The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-06-11
Bill Arp is Called Before the Recon.
sfruction Committee.
CsUPpREssED TESTIMONY.

sfruction Committee.
lsUPPREssED TESTIMONY. 81.
To the Editor Of the Metropolitan Record:
Mr.. EDIToR-Murder will out, and so
will evidence Having seen Dan Rice's
testimony before the Destruction Com
mittee, [ have felt sorter slighted be-
cause no mention amt been made of
mine. suppose it has been suppressed,
but am not to be hid out in, obscurity.
Our country is the special jury, and by
this business will 30 up before it
on appeal, The record must go up fair
and complete, and therefore I'll take oc-
cassion to make public what swore to.
I said good deal moro than can put
down, Mr.. Editor, and at times my Ian
guage was considered impudent, but
they thought that was all the better for
their side, for it illustrated the rebellious
spirit-I heard one of 'em say: Let
him 90 on-the ruling passion strong in
death. He's good States evidence"
When was put upon the stand old
Boutwell, swore me most tiercely and
solemnly to speak the truth, the whole
truth, and nothing but the truth, and
observed that he was then entertaining
about quart OF double rectifed, and it
looked like it had soured on his stomach.
Old Blow was settin of on one side with
memorandum book, gettin ready to
note down some "garbled extracts"
OLD Iron Works was chairman, and
when he nodded his Republican head,
old Boutwell,, says he: Your name is
Arp, 1 believe, sir ?"
So-called," saysI
"You reside in the State OF Georgia,
do you9 ?" 49,.
II can't say exactly" says l. Il live
in Rome, right at the forks of two 1niun
rivers"
"In the State of Georgia." says he
fercely.
"In q state of uncertainty about
that" says I. I'VE do not know wheth-
or Georgia is State OF not. / would
like for You. to state yourself, If yon
know. The state of the country re-
quires that this matter should be settled,
and will proceed to state,"-
Never mind, sir" says he How
old are, MI Arp?" ,,
"That depends Oh circumstances"
saws l. "I don't know whether to count
the last five years or not. During the
| war your folks said that State couldn't
secede, but that while she was in state
of rebellion she ceased to exist: Now
yeu say we got out, and shan't get back
again until 1870. A mans age has got
something to do with his rights, and if
we are not to vote, dou't think we
ought to count the time. That's about
as near as [ can come to my age, sir.
"Well, sir" says he; ''aro you familiar
with the political sentiments of the
people of your State 7"
"Got no citizens yet, sir, that we
know. / viii thank You to speak Of us
as people :"
We'll, sir" says he, I'll humor your
obstinacy. Are the people of your
State, -
Don't speak of it as State, sir, il
YOU please I'm on oath now, and you
must excuse me for being particular
, Call it a section.
"Mr. Arp, are the people of your sec
ton sufficiently humble and repentant
| to come back into the Union upon
such terms as we may think proper to
impose 2"
mot much they amt" says |, i
don't think thoy are prepared for it yet
They wouldn't voluntarily go it blind
against your hand. They say the deal
wasn't fair, and you've marked the
cards and stole the trumps, but at the
same time they don't care darn what
YOU do They've become indifferent
and don't care darn about Guy Fawkes
business. mean no respect to you, gen.
tlemen, but l swore to tell the whole
truth. Our people Amt noticing you
| only out of curiosity. They don't ex.
pect ANYTHING decent, or honorable, OF
noble from you, and they've gone to
diggin and plowin and plantin and
raisin boy children,
Right here the man with a memoran
dun scratched down a garbled extract
and old Boutwell, says he: What dc
YOU mean by that sir ? What inference
do you intend I"
I'm Stain facts" says |. You must
draw YOUR own inferences. They arr
ra;sin bon children Any harm about
that Any treason! Can't man raise
boy children Perhaps you'd like tc
amend the Constitution and stop it
Old Pharaoh tried to stop it among the
Israelites, but it didn't pay. He finally
caught the dropsy in the Red Sea. We
are raisin boy children for the fun of it
They are a good thing to have in the
house, as Mrs. Teodles would say"
"Mr. Arp, are not the feelings of your
people very bitter towards the North4"
II beg your pardon, sir, but you'll
have to split the question, or else III
have to split the answer. Our people
have very high regard for honorable
men, brave men, noble-hearted men, and
there's heap of 'em North, sir, and
there's a heap of widows and orphans
there we are sorry, flor; but as for this
here Radical party, they look upon EN-
like they was hyenas scratchin up ths
dead for alvin. It's as natural to hate
'em as il is TO kill snake. It's utterly
impossible for me to tell the strength
and length and height, depth ant
hraadth of their contempt for that party