The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-11-22
LETTER FROM RICHMOND.


| can hardly venture to say, but nos,
think, since the early days Of the Secession
Convention in 1861.
Those were the days when il was not
particularly pleasant TO be known here.
abouts as the representative Of the INTEL
LIGENcER, and l remember very well
that found it somewhat awkward and
embarrassing TO be thus recognized on
one certain Occasion-which was the
night that that notorious proletarian mem
Der Of the Convention, Leonard Hall, OF
Wetzel county, made secession harangue
TO a crowd in front OF the SpOttsWOod
Hotel in the course of which he empha.
sized the TACT 70 il that the abolition
editor Of the Wheeling IETRLLIGESCER"
was at the time sitting in the hotel parlOr
from whose windows he was speaking.
The crowd, with instincts quite superior
TO those Of their proletarian orator, de-
clined to act upon this gentle Invitation TO
make martyr OF your correspondent,
and thus he was permitted to live TO see
the great law Of lez tGIiOais assert itself at
ParkerSburg in the spring Of 1865, when
friend Leonard returned from the wars
like played out hummer, and came so
near becoming "demnitiOn moist body"
In the.waters Of the Little Kanawha at
the hands Of an indignant crowd Of citi.
zens. .f...
Speaking thus Of this TedoubtAble rep.
resentative Of Wetzel county, naturally
reminds me Of the ordinance Of secession
for which he voted as a member Of the
Convention, and a lithograph fac simEe
Of which / saw hanging in the hall Of the
library at the capitol the other day. II
occurred To me that some of your readers
might like TO see this remarkable docu-
ment in print once more, II perchance 1t
was ever published at all in your columns,
and 90 copied it of for their benefit II
reads in this wise:
IAN Ordinance TO repeal the ratification
Of the Constitution oil the United
States OF America by the State oil Viz.
ginia, and to resume all the rights and
powers granted under said COnstitu.
ton.
"The people of Virginia, in their radf.
cation OF the Constitution oil the United
States Of America, adopted by them In
Convention on the 25th day Of June, in
the year OF our Lord one thousand seven
hundred and Lightweight, having declared
that the powers granted under the said
Constitution were derived from the peo-
pie Of the United States, and might be
resumed whenever the same should be
perverted 70 their injury and oppression |;
and the Federal Government having per.
Verted said powers, not only TO the injury
Of the people Of Virginia, but to the OPP
preston OF the Southern slaveholding
States; now, therefore, we, the people Of
Virginia, do declare and ordain that the
ordinance adopted by the people Of the
State, In Convention, on the 25th day OF
June, in the year Of our Lord one thou.
sand seven hundred and lightweight,
whereby the Constitution Of the United
States Of America was ratified, and all
acts Of the General Assembly Of this
State ratiiying or adopting amendments
10 said Constitution are hereby repealed
and abrogated; that the union between
the State Of Virginia and other States TN.
der the Constitution aforesaid, Is hereby
dissolved, and that the State Of Virginia
Is in the full possession and exercise Of all
the rights Of sovereignty which belong
and appertain TO free and Independent
State.
"And they do further declare that said
Constitution Of the United States Of
America, Is no longer binding on any OF
the citizens Of this State.
"This ordinance shall take effect and
he an act Of this day, when ratified by
majority Of the votes Of the people Of this
State cast al q poll TO be taken therefor
on the fourth Thursday Of May next, In
pursuance Of schedule hereafter to be
enacted.
"Done in Convention in the city Of
Richmond, on the 18th day Of April, in
the year Of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and sixty.one, and in the eighty.
fiGlh year the Commonwealth Of Vir.
ginia."
This MCssrs. Editors, Is the famous Or.
dlnanCe, word for word, as ii WINS drawn
up and passed here In secret session on
the evening or night Of that fatal dies irae
the 17th day Of April, 1861, and that like
tho wrath Of Achilles was the! direiul
spring Of woes unnumbered to Virginia
and the whole country. The Autograph
copy OF II hangs from It's place In the Ii.
brary like the Declaration Of Independ.
ence, which II much resembles in appear.
ance, and to which no doubt It's authors
are glad TO liken it Success, they say,
constitutes the main difference in the
merits ofthe two documents. l observe
that the signature Of friend Leonard Is
essentially proletarian, and contrasts very
decidedly with the copy.plate hand write
Of Sam Woods, Of Barbour caunty, who
like Leonard, was an early accession to
the Secession ranks in the Convention
from among the Western members.
In abiding 10 these men and those
daysof secession in Richmond my recol.
lection carries me back TO walk that |
took one afternoon while the Convention
was In session down to the Petersburg
depot, where l saw for the first time In.
diSputable and tangible evidence of the
war that was even then so near at hand,
in the shape of piles oil shells cast at the
Tredegar works for The South Carolina
rebels, and ready for shipment on The cars.
Here before me were the shells and there
behind me was the Virginia Convention
growing weaker every day on the Union
question, and from all parts Of the Coun.
Try there was but one report that the
Democratic party at Washington and all
through the North was making and