The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1866-06-16
Mai. Gen. G. IL. Fisk PillOried,

Maj. Gen. Clinton b. Fisk is the Con
missioner Of the Freedmen's Burea
for Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mort
Alabama. Last January he made
speech in Cincinnati, the statement
whereof were, at the time, pronounce
to be ~"inlamously false by the Kel
tucky press. The Legislature of thu
State thought the matter of importane
enough to demand its action, and
consequently adopted the followin
resolutions, watch were approved o
' the thirtieth Of January:
Whereas, 1t is represented in tn
public journals that Major Gen. Clinic
b. Fisk, the head of the Freedmen
Bureau in Kentucky, did, on the 1St
instant, deliver an address in the cit
of Cincinnati, Ohio, in which he made
among others, these statements "Ou
ly the day before yesterday, in Lexine
ton, thirteen discharged colorcd sol
diers stood in the streets, in full sigh
of Henry Clay's monument, with thei
bodies laceratcd, their backs bleedin.
from the cruel lash, their heads cut t,
the scalp, and one or two Of them witt
their eyes put out! And what for, d'
you suppose? Simply for going t.
their former masters and asking TO
their wives and children! / appealed
to the civil authorities in their behalf
hut was told that there was no law il
Kentucky to help them. | heard there
Of Il slave to be sold on n certain day
! ] made an arrangement with the mastc,
commissioner to buy him myself, as M'
last stare to be sold in Hentucky;." and
Whereas, 1t is believed that those
statements have no foundation in fact
and are calculated to place the people
of Kentucky in a false light before thu
country; therefore
Bel resolced By tie General 1ssemW.
Of tie Commonwealth Of kentucky, Tha'
a committee Of two from the House
and one from the Senate, be appointed
whose duty it shall be to proceed i'm.
mediateIy to the City Of Lexington
and ascertain the truth or talsity Of the
statements alleged to have been made
by said Fisk and that said committee
notify General Fisk by mail Of theil
appointment, in order that he may ap-
pear before the committee if lie SO de-
sire, and communicate to them the
name Of the person by whom the truth
Of the statement made by him can be
established, and the am of the civil
officer by whom the opinion mentioned
by him was given, and report to this
General Assembly.
The Committee was composed OF
Mcssrs. w. a. Dudley of the Senate,
and b. +. Buckncr and J. NJ. Armstrong
of the House.
From the day Of their appointment
to the 18th of May, these gentlemen
did all they could to catch General
Fisk, in order to get the proof Of his
assertions; but he persistcntly refused
to meet them, and anXiously kept out
Of their reach, knowing that they would
make him convict himself Of malicious
falschood if he yentured to testify be-
fore them.
The Committee being satisfied that
they could not hope to oct him to ap-
pear before them, made their report to
Governor Bramlcttc on the 18th of
May. They said:
We can but reiteratc the opinion for
merry expressed to the Assembly,
'.That the charges made by General
Fisk in reference to the maltreatmcnt
Of negro soldiers in the vicinity of
Lexington, and the conduct ofthc civil
authorities Of the State toward offend
cr5 Of that class, are false and sian
derous.
The simple fact that, after fou"
months Of delay, willie suffering under
the most public contradiction. aud con
stantly expressing his willingness and
ability to establish by proof the truth
Of his statements, Gen. Fisk has failed
to furnish either to the Committee or
the public the name Of Il single negro
w:lo was outraged as charged by him,
or the name of Il single person who had
committed such an outrage, CT Of a
single witness who had witnessed its
commission, would be to their minds
conclusive that no such outrage had
been committed and the testimony
heretofore reported by them confirms
that conclusion as strongly as negative
testimony can do.
All Of which is respectfully submit
tod.