The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-11-18
THE EX-KEEPER OF THE ROCK IS
LAND BULL PEN,

"a word to Soldlers-Generai hunyon Noo
ord Examined" addressed to Follow Sol
diers of New jersey" and modestty signed
"Co.. A. j, johnson" It is q iargon of hor-
rible English, bad grammar, vulgar slang,
and brutal attacks upon the living and the
dead. The Onion alludes to it as lone of his
(Johnson's) telling speeches in the campaign
in New Jersey" This is mere "fustian. -
johnson can't made a speech or hold the at
tenslon of respectable audience tor htseen
minutes. But, as this little four page circu-
lar with his name attached to it, has lately
been scattered about this city, ws propose to
make a few comments upon it and the "Ex
Kssper of the Rock Island Bull Pen," whose
name is at the bottom it. tie begins by say :
ing at is my intention to say as little about
myself as possible" but he evidently torgets
his "intention," for the whole thing is filled
with what he did and said. He says:
ssPrsyious to the breaking out Of the rebellion
alored in the title of Breckenridge democrat )
ready, willing Ind anxious at all times TO go II
blind, on party grittng my teeth when Disgrace
tai and deura6lnr nominations made, but
swallowing the candidates sooner than take any
party course that might IN the least degree nave
tendency to defeat my party"
Having thus made the humiliasing confess
sion that he had always been what is termed
COLLAR man." he proceeds, at length, to ex-
tol his purity and patriotism, though we
hardly see in what it consists, unless 1t be In
drawing his pay with great regularity. HIS
examination of Gen. Runyon's record con-
sists in TRADE of spite and abuse of that
gentleman, showing that he was extremely
unhappy because Gen. Ruuyon ranked him.
Before the war johnson was halter, In
Newark, while Runyon was lawyer OF emil
nence, and he evidently hated Runyon with
all the spitefulness which envy snd.lgnorance
could prompt. The circular gives evidence
of this. from beginning to end. Towards the
close of his TRADE against Runyon he boasts
ofhis intimacy with drunken Joe Hooker,
"a he is called, aud that he used.that lntlma-
cy to prejudice Hooker against Runyon' III
other words, that he was tale-bearer, aud
while in Hooker's tent, busted himself with
tyaducinc two Union generals-Runyon and
Casey. He says:
says:
81 told General Hooker who he and what he
was l lett the generals quarters happy IN the
.prred TO yentilate Runyon, and had improved
similar opportunity to dc the same to Gen. Casey
nrevlous TO this have never dared Halter my
self with the idea that was the means OF saving
Nv Jersey the disgrace OF having Runyon aP-
noirted and if | could only be assured that what
aid Of him caused him to receive TO hm) that IA
tai word No or what was equivalent TO IL, l wonie
look upon it the best act OF my llte.'
Envy, spite and vanity are go prominent II
the foregoing extract that comment upon 1t Ii
unnecessary.
This man Johnson is so excessively 10y
ar' that ho regards ''copperhead" ever.
officer and soldier who votes the democrau
ticket. Speaking of his explolts!whlle keep
or of the Bull Pen, he says:
al have had the honor OF making four excellen
copperheads from among the officers OF my req
ment within the last year, by having them dismiss
ed the service. Two of them were destitute o
brains and dsslpated at that-one tor stealing 81
from the government, and fourth for being
miserable, drunken brute. The coPperheads o
Rock Island city, ILL.,, picked the tnIet up at once
and made him police magistrate, ana ne Will n
douht soon ne mayor of the city, II ne should hap
pen to keep out of the ILLINOIS state PRISON lohl
enough. They at once advertised the drunSe'
loafer as one of their regular speakers at Ihei
meetipps and they called hlm''the gallant Captai
Getterman that has been prescribed because ne !
democrat''; and this gallant Captain Getter
man exhausted what was lett OF MIN, IN Two shor
n
In the garrett of lager beer brewery, and ther
rotted to death, unmourned, uncared LOT, una'eh
ded by his newly made trends, anc MS emu wa
embematIc of the grand finale OF the rotten an
corrupt party of traitors"
We have no idea who he alludes 10 whe
he speaks f'two of them who were destltut
of brains and dissipated at that" but tn
third one is evidently Capt. Matthew Marx
who was recently elected a justice OF IN
peace, for this county, not police magi'
trate" for this city, as Johnson says OF hir
j, is only necessary, now, for US to say tia
he is preparing, for publication, pamphlet
which will contain the facts in regard to hi
sham court martial, which will be embed
led documents and statements wholly exhon
Grating him from any improper act, an
showing up Colonel johnson in no enviabl
light.
The coarse, brutal illusions to Capt. Gi
terman a shame and disgrace to johnson
brute ;" "a drunken loafer who crawled u
in the garrett of lager beer brewery an
there rotted to death, unmourned and ul
cared for" This cruel and disgraceful a
tack upon dead soldier could only be mad
by a man who, alluding to his own treatmeI
of the rebel prisoners at this place, wrote
us on the 23rd of November, 1864, that 81
discretionary power rested with him he wou
Mace them in pen with no shelter but Il
Y heavens, and let them wear their rags "th'
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