Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-03-10
Letter from {. n. Yerger, of lack
son, Mississippi.
What he has to say AS TO Himself
and his Situation.
How he Thinks the South may be
Won TO the Union.
What he Thinks of Reconstruction,
AIcOrn and Mississippi.

knowing how very conflicting are
fhe views with which +. NJ. Nerger' s
fatal encounter with Col. Crane is re-
garded. and aside from the specula-
tive problem whether or not he was
at the time reasonably conscious OF
his act, it would Oe unfair to him now,
not TO say that he sOlemnly believes
that when he dealt the blow he was
striking for his life. b. Z.
LETTER FROM COL. YERGER.
CAMP JACKSON, Miss, February
06. Is7O.-Benn Pitman, Esq, Cores
DoDdent Cincinnati Commercial: Sir
Your note of this date is at hand. Ny
friends seem more concerned than
myself regarding erroneous pubhca-
lions. 1t is very honorable in you
voluntarily to seek to repair wrong,
however unintentional, and 1t Is
proper for me to make a courteous re-
ply. 49,.
mOrs and MISREPRESENTATION should
occur concerning q case which, much
to the annoyance of my friends and
myself, has created an excitement
scarcely less than the Burr-Hamilton
tragedy. Even my religious faith has
not been spared. ApprOpOs to this
matter. 1t has been my observation
that most men imagine all men
mortal but themselves, and especially
chuckIe at their neighbOr's ignorance
IN matters Of religion. Years ago the
conflicts and contests of religiOnists
directed my attention to the necessity
of a united faith, within "One Holy,
Catholic and Apostolic Church" If
! inclined to Rome in this emergen
cy, ] scarcely think it furnishes a fact
detrimental TO my intellect. OF this,
however, tt does not become me to
speak; only to gay that stronger brains
than mine have succumbed to the un-
wOnted tyranny which oppresses the
Southern people.
My children laugh at the fancied
punishment your pen represented;
especially as il is well known never
interfere with the prer0gatives of the
nursery. In this connection may
illustrate with an anecdOte concern
ing a great Athenian Governor, who,
looking upon one of his children,
said: "This child is greater than any
man in Greece, for the Athenians
command the Greeks; l command the
Athenians; his mother commands
me, and he commands his mother"
YOu have very truly said / am
HcOnsciOus of no wrong to man."
only TO God. Although l may accept
your picture OF Nemesis weighing Joy
and sorrow with the neatness of an
apOthecary," usually selecting her
victims from the happiest of earth,
vet ii gives no man a license to call
me " criminal until so pronounced
by the law of the land. Why not
hold the Government responsible for
the unfortunate conflict, and aFraign
it for having substituted anarchy Tor
constitutional law, secdOnalism for
patriotism, dictatorship Tor liberty,
bad faith ior national honor?
You were not misfOrmed concerning |
my deep sympathy with the afflicted I.
family, but decidedly so as TO many
ridiculous and even romantic stories
concerning the same. Time will de-
yelop the true author of the calamity, |
which has brought death and misior- |
tune into two families, who were
prosperous and happy. Let the pub
lie wait.
In your letter TO the Commercial you
state that l imagine ] have the SYM
pathy of a vast majority Of the people !
of the entire country. If sympathy |
in this case means indigns aOn at the /
unwarrantable invasion OfEivil rights |
by the soIdiery of dictator, know ! 1
have il. I am not a proper subject |
for any other kind Of sympathy. When |
rulers are VirtuOus, the people are |
peaceful; when they are not, the peO- |
Die are dangerous. l claim not to be |
q representative man of the South, not |
Yithstanding the persistent, and, per- |
haps, malicious representations of |
soIneI that l have enlarged upon the |
vanity ofAlcibiades and the ambition |
OF Cesar" These by-plays have |
their day. I CLAIM only TO be an adj
vocate of peace and justice, and a re- /
turn to the first principles of the Gov |
ernment as the only hope to prevent /
dfsintegration in the future. My |
ssamhitiOD" = to secure a fair trial by |
a fury OF my eOUntrymen-my "van |
ity," perhaps, a gFm belief in my ac /
quittal.v
AS to the suggestions of a political /
oriyfu as exciting the difficulty, it is |
false. 1 never saw my opponent un-
til that fatal June morning, and when
/ inquired his name, which he gave
me. 1 could but recogniZe his abrupt |
d Sentation before me as an accept
of the challenge.
will answer as well as / can your !
INQUIRIES concerning the present status
Of political feeling ia the South.
There is but one way to restore the
greatness Of my peOple-yOu must ap-
peal TO the people themselves. Gov
ernors may elevate themselves, but
they have not the honor to make
Etase permanently glorious. The
whole heart Of people must palpitate
in great regenerations, and would it
not be well for the party prominent
now to recognize the invariable his
torieai truth that massacres and op-
preston do not promote loyalty or
peace? The people understand JUS
fiee when they see it, and viii not be
saf;sfied with its shadow. / know
s1his peo2le by heart; they are refined I
str their notiCns Of government. Not
'or,With sayages, who, when robbed OF
q IL birthright, look only to revenge.
lel lHe of the South understand ten
vbfioAoDhy Of the late revolution; we
knov Il has centralized the Govern
ment. We accept it, at least for the
ureaent. and simply ask protection
and release from military rule. If let
alone. we can take care OF ourselves,
and, perhaps, Of the nation.
III there fs wisdom in the party now
in power. they viii emulate the con-
ciliatOry policy of the great Napoleon,
who placed even political enemies in
his Council of State. he was ever on
the alert to prevent the spark of re-
belIion from becoming a universal
blaze. 1t was the wisdom Of concilia-
ton which to this day makes this
dead lion powerful.
1t has been well said by some pOlit-
icaI philosopher, Woe to that race
in which a revolution produces no
frI,its :" in which the thunderbolt
suaites the high places, but does not
purifv the air. 10 suffer i'm vain is
offen the fate Of the noblest individu-
els. but when a people suffer in vain,
q Iet them curse themselves"
Will the North understand our hon
esty now, or win they wait until it is
TOO late? They should know that
fbe question of CaucasiOn emancipa-
fion Is not a question Of ''ifs and
huis. . but it is question Of must
and shall"
SRartan kings reverenced the mag
Istrates elected by the people, and
shaU II De said that American rulers
can spurn the majesty of republican
customs without resistance2
-. IL