The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1866-11-30
At the Risk of Life.


behave like civilized beings, but they know
TO the contrary Let each reader of the
following letter from Georgia place him
self in the writer's position for moment,
and consider the peril he would be in of
dangling from some tree, or being shot
down without warning-and whatever
outrage or injustice might be done, there
is no redress-in truth the very fact that
one asks for justice wauld only augment
and intensity the wrongs.
LETTER FROM NO.-wESTERN GEORGIA.
Mr.. EDITOR saw number of YOUR
paper few days ago. | wish we had
enough such papers to scatter broadcast
over this county. Could you procure
some loyal speeches from some of the
members Of congress to scatter among the
people OF tins county Your papers and
loyal speeches would do much good here.
The rebels and loyalists are about equal
i'll number in this county at this time
The former hold nearly all the civil offices
III the county and are exceedingly loqua-
ciouS. while the latter are comparatively
inactive and silent
The prosecutions, privations and suffer-
ings inflicted on the loyal men by the
bloodthrsty rebels are indescribable The
loyal men have been driven from their
homes: hunted and shot at in the woods
like wild beasts; and numbers of them
after being robbed of all they had, were
imprisoned, or compelled to lie for years
i'll holes under the ground to save their
lives. The rebels seem to possess the
same diabolical spirit now that ac.uated
| item during the Internal war The loyal
men here are i'll danger of losing their
lives il they avail themselves of the liberty
of speech. We arc SO far from expecting
to pet justice in Il civil court. that the reb-
els threaten TO burn our houses il we even
apply to 4 court tor Il redress OF our gricy-
ances. They tell us they have got us I'M
der them, and they intend to keep u>
there. And that if the federal soldiers
are withdrawn from the state IRE may Looh
out! They openly say the amnesty oath
! Is not bindin" on them, as it was not Il
voluntary but Il compulsory act and
that they have the same principles still.
and will carry them out when Il suitable
occasion offers itself. These sentiments
and threats | have heard again and again
expressed openly and publicly.
As fair specimen OF what was done
TO loyal men iii numberleSs instances in
No. western Georgia, take the following.
which came directly under my own Oh
servation: There resided in Dawson
county a man by the name of Hugh T..
Whlttimore, about sixty years old. III
moderate circumstances. with family ui
four >ons and three daughters the Young
est >ol, eighteen Years oil. Every one OF
the family WAS uniformly and truly loyal
TO the nlted States government. Two
of the sons went to Tennessee and united
with the federal army. The other two.
in order 10 avoid the confederate con>crpt
officer, lay III Il hole in the ground in the
woods. \ party OF forty federal soldiers,
of which Mr.. Whittimore's youngest son
was one, was captured by the notorious
rebel and robber, J. J. Fenley, who Sc
lected twelve, including young Whit.
more, out OF the forty prisoners, and haJ
them shot i'll cold blood in the woods.
The rebels ranSacked and robbed ole
Mr.. NAlttlmUrc'S house not fewer than {;
dozen times, carrying away everything
not leaving the old man so much as :, ri,
zor, box, brush or soap, TO shave himself
The rebels guarded the house both nioI
and day TO catch the sons, who came oc
casionally from the woods to get victualS
The rebels, by thus guarding the house
saw the SONS at some sixty yards distance
and, firing on them with their rifles. pu
a bullet through each OF them. 1t wa
thought at first tina: both cases woul.
prove fatal; but, through a mercitiu
Providence, it turned out otherwise. TIN
rebels, after this circumstance, when the,
could find no property with the old man
took linn aS prisoner and carried him OF
some twenty or thirty miles. an then at
ter OBTAINING him some time let him re
/ turn home.
. At length the rebels, finding that tn
! old man had some five OF six head O
cows, came 10 his house one NIGHT an
compelled him 10 discover where the COW
, were. They then drove them off, takin.
: HIM prisoner upon the ground OF aIlcge
dIsloyally to the contedera2y; and, carry
lng all to the distance of eight miles, the
put the COWS IN a pen and proceeded t
try the old man for treason against I'll
coniederaey. After putting him throuoI
t mock trial. they acquitted him am
turned him loose. lie then went TO til
pen where the cows were, and with III
pochet-knlie cul the bell off the bell co,
and turned them all loose. in the expecta
' ION that they would 90 home of thei
/. own accord. The rebels by some mean
discovered this and Immediately iollowe
the Old man and brought him back. and
with u rope around his neck, hung him o
the limb OF tree, where he remalne
; hanging for five days, .no one daring +
g take him down, owing to the threats is
sued by the rebels against any one VIII
attempted to bury him.
Now let me ask northern men-repub
, cans or democrats-a plain question O
two. Is it consistent with the safety Q
: the United States government to till til
offices of the government with periure
traitors, robbers and murderers Is
; wise or prudent to put false traitors, per