The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-07-13
vo,n. ~, uttcheII.
A correspondent of the New York 1rS-
bn..e writes the following:

A correspondent of the New York TIT
bnae writes the following:
1 aAs in Charleston, South Csrolins, du-
ring the memorable the memorable winter
of 1s6O-6I-secession time-snd had con-
siderable opportunities of observing the
events and individuals of that time. BE-
ing one evening at the office OF one or the
principal newspapers IN the city, iouno
there, with its editor, a beardless lsoot ~,
thin and slight of figure of middle height
with round, gray eyes, rather an squline
nose, q decided mouth, and anything but
an agreeable expression Of countensnce. DIS
face only lacked vig1r and fullness to have
served for an exact model for 8 grand III
o~uisitor. There was a look of latent dan
gerous fanaticism in it which curiouslys at
tracted, yet repealed you. This youth
proved 10 be John Mitchell, junior, and
be was worthy of his paternity. Ibis ia
Their, by.the-by, was then in Paris acting
As correspondent to the Charleston MsrcH
ru) "Young VitrioP-for bythat designa-
ton he was privately known tAmyselt and
others-had come from his sdopted State
| of Alabama, TO offer his services to South
Carolina and the holy cause of secession
He had 8 good manner and address, was q
landsurveyor by profession, and ioDlzed
it in Charleston on the strength Of his name
and origin. ,
Living in the same hotel, I saw good
deal of him. The fsnaticsl faith IN slave
~ and the South exhibited by this lad was
something appalling. he had adopted all
its extreme features, especially belief IN
the revival of the slave trade, with q per
yersity becoming his p~rimogeniture. His
coat displayed q huge CASH recently sewn
I'D. for which he accounted by a pleasing
story of a difficulty" with a friend to
whom he had carelessly applied the epithet
of 'submissionlst,n in an Alabama ball
1vv w. tha santlamap responded by
8 cut at his bresst with his bowie KNIFE.
aOn which 1 took the liberty of putting q
bulletthroueh his hat, Just above the head,
said Mitchell junior, adding, naivelyl TIE
was the dearest friendI had in the world"
Young Vitriol always carried 8 revolver,
Dean &Adams' patent being his flavor
tie" weapon. On the night Of my
introduction to him he discoursed OF Abo-
Hsionists, and narrated how he hsd assisted
at lynching one in Alabama, only two
weeks back, stating the time and locality,
siAnd,n he said, ~ sm not ashamed to say
that l pulled st the rope. l was on the jury
that tried him, and I helped TO hang MIN,
render myself smenable to the lsW by the
admission, for IS it was done by the Vigil
ance Committee, of which L was q member
it was, of course, illegal. But 1 am confd.
ing it to gentlemen and men of honor"
And 1 have no doubt that this boy
whose frail arm was hardly thicker than
a rabbits leg, which one could have
snapped by a vigorous twist of the wrist
had pulled at the rope and assisted at the
murder of some poor, friendless Yankee
-one of the many nsmeless Assassination
occurring in the evil days of the domins
ton of slavery, before the war began
Mitchell, junior, got on the staff of Cover
nor Pickens, subsequently,, and was sent X
Virginia as a rebel emisssrX TO propagate
{" secesh" doctrines there, and help engi
near the State out out of the Union, from
which expedition ne reTuruUa @~-P~i-iAsa
success and d~enouncing the Old Dominion
As was the fashion in Charleston jus
3hen. That was before Sumter. WheI
the rebels fred on the Star of the West
thereby committing the first act of over
hostility to the United States Govern ment
his enthusiasm was prodigious. al was al
alone" he said to me, "out on Sullivan
Island; but if 1 didn't throw up my ha
and hurrah, it's 8 pity"
In July, 1864 this promising youth 60
killed by q cannon bail, while in commant
at Fort Sumter IS Captain John Mitchell
a proper end for him, 1 think.