The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1866-11-17
One Of the .sIoyal sOutherners.''

The Keokuk Iowa. Constitution, in lat
issue; dresses off Col. Moss, one of the "Loya
Southerners" who figured in the Philadelphia
Radical Convention. Moss was Chairman o
the Executive Committee of that body, anC
rivalled Beast Butler in his desire to pro-
scribe and prosecute the South. The Con.
stitntion says:
Among that gang of-vagabonds who were lately
strolliDg over the country under the auspices oil
Northern Radical politicians, and who styled
themselves Loyal Southerners, was one Charles E.
Moss well known In this city before the war, as
one horse shySter around our police courts. That
lean, lank, cadaverous individual is native OF
the State renowned for its production OF wooden
nutmegS, from which he emigTated to this city,
after abandoning his wife and children in extreme
poverty, and who were compelled to go to the
poor house in that State, t6 prevent starvation.
The trustees OF the pO0r-hOuSe, however, after
many years of the aforesaid Charles absence, dis.
covered that he was residing in this city and to
save the expense of supporting his wife and chill
dren at their poor-hoNse for an indefinite period,
shipped them all out here at the county expense;
and while they were here they all, including the
said Charles, came as near starvation as it was
possible for persons to come in this western Uoun.
try, where the people are proyerbial for their gen.
crosby to the poor, and where bread and meat are
SO cheap.
Therefore, Moss's family did not starve, they
being provided for by private charity. In Connec
ticut, Moss was Methodist preacher; but he con-
cuded to try his luck at the law and for that pur
pose he read awhile with Judge Munson. After
obtaining mere smattering of legal information,
he was admitted to the bar in his native State
and not long afterwards was expelled, for not
paying over the money which he collected for one
of his clients. After being in this city short
time, very low in position as well as funds, he
again became Methodist exhorter but soon ran
down and returned to his old haunts--grog shops
He was at one time, while living here, radical
Democrat; so radical that he objected, in public
meeting, TO an old line Wing joining the Demo
cratic party, unless be would first publicly recant
his former Whiggery. In 1856 he was radical
Buchanan man, and made speeches in favor of old
Bucks election, until Republican in this city
bought him off to the Republican party, with a
suit OF cheap clothes and a promise to do some-
thing for him it Fremont was elected President
When the war broke out he was made Lieuten.
ant Colonel OF the regiment of cavalry of which
Gen. Warren was then Colonel. Not long after
entering the service he was sent by his Colonel
with squad of men, to look after some Missouri
0ushwhackers. Not being able to find them be-
fore night he ordered all the horses put in sta
BILE, near small village in Missouri, and his men
got into hay loft and went to sleep without sta
tioning any pickets. During the night the BUSH |
for whom he was on the tramp, found
him and his men sleeping In the hay loft and com
menced a furious fire upon them, by which some
Of his men were killed and others wounded. In
the morning, after the bushwhackers had gone off,
Moss ordered some of his men to set fire to the
dwelling houses of the citizens of the Village, in
revenge for the bushwhackers' attack on him.
The men refused to obey his ORDERS and he then
gathered brush himself and piled up against the
houses and set them on fire. For his dastardly |
conduct on that occasion, Colonel Warren put him
under arrest, but allowed him to resign instead
1f having him court martialed
Not long afterwards he removed from this State |
to Missouri, where he figured as Radical politi |
;ian, but not possessed of property enough, all
old, to buy decent suit of clothing to wear on
lis tour around the circle with his associate rap>
callion "loyal Southern men,"
1t is wonder that his Yankee ingenuity didn't
suggest to him to play off before his admiring 10y
lists of the North, the dodge of having been one
# the starved prisoners in AnderSonYile prison,
Who was still suffering III health on account of
'eing deprived for so long time of the s'sump-
uous fare which be was previously accustomed to
il his life." His shabby clothing might have been
nrned to account by alleging that his 'vast es
ate" in the South had been confscated by the
ebels, and his long, lank, cadaverous appearance
7ould have told powerfully as the effect OF long
tarvation in Andersonvlle.
We publish this sketch of one OF the loyal /
outherners, with whose history we are we'll ac-
uain+ed, in order that the public may know of
that material the Radicals in the North seek to
lake political capital.