The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1866-12-20
A LIBEL.


"And yet there was not one Of all the dignitarleS
Of the South, from JEFF Davis down, who were
aware Of the plot to assassinate Mr.. Lincoln VINO
had honor enough to reveal The plot to mr. Lin
coln No, not one! It has been shown that MT
Davis was aware Of scheme for assassinating the
Chief Magistrate of the nation There is no doubt
that many Of the first men Of the rebellion knew Oh
it, and yet such was the weakness Of the principles
of honor and virtue in the Rebel mind, that they
seemed glad that man could be found suthciently
reckless and daring to attempt the assassination OF
Mr.. Lincoln"
We copy the above specimen Of astute lying from
the editorial columns Of the Cincinnati Weekly
Times of November 22d, in order that our readers
may see how willfully and persistently Southern
men and Southern motives are misrepresented,
| and to what unworthy means Northern editors ana
orators stoop, to infame the Northern masses
against the people of the South.
The editor writes down the entire Southern peo-
pie as race of assassins, bounding on BOOTH to
the murder Of LINCOLN, and gloating over the
| bloody and unholy deed As Southern man, We
pronounce such an assertion false as hell and the
author OF 1t q deliberate slanderer. In their late
unfortunate contest with the people OF the North'
the entire people Of the South, from JiTT. DAVIS
down to the most lowly private, wero animated BY
as lofty principles Of virtue and honor as ever con-
trolled the actions Of the Federal Knights. At no
time were their arms disgraced by arson, rape,
robbery and theft, which too often marked the
track of their opponents. Principle and honor
governed the Confederates throughout the contest;
and though the conduct Of their foes gave them
emple excuse before God and man, to retaliate In
kind, they never did; and when they surrendered,
their honor was 90 untarnished as their STEEL
They Lost oil but their honor, and CURSED be the
mendacious pen or tongue that would attempt TO
rob them Of this last but most precious heritage
The people of the Confederacy de- not easily
listen to the suggestions Of dishonor; and to oil
the hate Of their enemies they only reply with the
superiority Of contempt, the resolution Of pride,
the scorn of defiance. At no time would they
tempt the agonies Of self accusation, by favoring
or planning the assassination Of the chief of Los
tile nation. The people of the South entertained
no feelings of personal hatred to Mr.. LINooLN.-
They fought him and his armies with all the legiti-
mate weapons Of honorable warfare, and they
would have shrunk from the suggestion Of his as
sassination as foul dishonor. They were not so
foolish as to suppose that his death would end the
war and believing him the best man of his party,
they expected more lenient terms from him, IN
case they were overcome, than from JOHNSON
We were captured with Gen. LEE at Appcmattox,
end We recollsct with what horror and regret Off
GERS and privates received the news Of his brutal
death. Upon our arrival at home We fotnd the
same feeling to exist among the people
Mr.. DAVIS and other Of our public men were
lust as innocent as the mass of our soldiers and
citizens Of designing or desiring the death Of Mr..
LINCOLN. Where is the evidence Of DAVIS COM
plicity with .BooTH in his assassination? Would
Mr. DAVIS, captive in their hands, have lived one
hour after they become convinced that he was an
accomplicef Ever since the melancholy death Of
Mr. LINCOLN, Congress has spared neither means
nor pains to detect the shadow Of proof that Mr.
DAVIS was concerned in tho plot. None such has
been adduced because none such existed. Time
and again have the Radical masses demanded his
trial and as persistently been refused, because
there was not sufficient proof to establish the
charge before even Military Commission, ex-
pressly organized to convict. It is true some witt
nesses swore before Congressional Committee
that Mr.. DAVIS was implicated in the death Of Mr.
LINCOLN. but it is known to the Radicals and the
world, that these witnesses were paid by Judge
Advocate General Holt, not only to swear what
they did, but that he made up the tale, which they
memorized, and repeated upon oath, end that the
principal suborned witness, CoNovER, is now
awaiting @ trial in Washington city, upon true
bill found by the Grand Jury of the District against
him for perjury in that very case. Let the editor
of the Times read the indisputable evidence Of Mr.
DAVIS innocence in the mastery minority report
of Hon. A. J. ROGERS, of New Jersey, who was
member of the Congressional Committee to inyestl-
gate the charge.
All attempts to darken the character Of the IL
lustrious captive by linking his name with assas-
sination of the President has failed and will fai.
The grand central figure of the most gigantic strug
gle in modern times, his fame will grow grander
and brighter with the fight of years, and his name
grow dearer as the world shall moro thoroughly
appreciate the immortal principles which he rep
resented. As posterity will learn to estimate
Alright the sacred principle of State sovereignty,
which was staked ind lost in the contest, 80 will it
hold in sacred reverence the name Of JEFFERSON
DAVIS, as the purest and stateliest knight, Of all
who oouohed lance in its vindication. And as
posterity shall thus reverence the name of the
grand old patriot, so will it remember the charge
alledged against him BY such men as HoLT, and
the editor of the Times, only TO exsorate their in
significant names. The one shall grow brighter,
the others more infamous.
Such charges can only be made to cover up
otroc,;oa which dehaaed the rules of civilized war