The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-11-08
Rock HILL, YORK DISTRICT, S. CT
October 26th. 1871. (

October 26th, 1871.
Hon. Reverdy johnson, Baltimore. Nd.
DEAR SIR X X y One of my
brothers has been arrested and thrown
into the common jail by United States
soldiers without charge or accusation,
without form or warrant of law, with
out the shadow of right OF Justice
Before the suspension of the writ of
habeas Corpus profound qniet prevailed
in this section of country men were
pursuing their business avocations in
the most peaceful manner, and a sea-
son of prosperity vas beginning to
dawn upon us but now words r al
most inadequate to describe the reign
of terror that is existing among u.s.
Bands of United States soldiers are
riding the country, arresting citizens
by the wholesale, tearing them from
their homes in the night time, terrify-
ing women and children, hurrying the
prisoners off to Jail and examining
them in dungeons and filthy cells
These arrests are made without war
rant. Men are ignorant of the Often
ses for which they are thrown into
jail. No explanation is given the
prisoner as to the cause of his arrest;
no hearing is allowed him. The in
nocent and the guilty fare alike. The
fury of the Radicals is levied against
the best of our citizens. Old and
young, gray-haired men incapable of
committing outrages, mere boys inno-
cent of crime, are arrestsd indiscrimi-
nately. In a time of profound peace,
when farmers are engaged in gather
ing in their corn and cotton, we are
declared to be in a state of a We
are suffering for crimes that have new
err been committed. We are punished
for offenses of which We are not guilty.
We are warred upon by the United
States government on account of a
rebellion which-God save the mark
has existence only in the imagina-
lions of President Grant and the vile
politicians who have poisoned his ears
with false and malicious reports
There is no rebellion there is no hos
tility to the United States govern
ment ; there is no resistance to lawful
authority. either state or federal; the
reports of collisions between armed
bands of Ku-Klux and federal troops
are utterly false, base and slanderous
fabrications uttered for a purpose.
The cruelty, the inhuman barbarity
of this inhuman unrighteous war upon
us is enough to bring the blush OF
shame to the cheek Of a Nero, and
soften the heart of a Tiberius. Our
women and children are the greatest
sufferers by this monstrous act of
wanton oppression they are pale with
alright; they are distracted with grief
and anguish; those looed ones upon
whom they lean for support are torn
from them, and they are left defence
less and at the mercy of brutal lawless
negroes. And all this suffering is en-
tailed upon u people that a few
wicked politicians may continue in
in power and fatten on the spoils of
Office. Grants proclamation, alleging
that the upper districts of, South Car
DINA are in a state of rebellion is the
most ~stupendous lie that IA ever pro-
mulgated to the world; the most in
famous document that ever bore an
official seal. In its utter falsehood,
Luz audacity, its daring assumption,
its sublime ,mendacity and its damna-
BILE iniquity, it is withcut precedent or
parallel in history. There is NJ docn-
ment on record comparable to it, The
cruel tyranny of tine measure if only
equaled by the arbitrary despotism
which has been practiced upon a Po-
land or a Hungary, a Greece or an
Ireland. And the worst of it is there
is no help for US. When the Presi-
dent of a free country, in a time of
profound peace, deliberately turns his
'.dogs of war" loose upon an unofend-
ing defenseless people, and the cold
eye of the world bears in it no SYM
pathy for us, there is no help for us
under the sun, and little hope.
Pardon me for tresspassing upon
your time, and believe me to be, with
the highest sentiments of esteem and
regard, your obedient servant.