Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-01-22
Despotism of ReconstructIon.

| tory alone these letters are most valuable.
AS matter of justice to Governor WORTH
they should be published. They bear dam
ming evidence TO every candid mau of the
cowardly despotism of our former military
rulers. We herewith give the first extract,
and may continue them in a future number
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, }
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT.
; Raleigh, Dec. 81, 1867.
| To tie President ollie United States:
DEAR SIR:-In my last letter to you Of
the 23d Of October last, said "a prac-
tice has prevailed in this State, and still
prevails, Of having citizens arrested and
| imprisoned by military authority, upon
charges often made by persons of bad
character, the charges and names of the
persons preferring them being concealed
from the party arrested. Several arrests
have been made in this State, and the ac-
cused transferred to distant places Of con-
fnement and detained as prisoners for
months, with out preliminary trial or notice
of cause Of imprisonment. [ have earnest
| ly demonstrated against the iniquity of
such proceedings to Gen. Sickles and Gen
Candy. To-day am informed that the
Sheriff of Caswell, Mr.. J. G. Griffith, a man
Of exemplary character, personal and polit-
CAL has been arrested and carried to Char
lesion prisoner, upon some unknown
charges, preferred by VIM. johnson and
one Tourgee, both of the most detestable
moral character. No form Of military
6espotism can be more terrible to the or
derby citizen than these summary arrests
and imprisonments in Forts distant from
the homes of the parties arrested and with
malevolence feast without fear of moles-
tation."
This letter was referred by you to Gen.
Grant, who transmitted it to Gen. Candy
for his remarks,
Gen. Candy some three weeks ago fur
nished me with partial copy of his re-
marks to Gen. Grant, in which, among
other things, he says my statement to you
is mot an ingenious statement" that she
o. knew by my (his) letter of Sept. II,
IOOb. GudI III CuO vi Vic GUSTS SidLSu III LIlub
remonstrance, the arrest was made at the
request of his own agent and in aid of the
civil authorities"
l append a copy Of that letter, dated
Sept. II. 1867, marked A, from which it
will be seen that [ did not know, by that
letter, that the arrests were made at the
instance of my agents.
Gen. Canby's reference, in his letter to
Gen. Grant, to the terms "iniquity" and
military oppression used 10y me, i'm
plies that these terms, as he thinks, were
fundamentally used by me. I disclaim
using them in d sense which could be
Justly held personally offensive to General
Candy, but they were apt words TO convey
my idea of tho acts to which they were
applied.
In the same communication Gen. Candy
reflects on the Legislative and judicial char
acter of the State (most uniustly, as be-
lieve, when he says that, "by INGENIOUS
omission and ingenious construction . of
our amnesty act Of December, 1866, GER
tain citizens who W 10y al to the United
States are not protected by the provisions
Of the act. He cites particular cases to sus-
tain his proposition, referring to certain
exhibits sent to Gen. Grant, and which are
not furnished to me, and without which [
am not able to appreciate or investigate his
assertions.
He also says my definition of the charac-
ter of Tourgee els not accepted" and
states that g he was captain Of the 1O5th
Ohio Vol. Infantry, and Judge Advocate Of
the war he settled in Guilford county in
this State. At rural political meeting in
that county. in the Summer of 1866, he was
appointed a delegate to the Philadelphia
Convention of Sept. 1866 He there made
speech, as reported in the Herald and
Tribune, which suppose went the rounds
of the Northern press, in which he says he
had been recently informed, by a Quaker,
that he (the Quaker) had seen fifteen MUIR
dered negroes dragged out of one pond
that l, 200 Union soldiers who had settled
in the State had Teen forced to sacrifice
their property and leave the State, because
neither their lives nor property were safe
in the State.
Everybody in this State know that these
were malignant falsehoods and ISLANDERS on
our people. They gave him character in
the State. [ have heard many officers Of
tho United States speak Of Tourgee. [
never heard anybody speak of him but
with loathing. He is a delegate from Gull
ford to our approaching Convention, cleo
ted over a highly intelligent, educa,ed
gentleman, who has been n consistent Qua
ker all his life, by reason of the fact that
the great body of the intelligent and vir-
tuous of the people, on account Of disfran-
chisement and other causes, did not go to
the polls.
Of Johnson l will speak in the sequel.
In my late interview with you, gave you
a narrative of sundry military orders in
this State, which l thought Justified the
language of my letter to you of Oct. Is
You requested me to state the facts to you
in writing, which would have been done
sooner but for serious indisposition.
Iproceed to comply with your request,
beginning with the recent arrest of Grit
fifth. the Sheriff of Caswel county.
Some three years before the close of the
war, William johnson was indicted for
burglary in Rockingham county. He was,
at the time deserter from the Confeder-
ate army. His younger brother and one
Lea, as | am informed, were associated
with him in the commission of the crime !
1t was, as learn from the Hon. Thomas |
Settle the SOlicitO, who 1rOcncntad tho |