Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1869-01-09
The Var ia .1II0HSfs.

The Truth, at Lcn0th, officially Report
ed to Gen. Grunt-the Rebels Reign
OF Terror Organization of Bushes
Wcn-1fdrfidt Ld,O IN Screen Counties.
WASN'T GIoN, Jan. 7.-Gen. Horace
Porter, fGcn Giants staff, having fin
ished his investigations concerning Gov.
ClaytoE's militia, reports as follows:
| The present State Government was
certainly in some danger D "evious to the
| Presidential election. Senator Barker
had been shot and ounded badly; Mr..
Upham, of the Lower House, wounded
Mr.. Hines, a member of Congress and a
Freedmen's Bureau agent killed; and
other agents and a United States Mar
shall driven from their posts by threats.
The Governor, Senator Rice, and others
had to sleep in the State House under
guard, for fear of assassination. The
Governor wisely refrained from taking
any violent measure until after the
election, fearing that the opposition
might make capital out of it. AS soon
as it was over, however, he organized
militia force ofabout 81 men, one-fourth
colOred, under Gen. Catterson in the
southwest, and Upham in the northeast,
with orders to live off the country. talk
ing what was absolutely necessary, and
giving NOuCHcTS Ills lulcHJlOn Is 10
pay all loyal hold us of vOuche s, ardno
others. Two assassins have already been
executed by sentence of a military COM
mission. Seventeen others are in pris-
on, and great number have been run
out of the State. But the best result |
can see is the disposition Of all business
men to voluntarily enroll themselves as
q posse, pledged to assist the SherifS to
arrest ldUless characters If the GOuern-
ment aUW relieve them from martial laaU.
The Governor has accepted many such
pledges, and martial law exists in on Y
PARTS of seven counties. The entire con-
servative wing of the Republican party
wer opposed to the declaration of maj
tial law, including Gen. Smith. U. S.
Army, commanding the troops in the
State. They admitted the reign of ter
rOr established by the rebels, but wanted
the United States to make the arrests.
Gov. ClaytOn's arguments in favor of
his policy are as follows: 1.-THE United
states troops do not know the people
and the country. The lawless behave
while the United States troops are in
the vicinity, and break out worse than
ever when they leave. The rebels ale
generally anxious to have them, as it
creates an expenditure of money in
their midst. from which they reap ben
.fit. The militia Furnishes. all the dis
loyal, and extort pledges from them to
respect the laws"
AS these people have threatened to
break up the Government as soon as the
United States troops are removed, this
teaches them that the State is able to
protect itself The militia has bee 4 I'M
der tolerably good control, and the
plundering reported in the press is the
taking of supplies under orders. One
negro militiaman committed rape Oh
white woman, but was Immediately
arreste by Gen Catterson (whO seems
to be very good mani, tried, convicted,
and prom. tly executed. The Govern
or's policy has, no doubt, seriously in
ter cred with business where martial
law has been proclaimed, and injured
business men of all parties, hence the
opposition from loyalists.
1t has interefered with travel, taken
off hands for the mil tia at season
when they were badly needed, and
created many panics. 1t has however,
accomplished much more good than the
most sanguine expected, and Gen.
Smith acknowledged that he thou hit
the Governors judgment was better
than his own, and that the result would
fully Justify the action of the former.
Tie Governor is certainly man of
nerve, and labored under difficulties
that would have deferred a less able Oil:-
Ger. He could seldom secure good men
for office, and i'm the caste IN counties he
had to depend entirely upon the negroes
Tor soldiers Very respectfully.
HORACE PORTER, A. ID. G.