Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1868-06-17
A Swift Witness.

The statement copied from the letter on
Kirby, that Mr. Beach, City Marshall of
Chattanooga, had been 'rebel candidate"
has drawn from that gentleman a letter
published in the Press and Herald, which
VIC copy at the request of the writer.
CHATTANOOGA, June 11tb, 1868.
4 b. KIRBY, ESQ
DEAR SIR | have read with surprise
the enclosed extract from the Knoxville
WING ! think it due not only to you but
also to myself 10 ask YOU to publish the
following statement.
You never were a candidate for any Office
on any ticket in Chattanooga. have been
acquainted with you for over three years
and during all that time have known you
to be straight out Conservative. You
never belonged to any Union League IN
this city And will also bear testimony
that no Radical in this city really believes
that you were ever anything but Demo-
crat. If the expression. Press and Herald
men, means to include the manager Mr..
VIM J Ramage, l would state that he, 10
my knowledge took sides with the Johnson
! Conservatives when the johnson party y
! first developed, and has always fought US
since and never belonged TO the Union
League in Chattanooga, Both yourself and
Mr.. Ramage are courteous gentlemen.
/ The writer is the " Rebel Beach men
toned. I would state in my reply that /
am a Radical, was a Union soldier, am by
birth a Pennsylvania, and never voted the
Democratic ticket in my life have been
/ City Marshal Of Chattanooga for two years
and never was known az a sympathizer
with Conservatism l am really surprised
/ that Col Brownlow would take me TO be a
Rebel after exchanging opinions personally
with him as l have frequently done. l
would be pleased TO have the Wing correct
its statement or publish this letter.
J. S. BEACH
We have spent but tive days in Chatta-
uooga in three years. If we ever had any
conversation with Mr.. Beach, we do not re-
member it. Wo do not recall his features
by seeing or hearing his name. We have
no doubt we have been introduced to him
and conversed with him as he states, but
we do not remember all of the thousands
of strangers whom we have casually met.
The gist and substance of all we said in
the VINO (and it is this which offends
Kirby) is that he has turned a complete
summersault in politics On this point his
friend Beach comes to his rescue as follows
5. will also bear testimony that no Rad
zeal in this city really believes that you
1gere ercr anything BAT a Democrat" This
is a rich COAX. It is far more domning
10 Kirby, than anything his enemies could
say Of him. If true that he was always
q Conservative it shows that for Majors
salary in a coIored regiment he was acting
and protesting that which was contrary to
his convictions.
BY Democracy he Of course means
Conversation as opposed to Radicalism.-
The idea OF a Democrat or Conservative
colored soldiers We'll bet if
he were to express himself, that Col. VIM.
Heiskell would say ID such De-
1t is.notorious that Democracy all over
the land denounced the enlistment of coll
ored troops
We made DO reference TO Mr.. Ramage,
but Mr.. Beach Is a "swit witness and
seems anxious to bolster up the whole es-
Enlistment If he would create the i'm
preston in Knoxville that he is a Republi-
can he would not volunteer to endorse as q
4" courteous gentleman, a fellow who is re-
garded with contempt by all parties here