Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1868-04-16

else occurred, the editorials Of The Sun
aud other democratic papers In Georgia
are enough TO show that mischief Of
some sort was ment by this mysterious
Khan. yla .ur
The sudden, horrible, cowardly, and
brutal murder of Col. Ashburn, by this
infamous band, shows that their purpose
is murder. They are bent upon mid
night assassinations of the darkest,
I bloodiest, anu most diabolical character.
1 Union men all over the city now feel
\ that their lives are every moment in
I danger. They do not know at what hour
| OF the night they may be massacred in
their beds. Think Of from 30 to 40 armed
assassins breaking in after midnight to
murder one helpless man 1t is enough
/ to make the stoutest heart quail, Yet
thepapers taunt the Union men with
! fear and cowardice. The Union men
/ could stand it better than their poor
I wives and little ones. Their very hearts
are chilled with horror, and they are
suffering ap agony of dread which no
words can express.
Wednesday Morning, April 1.-The
i above was written at the house OF de-
voted Union man, minister of the
! Methodist Episcopal Church. His wife
was weeping nearly all day, and she
spent sleepless night. The Rev. Mr.. p.
has been in this city since last October.
I He withdrew from the Methodist Epis-
copal Church, and is stationed here as a
Missionary of that Church. After his
arrival he was met by one Of the pastors
of the NJ. +. Church South, in this city,
who, for no other cause, told him to his
face that he regarded him lthe Rev. mr.
P.l as his enemy. Last night a number
of colored men, alarmed for the safety Of
all loyal white men, were armed and
kept watch around the promises. This
Christian family, in this Christian city,
was guarded by negroes to protect their
! lives against midnight aseassins. Are
we repeating the days OF the French
Revolution? Whittier are we drifting
that peaceable, quiet, God-fearing men
cannot enjoy or express an opinion of
their own without danger of persecution
and personal violence? Read the ac-
count lin this mornings Sum of the as
sassination. See how prejudiced, how
partial, how full of hatred to the muir
dered man it is. 1t invents q pure, ma
licious fiction-aa alteration between
Turner and Ashburn at Temperance
Hall, on Monday night, at the close of
Turner's speech. / was present during
the whole time, heard every word that
! was said, and no disagreement took place,
not word was spoken amiss by either
\ Turner or Ashburn. This is just like
the rumors that were put afioat yester-
day. One was that the Federal soldiers
had killed Ashburn, and another that
his own Radical" clique had done it,.
had spent several days in intimate
conversation with the Union men of the
city, and know that they were all on the
kindest terms with Ashburn. Later in
the day they had it that the negroes had
killed him. All this is to cever up and
con fuse the whole affair, just as they did
in the New Orleans, Memphis, and Mo
bile riots. But everyone in Columbus
knows for what purpose these vile insin-
uations are put out. See how the Sun
abuses and traduces the character of poor
Ashburn, even while his mangied corpse
lies before the very eyes of the editor
Ye people of America, do ye not under
stand all this?
Do you not see in this same spirit the
Opposition, the Democratic press of the
South is continually abusing, traducing,
aud Slandering all Union men, and en-
deavoring to silence, ifthey cannot drive
out of the country, every man who is an
active promoter of Reconstruction? Look
at the scandalous, abusive and scurrilous
article which appeared in the New York
World in its special correspondence from
Atlanta, dated March Is, in which tide
liberately ISLANDERS more than half the
the members of the late Convention
Where is our civilization? 1t is impos-
sible to describe the miseries which the
despised, slandercd, prosecuted Union
men of the South have to endure. /
have sometimes heard them cry out in
an agony bordering on despair, "How
long, o Lord, how long"
AS for Col. Ashburn, he falls a martyr
to libery-a martyr to Southern loyalty.
He WAS one among the very few men in
Georgia who openly resisted the secession
mania all through the war. He avowed
his loyalty to the Federal Union, and
fought to maintain it. For this he was
braves (?), who only showed their courage e
by pens that were dipped in gall. This
was the head and front of his Offend
ing. After the war he returned home,
the ardent friend and supporter OF recon
struction in the various pha es, as they'
successfully appeared, with their cul-
Summation in the calling of the late Con-
stitutional Convention, OF which he was
member from the County of Muscogee.
He was distinguished more for his patri-
otism than for learning, elequence, or
intellectual greatness; but he was known
throughout the Union as an uncompro-
missing Republican. He had his faults,
like other men-was sometimes harsh
and adyocatedextreme measures, and did
not always temper his views and meas
ures with prudence. But in the Conven-
ton he seemed to soften down very
much, spoke of his opponents In terms
/ of kindness, and advocated the most lib
eral and generous policy toward the enc
mics of Reconstruction. For time it
seemed that his course would soften the
temper of his political enemies, and while
In the Convention one of them came in
at time when he was making q speech
in favor of enfranchising all the whites,
and expressing surprise at his liberal
ideas, complimented highly. But this
very mildness seemed to react, and stimu-
late the hatred of his foes, who were de-
termined on opposing any Constitution
the Convention might frame. They
seemed to lie enraged because there were
not features in the Constitution which
would enable them to defeat it. He re-
turned to Columbus some two weeks ago,
anu continued to act in the same subdued
and conciliatory spirit to the moment OF
This death. He had done nothing to pro-
woke the murderous revenge of his enc
mics. They murdered him purely for
his political opinions, and his active sup
j rQrt of Reconstruction. They had no
!, other reason to hate him. AS he lived a
patriot he died like a hero. He had a
pistol i'm his hand when assailed, but see
ing he was overpowered and would eer-
talnly be killed, refused to shed any
blood. But he boldly confronted his as
| sailan nts nd reeaivAd his fatal wound in