of thousands of
Union families has been destroyed; that thousands
who were comfortable at home have been reduced
to poverty rags, and even starvation by these very
men who are being shot down; that thousands of
our best men have been imprisoned, hung, and
forced to hide in and gorges of the mountains
contracting diseases that have carried them to their
graves; that vrtuous mothers are now in rags with
their poor little children bare-fooed begging bread
because of this hell-born and hc-bound rebellion
and when reflect that all these Affections and ten
thousand Others, We're brought upon the country by
the advice, influence, and potcs of these perjured
traitors, brbed scoundres and Internal thieves and
murderers who advised the seeding of the State,
and an armed rebellion against the Government, we
feel contempt for the Union men who pass them
by without an effort to dispatch them to account to
that truly hard master whom they have so faithfully
served
1 N
commissions in the rebel army, who have served on
court t-martals where Union men have been sentenced
to hang or 20 to Tuscaloosa, or lie in some other
lousy dungeon--men who have been buSh,chackerS,
and have cursed and insulted Union families for
their loyalty, have been baled out and turned
loose upon the country, thus offering premium on
rascality and treason, and levymg tax upon hon
esty and patriotism. If this class of scoundrels-
and they are numerous-are not sent out of time
into eternity by loyal men, their brothers,
or other relatives, who have suffered by them, we
shall change our opinion Of the courage of East
Tennessee Union men, loose our respect for them,
and consider that MS paltroons, towards and truck
ling submssionsts they have merited all the abuse,
oppression, and rank injustice heaped upon them
and their families by these rebel villains and mur-
derers.
Shoot them down like dogs, is our advice, or in
some other appropriate way terminate their lives,
and send them by the most direct route TO the same
hell where hundreds of thousands of them have
gone since this war began, and where untold thou
sands will yet land. This is our advice, and these
are our sentiments. This is the record we make for
ourselves after mature deliberations and we invite
all to take care of it, and bring it up against us in
the future We are no friend to n rebel against
Government, nor do we want the friendship of
rebel. The man who is an enemy to our Govern
ment is an enemy to us, and we shall refuse to sus
tain towards him any other relation than that of an
enemy