The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-03-03
Letters from the People,
~ POCAHONTAS COUNTY
Record of n Reverend ERndicni - A
"LoyaI" Elephant " oung ns "YOung
Rolivnr.v

Editor of the Register:
We are aware that it is the nature OF
the jackal to prey upon the carcass OF
the lion, but we never thought that
the Senator from Pocahcntas had so
much Of the jackal nature in his com
position, until we saw the resolution he
offered in the Senate on the llth inst,
in regard to the burial of the Confeder-
ate dead in the Antietam cemetery.
Valiantly does the Senator wage war
upon the bones of those whom he fear
ed to meet in open fight whilst living.
1t is we'll known that all of Colonel
Young's military exploits were on the
Falstaffian order. If he ever drew
blood it was from the corpse of some
dead Percy. In the summer of 1864,
Colonel Young, with detachment
of twenty-five or thirty State
troops, made a raid into this
county. He was attacked on Stony
Creek by party of fourteen men under
command of the rebel Joe Gay. AS soon
as the action commenced the redoubt-
able Colonel fortified himself behind a
large log; but there happened to be in
Gays squad an Irish boy who had lost
MS right arm at Gettysburg, and he OBJ
serving some one hidden behind the log,
made flank movement, and with a
pistol in his left hand charged the Col
onel in his works. The Colonel think
ing discretion the better part Of valor,"
made a hasty retrograde movement
leaving his pistol lying on the log,
which fell into the hand of the one
armed Irish boy, who quickly seized it
and pursued the valiant Colonel for a
considerable distance into the mount
aims, firing at him with his own
revolver. After that the reverend
Colonel retired from active military life
and devoted himself to political preach
ing, thinking, no don6t, that he " had
as lief hear the devil as drum" Per-
haps visions of that one arm of Mike
Willshan have been tumbling the SEN
ator's brain; if so We will tell him that
Mikes right arm is not buried at An
tietam, but on the heights of Getty 3
burg, aud we can assure him that he
can visit Antiotam cemetery as much as
he may please, and the amputated aral
of that brave Irish boy will not hurt
him. We hope n knowledge of this fact
will cause him to withdraw his resOlu-
ton. Perhaps the Senator finding his
political career as great failure as his
military, makes this last great effort,
SO much in keeping with Radicalism, to
retrieve his lost fortune. We feel like
saving of him as the Irishman did Of
the little kitten when it scratched him,
"Arrah, you little divil, you would do
harm if you were only biz enough"
None but the most dastardly coward
could have entertained in his breast
such thoughts as that resolution con-
tains. There is nothing generous in it,
no magnaAimity, no feeling for fallen
fce,-nothing that would characterize q
true soldier.
Does he sappose that animosity still
exists between the bones of those fallen
heroes whose ashes mingle together in
the earth, their common mother'
Side by side they have peacefully
slumbered for five years.
These in the robng of glory,
Those in the gloom Of defeat,
All with the battle blood CORY,
In the dusk Of eternity meet
Under the sod and the dew
Waiting the Judgment day;
Under the laurel the Blue,
Under the willow the Gray
Ought not the Senator to know that
it will strengthen the bonds of the
Union to have the mothers of the North
and South meet together on that memo
rable plain, and mlngle their tears over
the remains of the loved and lost; and
drown all feelings of resentment and
anger whilst decorating the graves of
those heroes-each of whom was once a
mothers JOY and pride.
No more shall the war cry sever
Or the winding rivers be red;
They Danish our anger forever
When they laurel the graves OF our dead.
Under the sod and the dew
Waiting the Judgment day
Love and tears for the Blue
Tears and love for the Gray.
Mr.. Young's resolution is not only a
cowardly attack upon the dead, but an
insult to the living soldiers of both ar
ullGS. uc DidNO WIN
forward to "the imminent and deadly
breach" or stood firm where death
shots fell thick and fast" can now meet
as friends and shake hands over the
grave of buried animosity which be-
longs to the bloody past. In war they
were foes-in peace they are friends.
A brave man always appreciates valor,
even in an enemy; but only towards,
like the Hon. Rev. Col. Samuel Young,
delight in making assassin thrusts or
Offering insult to the memory of dead
enemy. The Senator's doom is forever
sealed-he has ntisrepresented this Dis
trict the last time. When he returns
home he will not be greeted by "troops
of friends but loathed and alb
.horred by all high-minded gen.
tlemen. His occupation is gone,
and he will have to re-
sort to his old tricks of ante bellHm
days, either editing pOliticO-religiOus
paper, or what is more csngenial TO his
tastes and habits, play Bolivar" for the
amusement of the boys. Some years
ago Van Anburg passed through this
country with menagerie. Bolivar was
tue name of his large elephant. After
the circus had passed en-, the boys of
the village would amuse themselves by
having what they termed "play cir
GUS" but for long time they were ut a
loss to know what they could substitute
for an elephant. At length one day
one muster" day-some Of the boys de-
clared to their companions that they
had seen something on the training
ground" that would dexactlyunswer their
purpose, so up to the ground they march
ed, and there found young "melish"
Captain, in full-regimentais, drilling
a company of raw militia gmen.
The young militia officer 50
nearly resembled an elephant in his
actions that the boys immediately de-
clared that be must act as Bolivar for
them. So judge of the surprise Of the
citizens when short time afterwards
they looked upon the ludicrousspectaelo
of the .smslish" Captain slewly march
ing down the street on all JoHrs, escorted
BY yortilful keeper,
1t must be said TO the praise of young
Bolivar that he acted his part admir-
ably; the boy keeper would lie down