Maryland free press., 1866-11-15

was honorably discharged from the Union
army at the close of the war.
No man ever uttered one word against
his bravery and soldierly qualities.
lie was shoemaker by trade, honest,
Industrious; warm, unwavering friend,
and generous to fault.
lie was murdered in cold blood, in the
presence and at the instigation of thous-
ands of Radicals, who sent up long, loud
cheer of triumph as the broken and bloody
body of this brave ''boy in blue" lay maa-
gled and lifeless before shem in the public
streets of Hagerstown,
From the moment of his death up to the
present, the leaders and partisans of the
Radical party have been busy in defaming
his memory, slandoring his life and At
tempting to justify or excuse the blood
strined perpetrators Of that horrible out
rage.
They profess to DO SORRY" to "oppose
mobs as much as any man. they express
regrets" that such thing should have
happened; they profess to be sickened and
shocked at the MURDER" but they will all
tell you with one accord: but Charles Cali
oughtnt to have done this" and he fought
have done that" he was "imprudent," he
'ought to have fed" never should have
fred" &c, &c.
Now the only thing that "ought not to
have been done" was the assembling of
that Radical mob, and the cowardly mur-
der they committed.
The only "impra lent" act that can be
attributed to anybody on that occasion was
something far worse than ''imprulence,'
it was the shocking bloody crime OF mur-
der, aud attempts at murder, that render,
ed the day one of horrible recollections.
That mob had NO right to attack Charles
Gall. 1t had no right to drive him and
his fellow policemen through the streets
of the town, whose peace they were ap-
pointed and charged to preserve.
That mob had no right to pursue those
policemen with stones until they took ref
uge in house.
That mob heRl no right to assail the
house whose roof protected Gall against
their murderous assault.
In that house Gall had perfect right
to remain unmQiested, by al the world
and when that house was surrounded BY
thousands Of infuriatel men, hundreds and
hundreds of them with deadly weapons in
their hands, Gall and the two others who
were thus assaulted, by every law, human
and Divine, had clear, perfect right to
defend their lives, even to the killing of
any one, or all of their assailants.
There is no law, no reasoning except
that of corardico, th't required Gall, to
ay like a dog frem the house where he had
taken refuge from his murdsrous pursuers
although it was beset by thousands who
thirsted for his blood, and filed the air
with elamors for his life.
There are some mon so constructed that
they will not yield one jot or title to un-
lawful imposition, either by monarch or by
mob.
There are some men en- lowed with
high sense of personal right, and welcome
death itself rather than abate one tithe at
the insolent and unlawful demand of one
or many.
Such men will drain their hearts blood
drop by drop rather than surrender their
personal right and abasc their personal
honor, at the unjust aud unlawful deman
of any earthly power.
Such man was Charles Gall.
When the insolsnt, unlawful and furious
mob surrounded him, and demanded that
he should fly or give up his life. he reso-
lutely stood upon his personal, lawful, and
Diuine right of solf-defence, and yielded
his life under circumstances of bravery and
courage, which not even the battlefield
where he had fought could have Illustrated.
Certainly no man was ever in = situa-
tion that required a more lofty courage,
to resist and defy the multitude that sought
his life, than was Charles Gall on th. fear
full day.
lie and the few others with him were
surrounded by every circumstances cslcula-
ted to inspire alarm and terror.
They were surrounded by thousands of
frenzied men thirsting for blood. The air
was loaded with hoarsc curses and horrid
imprecations upon their heads.
Charles Gall know that he was the cen
spcu Gus mark for hundreds Of bullets
Death, in its most terrible aspect. stared
him in the face, and he knew that he was
called on to feel its agonies, to taste its Bit
terncss aud die; or forfeit his own self
l.