The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1868-10-01
A Cheerful southern View.

| n NnCtIlul oOulilcrn tleWs
The butcher Of Fort Pillow,
General Napoleon Bonaparte For.
rest, WAS not only one Of the most
prominent leaders of Southern De.
mocracy during the "late onplea
santness," but was also q very in :
auential member of the Convention
which nominated Seymour and
Blair. A correspondent Of the
Cincinnati Commercial recently
held an interview with this ardent
supporter OF the Constitution, and
obtained a very free exposition Of
his views. In relation to Govern.
or. .::Brownlow's proposed calling
out of troops to suppress the Ku
Kldx, the correspondent said:
In the event of Governor Brown
lows calling out the militia, do
you think there will be any resist :
ance offered TO their acts?' | as :
ed.
"That will depend upon circum-
stances. 1.-THE militia are simply
called out. and do not interfere
with Or molest any one l do not
think there will be any fight. II,
on the contrary, they do what l
believe they will do, commit out
rage upon the people, they and Mr..
BrOunlow'S gOvernment uil be spept
cut of eristence; not Radical uHL
be left alire. lfthe militia are call.
ed out, we can not but look npon it
as a declaration of war, because
Mr.. Brownlow has already issued
his proclamation directing them to
shoot down the Ku Klux wherever
they find them, and he calls all
Southern men Ku Klux."
why, General, we people up
North have regarded the Ku Klux
Klan as an organization which
existed only in the frightened i'm
aginations Of few politicians"
"Well, sir. there is such an or
aanization, not only in Tennessee
but all over the South, and its num-
bers have not been exaggerated"
"What are its numbers, Gener
al?"
"M Tennessee there are over forty
thousand; in all the Southern States
they number about $50, 900 men,"
The Copperhead press have very
earnestly denied the existence OF
this murderous Klan. We pre-
sumo this statement of their leader
will set the matter at rest. Press.
ing the subject, the General pro.
cceded to say that, in the contin.
gency above specified, there "will
be war, and u bloodior one than
we have ever witnessed. | have
told these Radicals here what they
might expect in such an event.
l haze no porderto burn killing ne,
grceS. Iiatend tokW the Radicals.
/ haze told them this and more; there
is not a Radical leader in this tOWa
but is a mdrked man, and ia trouble
Should break out, not one OF them
could be left dhre have told
them that they were trying to cre-
ate q disturbance and then slip
out and leave the consequences 10
fall upon the negro, but they can't
do it. Their houses are ptcketed
and wHen the fight comes, not one Of
them uould euer get out of this t0rn
alive. Wedon'l intend they shall
ever get out of the country"
Upon being asked what he
thought of General Grant, Forrest
said:
l regard him as a great military
commander, good man, honest and
liberal, and if cleeted will, | hope
and believe, execute the laws hon.
estly and faithfully, And by the
way, report has been published
in some OF the papers, stating that
while General Grant and lady
were at Corinth, in 1862, they took
and carried off furniture aud 9th.
OR property. | here brand the au
thor as a liar. | was at Corinth
only a short timc ago, and I per
sonally Investigated the whole
matter, talked with the people
with whom he and his lady lived
while there, and they say that
their conduct was everything that
could have been expected Ola gen
tleman and LADY, and deserving
the highest praise. | am opposed
to General Grant in everything
| L.. ,,orId Jo, l;,, ;uotion