The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-07-07

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A short.time after the evacuation Of Rich
mond, the citizens in the vicinity Of the
Midlothian coal pits, Chesterfield county,
petitioned the General in command Of the
| United States troops here to send them
guard for the protection OF persons and
property in the neighborliood from the
depredations of the negroes, of WHOM
there were large number employed at
the coal pits. :. ;,
The request was complied with, and 4
company belonging TO the Ninth Maine
regiment was sent up. This company was
commanded by three lieutcnants, Of whom
G.. +. Branch was the junior. After hay-
inc been on duty there short time, the
COMPANY was suddenly ordered away. a
quantity of papers were left by the Off
GERS. amongst them letter written by the
above mentioned C. +. Branch to friend
of his at home, but which was not posted
on account, we suppose, of the haste with
which his command left.
We give some extracts from this letter !:
and to persons who are acquainted with
the facts, it will be apparent that, If not an
accomplished soldier, lie is an adept in the
art Of fiction.
HEADQUARTERS
"AsslsTANT PROvosr MARsHALs OFFICE,
CHESTERFIELD, Va, May 6, 1865. }
"My Dear Friend,-Your kind letter of
the 3Oth instant came to hand this morning
before had gotten out Of bed, and before
office hours. l will attempt to answer it !:
and now, for once in my military life, L
am agOing to write You long letter. AS
usual, am enjoying myself. am at pre-
sent Assistant Provost Marshal of Chester
field county. My headquarters are here
in Chesterfield court house" in beau-
tiful brick building, within two minutes
walk of the depot of the Richmond and
Danvillo railroad, and fifteen miles from
the city of Richmond"
The lieutenant was seventeen miles from
Chesterfield Courthouse, and must have
known that Coalfeld, OH the Richmond and
Danville railroad, was not the Courthouse.
But listen what q grand fellow he en-
deavored to make his friends "away down
east" 1" believe he was--he the junior of
three lieutenants ina company of Ofinfantry.
He goes on to say: 81 have 4 lieuten ant
and one hundred mcn here from my regi-
mcnt-thc g,orious old Nmth. Will you
believe me when say am enjoying my
self hugely. That ] am. have my office
hours from 10 to IL 4. NJ, and to z.
VI. / have two good clerks, whom / can
trust. When duty calls Inc elsewhere,
horse and buggy arc at my disposal
whenever say the word and say it every
day, and sometimes t,ricc a day.
"Whenevcr Ihavc business in Richmond,
| give some of the fair sex an invitation to
ride down with me. All aboard, from
the conductors lips, finds us seated in a
comfortable passenger car, and soon we are
bounding on to Richmond. The conductor
comes around to collect the fare, and pO-
litely asks the young lady for her ticket.
protest, and tell him that I'll collect her
fare at the other end, at which he gives Inc
tine wink, and passes on. An old citizen
sitting behind asks me to pass him through
as Il dedtlhead; but take the pleasure to
inform him that Il don't do business on
that scale this year. 'Wcll,' he says,
'why do you pass that young lady
through p son. ] say, she is my
cousin, and / do it because ! think pro-
per- Your cousin, ch; q convenient
cousin, | guess Thus am l harassed
almost every trip to Richmond. l have
thus far been about0hrcc times week."
To show that this yarn about the rides
of the brave Assistant Provost Marshal y
to Richmond, and that the foul slander on
"some of the fair sex" in the vicinity of
Coalfield, is 'made out of the whole
CLOTH" it is only necessary TO say that no
train was running on the Richmond and
Danville railroad whilst the company was
ut Coalfield, and that the trains did not
| commence running on the road for some
time after they had left there.
| But here is 4 statement, given in the
most circumstantial manner, that caps
the Climax and should give the author a
niche in the temple of liars, if there be
such an one, alongside of Munchauscn.
Listen to him "The last time | went i'll
Ito Richmond) went to report to General
lialleck the killing Of citizen at my
office. The circumstances are as follows
was sitting in my office last week (Fri-
day), reading the latest paper; citizen
from this place came in, asked whats the
newsr remarked, Nothing more than the
particulars of Lincoln n'sfuncral" .Ah y said
he, Il am glad the old aboltionist is gone
glad of it, got up, and was getting my
revolver, when lie made tracks for the
door. As he stood Oh my door-sill, the
sentry (having heard the conversation in
side) in front of my quarters raised his
rifle and ,t,ed. The assassin fell forward
across the steps, and there, with loud
curses for Lincoln, the United States Co
vernment, and the Yankees, he soon
breathed his last. The boys buried him
the next day, and, am told, raised slab
at the head of his grave, with the inscrip-
tion. "A traitor on it."
The killing of this assassin " was never
heard of in the neighborhood Of Coalfeld,
and the assistant Provost Marshal" and
his "bOys" must have conducted the kill
ing and burial with the utmost secresy
and the slab, with the inscription mention
ed, cannot be found in the county.
The assistant Provost Marshal" then
turns orator, and after killing and burying
the assassin makes speech. He says
"Last Monday l delivered to the citizens
of this place an address upon the life and
death Of Abraham Lincoln. l done it for
the purpose of giving the citizens more
enlightened idea of the Father Of his
country THAT instead of being their bit
ter enemy, he was their only, faithful
friend"
He then dcvotes some four or five pagc2
to panegyric on the life and public ser
vices of Lincoln, in the usual spread-eagle
style, the substance, we suppose, Of the
address he delivered, in imagination, to the
citizens of Chesterfield Courthouse at Coal.
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