La sentinelle de Thibodaux. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 1861-1866, 1866-06-02
BILL ARP
Is called before the Reconstruction Committee.
SUPPRESSED TESTIMONY

To the Hditor of The Metropolitan Record
Mr.. EDITOR Murder will out, and 81
will evidence. Having seen Dan Rice
testimony before the Destruction Commit
tee, / have felt sorter sighted because M
mention aint been made of mine. / sup
pose it has beensurpressed, but l am no
to be hid out in ~obscurity. Our country
is the special jury. and by and by thi
business will go up before it on appeal
The record must go up fair and complete
and therefore FL take occasion to max.
public what I swore to. | said a good dea
more than I can put down, Mr.. Editor
and at times my language was considered
%impudent, but they thought that was al
the better for their side, for it illustrated
the rebellious spirit. | heard one of en-
say: Let him go on--the ruling passion
strong in death. He's good States
evidence. .s,
When / was put on the stand. old Bout
we'll swore me most fercely and solemnly
to speak the truth. the whole truth, anG
nothing but the truth and I observed tina
he was then entertaining about a quart OF
double rectifed, and it looked like it haG
soured on his stomach. Old Blow was
settin off On one side with q memorandum
book, gettin ready@to note down SOM
garbled extracts.
Old Iron Works was Chairman, and
when he nodded his Republican head, ole
Boutwell, says he: Your name is Arp, l
believe, sir
So-called. says 7.
You reside in the State of Georgia, do
you?
l cant say exactly, says I. I live in
Rome, right in the fork Of two injun rivers.
In the State Of Georgia! says he,
fercely.
In a state Of uncertainty about that,
says /. We don't know whether Georgia
is a State or not. / would like for you to
state yourself, if you know. The state Of
the country requires that this matter
should be settled, and I will proceed to
Never mind, sir, says he. How old are
you, Mr.. Arp?
That depends on circumstances, says I.
l don't know whether to count the last five
years or not. Durin the war you folks
said that a State couldent secede, but that
while she was in a state of rebellion she
ceased to exist. Now you say we got out
and we shant get back again until 1867.
A mans age has got somethin to do with
his rights. and if we are not to vote, | don't
think We ought to count the time. That's
about as near as | can come to my age,
sir. Gg
Well, sir, says he, are. you familiar with
the political sentiments of the>citizens Of
your State?
Got no citizens yet, sir, that we know
OF. l will thank you to speak of us as
people
Wei, sir. says he, TIL humer your OBJ
stinacy. Are the people Of your State -
Don't speak of it as a State, sir, if you
please, says I. I'm on oath now, and you
must excuse me for being particular. Call
it a i" section"
Mr.. Arp, are the people of your section
sufficiently humbled and ~repentant to
come back into the Union on such terms
as we may think proper to impose!
Not m-u-c-h they amt, says !. / don't
think they are prepared for it yet. They
wouldent voluntarily go it blind against
hand. They say the deal wasent
fair and you've marked the cards and
stole the trumps, but at the same time
they don't care a darn what you do.
They've become Indifferent and don't care
nothin about your Guy Fawks business.
| mean no respect to you, gentlemen, bat
[ was swore to tell the whole truth. Our
amt a noticin you only out of Gu
They don't expect anything de-
cent, or honorable, or noble from you, and
gone to work diggin and plowin |
and pllantin and raisin boy children.
. Right here the man with a memorandum
scratched down a garbled extract, and
Did Boutwell, says he: What do you
by that? What inference do you
I'm Stain facts, says I; you must draw
own differences. They are raisan boy
'hiIdren. Any harm about that? Any
reason Can't a man raise boy children?
Perhaps you'd like to amend the Consti-
.ution and stop it. Old Pharaoh tried to
top it among the Israelites, but it dident
Jay. He finally caught the dropsy in the
Red Sea-. We are ralsin boy children for
he fun of it. They are q good thing to
rave in the house, as Mrs. Toodles would
ay.
Mr.. Arp, says he, are not the feelings
f your people very bitter towards the
beg your pardon, sir. says l, but you'll
ave to split the question. or else I'll have
D split the answer. Our people have a
cry high regard for honorable men.
men, noble hearted men. and there's
heap of EN- North, sir, and there's a heap
{ widows and orphans there we are sorry
!; but as for this here Radical party,
hey look upon EN- like they was hyenas
seratchin up the dead for a Twin. It's as
atural to hate en- as it is to kill a snake.
is utterly impossible for me to tell the
trength and length and height, depth and
readth Of their contempt for that party.
hey look upon a Radical as-as-as-s
ell, as a beggar on horseback buzzard
ailin round a dead eagle-a suck egg
% creepin up to the tail Of a dead lion '
hey talk about hirin Brownlow to abuse q
n, to use language on EN-, like he did a t
W years ago when he spoke against r
ryne. Ifthey do hire Brownlow, he will '
lnftar EN-. he Will damn ON all nxnr and !: