The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1868-07-31
FROM THE SOUTH.

from letter handed us by j. w.
Davidson. 1t is from an officer in
the regular army, and connected with
the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen
and A bandoned Lands, in Alabama :
/ am again, as you will see, in the
Bureau r. F. q A. l., but 1 don't
like it. There are too many con-
flicting elements to contend with, and
tales of outrage daily coming to my
ears, that make the blood boil in nv
veins. The South, my dear Davidson,
lis no better since you left than while
you were in Arkansas. Alabama is
worse than Arkansas. The rebels
are more defiant and outspoken
against the Government in conse-
quence of the Constitution being de-
feated. 1t seems to me that Ohio il
going back on the record some. The
people of the loyal States are much
mistaken if they think the cussed
spirit of Slavery is yet dead in the
South, for it is not. kept account
of the number of negroes whose
murder was recorded in some six or
seven Southern journals / receive;
in one sCeek-men and women-num-
bered 81, and 81 of these were killed
by white men. What think you of
that
II, with the Freedmen's Bureau
and strong military force scattered
all over the South, 81 black people
are murdered in one week, how many,
think you, would be killed if the
Bureau and military were withdrawn
The fact is, the irresponsible, low
down white roughs of this country,
think no more of shooting and killing
an unfortunate negro, than they
would of killing q dog, and 1 have
met men who would kill black man,
with a soul to save, before they would
kill q favorite hound, and they told
me so themselves, and thought it
sounded chipdho9s. i wish l had the
power of Demosthenes, with means,
pecuniarily, to back me, and would
travel the length and breadth Of this
land and with words of fire would
make every man and woman, from
the largest cities to the poorest ham
let, understand this question, viz:
that there is no protection for any
human being with a black skin that
there is no justice to be had for
them, nor for o man who is known to
besa Union man that the "Y Yankee,"
as. they call every man Who wore
a,blue cost, Is :despised and slighted
Iif not outwardly they are secretly /;
that the spirit, the devilish spirit Of
Islsvery-that curse of America--is
still rampant, and that the Govern
ment is to-day hated and despised
with far more venom than it was in
1861, when they flew to arms to es-
tablish, permanently, a despotism of
the most cruel kinda despotism not
only over the bodies of their poor
victims, but over their mortal souls.
Aye. sir. these sclfsame men, to-day,
whom we whipped and conquered in
the field as open alien enemies, with
their weapons in their hands TO ex-
terminate every man who dared stand
up for his country, his flag and his
Government, as q Nation, these same
men are now moving heaven and
earth under the name of 'sConserva.
tives" and "Democrats'to gain by bal.
lots what they lost by bullets. They
stand up and spout about their rights
which they staked when they drew
the sword. They pirate about Con
stitution which they rejected with
scorn, and now have the effrontery te
claim rights under it, and at the same
time they are killing of the BLACK
population by the score, as their OWL
newspaper accounts of the day viii
testify. Supposing the Bureau ani
Military to be withdrawn, and these
;; people left to make and execute theil
s own laws without the unfortunate
. Freedmen having the right to vot,
for the men who are to preside owe
their destines what chance, in Cod
name, would they have for iastic'
! and protection? '-''-' 60
My dear Davidson, this thing i