Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-06-06

The Reporsea Troubles Public Opih-
: ION Regarding the Deeds OF Outlaws.


MAKELY, EARLY COUNTY, GA, May
22.-In, the course of my wanderings
meet as great variety of all sorts and
conditions OF men IN Georgia, as anybody
| who is not railroad conductor. / hear
them talk, ] converse with them, and Il
meet numbers Of acquaintances and
friends, and have as good an opportunity
as anybody can have to judge what is
public opinion in this State. Besides
having no inclination to torture facts
to ft any pet theory, or advance the
| interests OF any faction or clique, polit-
ical or otherwise, but having very
| earnest desire to tell the truth, SO
that it may be known of all men, my
observations are disipterestedly made,
and my Judgment honestly reached.
During the three eventual years just
past, during which it has been my
privilege to give the readers of the
Times information as to affairs in Geor~
gia,,' it has been my good fortune never
10 have had to recall q st atement, Ors 70
have made any assertion that admitted
of successful contradiction. Under
these circumstances, therefore, when ]
state positively as the result of close
personal observation and knowledge Of
men and things in Georgia, that the
stories of a rebellion or lawless feeling
among the people are wholly untrue,
and that ninety-nine hundredths of the
population are as peaceable, law respect
ing and well disposed as that of any
State in the Union, 81 L expect
to be believed. The people
deeply regret the violations Of law which
take place here and there, and which a
few political adventures magnify into
crimes in which the whole people are
represented as accessories before or alter
the fact. These crimes are committed
by the few violent Vagabonds who are to
be found ia every community, whose
violence and vagabondism have been
stimulated and cherished by four years
of war, who belong to no party and to no
society, and who obey no law human or
divine, recognizing no statute>book and
fearing no man nor devil To make the
people of Georgia accountable for the
crimes of these outlaws is quito as I'M
reasonable and as unjust as it would be
to make the inhabitants Of Fifth avenue
responsible for Reals murder or for the
assassination of Mr.. Rogers.
Politics have no more to do with the
murders which have taken place in Georp
gia than the religion, dress, height or
personal appearance of the victims. ASH
burn was killed by the company which
usually frequents negro houses of ILL.,
fame, Of one of which he was an inmate.
Aver was killed by negro who had rex
fused to allow him to become boarder
in q negro lodging house. Both Ash
burn and Aver were men Of abandoned
character and most profigste habits
and, however, for greater political emu
phasis, their names may be parade6 as
the "Hon" Mr.. Ashburn and the Hon"
Mr.. Aver, those who know their history,
if they tell the truth, must admit that
long before either had any political aspire
alton, no decent negro would have permit
ted them to associate with him. Adkins
who is represented by the writer's Of
sensation rOmances for political effect
as a venerable and exemplary preacher
of the gospel, was also a notorious de-
baucher. His negro dDeOurs are more
numerous than the number of his years.
He was at one time a Baptist exhorter,
but for many years, since his example
was found to square so i'll with his pre-
cepts, he has been regarded as very
disreputable hypocrite, with whom no
body but the lowest and most ADAM
doned had any associations These are
the facts, which can be corrOborated by
the testimony Of thousands, whose word
nobody who knows them would hesitate
to believe. would not depart from the
rule to say nothing but the good of the
dead, if it were not necessary to protect
the living against cruel misrepresent-
alton and wrong. Is it anything
surprising that man who takes up his
residence in a negro brothel, and has no
associates but those who frequent such
places should meet violent death Is
il wonderful that a man who has fallen
SO low as to be even refused admission
to negro boarding house, and who WAS
known to have several hundred dollars
ON his person, should be robbed and muir
dered as he wandered about among the
negro cabins asking for place to lay his
head +? Or is it so unnatural that one ad
dicted to the lowest prohigacy, and who,
it is proved, made indecent Overtures
to a respectable young lady, should
fall a victim to the anger Of some
of the friends and relatives OF the
insulted girl ? 1t is true that all
three we're Radical politicians. 1t is
true they were brutality murdered. But
thew were murdered for their vices by
some Of their vicious associates; or, as
the case of Adkins, they were murdered
by those whose honor and the sanctity Of
whose family they had attempted to out
rage. Let any man select the same So
eietv and character of residence in any
mart of the world, as did Ashburn and
Aver or let him pursue the same habit
OF life as did Adkins, and the wonder
would be that he should die a natural
death These mon were politically obnox-
ions, but not nearly as much so as hum
dred others whom | could name, who,
more observant Of the decencies OF life,
90 about daily without the least molesta~
ton or threat. Even were the people OF
Georgia willing to instigate assassination
as way to get rid of political opponents,
WHY should they commit the crime on
such obscure foes as Ashbdrn, Aver and
Adkins, and leave the leaders in peace
and safety What on earth could any
political party gain by the death OF any
or all Of these menu