The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-05-31

the old women nursed the. babies in
the courthouse, and the girls ate
candy, sucked sugar kisses, and
watched the boys staggering and
staggering about the streets.
CHARACTER OF THE MEETING.
Showers of rain came up about one
o'clock, which drove everybody into
| the courthouse that could get in.
Some one, in behalf of the Commit
tee, requested gentlemen to retire
outdoors, and leave the hall for the
ladies. AS very few of the male por-
ton of the audience left their seats,
we conclude gentlemen were scarce IN
that community.
At last a modest young mamie
| finished his education in a Democrat
ic newspaper 0ffice-volunteere to
go out and escort the distinguished
guest of the day into the audience, if
they would open the way for him.
The way was opened; the distin-
guished guest appeared; a voice cried
out, Three cheers for Col. Milligan,p
/ and three fellows cheered as loud as
they could, and that was all and dur
u
were only three or four weak efforts
at applause. The chief demonstra-
ton was on the part Of something
like dozen babies. whose whining
land yahing interfered seriously with
reporting, though the confusion did
not check the rapidity of the speaker,
as he ran down his columns of printed
slips.
ADDRESS OF WELCOME.
As Mr.. MilIigan' stepped on the
platform, we noted him as rather a
hale old gentleman, over six feet tall i,
slender, straight, dark hair and gray
eyes, and about fifty-five years old.
He was addressed by Mr. Brown,
his law partner, in behalf of the Conn
mittee on Reception and the Town
Council of Button The occasion
was a demonstration in behalf of a
great principle, as well as in behalf of
himself as an individual. Allusion
was made to the arrest and trial of
Mr.. Milligan, in the results of which
his fellow-citizens felt as much con-
Germ, perhaps, as he, since their rights
were alike involved. The military
commission that tried him, he be-
lieved, was sworn to convict, hence
there could be but one result. His
final deliverance, through much tribu-
lation, gave his fellow citizens great
satisfaction, and they had assembled
to welcome his return among them.
col. MILLIGAN's SPEECH.
Mr.. Milligan thanked his friends
and fellow citizens for their kind re-
ception. He was glad to see them
He had not comesto establish reputa-
ton as a speaker, and in view of his
peculiar situation he would depart
from his usual manner Of speaking,
aad at the same time become his own
reporter. The willy and unaccommo-
dating old fellow, however, refused to
give us copy of " his own report,
and hence we write from our own
notes. 11.a nH@
afl THE SHINING MARK. a3H
The obligations weighing me down
to-day are of no ordinary character,
and are not confined alone to this
assembly of high-minded yeomanry.
Their tribute is enc that any indiFidu-
al, more worthy than myself, might well
be proud of i do not attribute it to
any merit of my own. 1t is the re-
suit of events over which / had little
control. 1t so happened that / was
selected as the representative of a
class; whether on the principle that
g Death selects a shining mark, y is a
matter of doubt with me. The ordeal
through which [ have just passed,
whether with credit to myself, at least
without credit to those imposing it,
was equally due to any one of you
One as innocent and humble as you
was selected as the representative for
the dread ordeal. But conscious in
nOcence- sustained him as it did the
Hebrew children, and he too walked
forth from the Abolition furnace, with
his manhood uncrisped by the Adolf
ton fires. 20
! HIS PRoVIDENrAL DELIvERANCE.
In accepting your warm congratula-
tions, would be untrue to myself
and to you, and ungrateful to my God.
if | did not recognize his. almighty
hand in the cause of our rejoicings.
and mingle our joys with thanks to
him for deliverance from the most
bloody reign of oppression with which
the world has been afflicted since the
days of Noah
IMPLICATION Of HIS NEIGHBoRs.
Permit me to join with you in the
festivities of the day, as one of YOU.
for the part | have suffered might
have been accorded to any of the
Wells County farmers. 7 hold no
doctrine which you did not hold, and
[ contemplated no act which you were
not willing to perform. My feelings
and fears were common to you all. and
the difficulties which then obsured the
sky of justice hung with black por-
tend over you as over mo and that