The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-09-16
LBrrER FROM GOVERNOR BROWN.
Denial of she Charges Made By Sen.
atOr Hendricks that He was Re-
spOnsible for the Horrors OF An.
dePsOnVIlle-The New York Plat
fOFm-Why Grant and COlfaX
Should be Elected,
ATLANTA, GA. Sent. s. 1868.

ATLANTA, GA, Sept. s, 1868.
To the Editor OF the Indianapolis Journal:
Your letter reached my Office dur
ing my absence, which has caused the
delay In my reply. From the news
paper slip which you enclose, it APP
pears that Senator Hendricks in his
canvass, upon the authority Of let
ter, purporting to be from Union
soldier; charging that l Issued an
order at Andersonville granting fur
Tough to every rebel soldier on guard
who would shoot a prisoner" pro-
nounce the charge fdtse-meanly and
basely false.
Every person who has intelligence
enough to be received into the SER
vice of the United States as a private
to say nothing of a person holding
or aspiring to a high position-must
know, and does know, that the Fed
eral prisoners captured by the Con-
federate armies were under the exclu-
sive command and control of the
Confederate authorities.
As / stated IN letter to promi-
nent citizen OF your State, some days
since, / never at any time during the
war had a Federal prisoner of any
name, rank, or grade In my posses
sion or under my control. | had no
more command over Audersonville
prison than the Governor of Indiana
had. | was never at it during the
war.
Such was the bitterness of Mr..
Davis towards me at the time the
prisoners were confined in this State,
on account of my refusal to favor his
tyranical and centraliZing policy, that
he neither advised or consulted with
me; nor did he treat respectfully sug-
gestions made by me. As general
rule, my advocacy of a cause which
he had to decide was its greatest in
jury. 1t was not, therefore, in my
power to exercise any control what
ever over the prisoners. aa
Ex-senator Hendricks has resorted
to this sort of Misrepresentation upon
q subject about which it seems incred-
ible that he can be ignorant, [ must
conclude he is hard pressed for argu-
ment to sustain the sinking revolu
tionary platform upon which the New
York Convention placed him and his
candidates for President and Vice
President, the meaning and objects of
which are so clearly and truthfully ex-
pounded by General Blair in his let
ter to Col. Brcadhead, which secured
for him the nomination, and has
made him the idol of such revolu-
tionary leaders in the South as
Toombs, Cobb, Ben. Hill, and others,
who are ready again, it they can get
sufficient encouragement from the
Northern Democracy, to trample the
flag of the Union under their feet, if
they cannot engraft their policy upon
the Administration.
am fully satisfied that the cleo
ton of Grant and Colfax is the only
security left to the country against
oppression and wrong attended by
scenes of carnage more revolving than
any through which we have passed
from 1860 to the present time. The
great mass of the American people
intend no such result. But it should
not be forgotten that a few wicked.
heartless leaders, whose political for
tunes are wrecked, in their despera-
tlon, have the a0iH and the p0lCeT, #
not rebuked in time, to precipitate
ne issue. The attempt to overthrow
cue governments established in the
Dou!h py force, to which the Demo
cIauG platform and Blair's letter COM
NIT the party, will be the match to
the magazine. NV H''''0'- -
very respectfully. vours
II -