The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1871-05-04
.Siall daaaieB m@arat.


AAgG8e
The Letter ofSergeant Bates CONCERNING
lis march from Vicksburg to Washington
IS given IS follows
INpIANAPcLIs, IND, March q, 1871.
Ed;1or RALEIGH Sentinel:
DEAR SR-In the report of the Senate
Committee, of March 10, on political out
raaesStheyf sssSFtlin Eega1dfolt ha Union
League at the South that ats purposes
were publicly avowed, that it held public
meetings. and PROFESSIONS, in which its
members appeared and acknowledgedtheir
connection with it; that no violence was
eithGBh<cted Gre e0untenAneedo BY the
League"
Allow me 70 give you some facts in ref
lation To die Union League South, in con-
nection with my tour with the United
States flag through the late sConfederacy.
Not wishing to trouble you with q very
long commuN sations will be- ssi brief as
possi66yUU HtiN1 - ltcii Aiti
After / had commenced the march from
Vicksburg. and before getting-out of Miss
issippi, j made the discovery that I was
being E9ld9sd III 4 RESPECTABLE and Intel
hgent-iookfng negro. IT would extend
this communication too much to explain
how I made the discovery that he was a
spy and tool of the Union League, and act
ing uuQCI ln1lEuCllOu5 4IOIls Ine League IN
regard to me-(he was to do me no harm,
bpt if my object in going through the
South was what the directors of the League
assertEdittobe ! vas to be assassinated,
unless . would return to- my Northern
home When warmed to do soEor how and
why l made him my friend. and arranged
with him to take charge OF my baggage,
meeting me at such points as railroad com
munication would admit of; how he as
sisted me to attend three secret meetings
OF the League IN disguise and at the risk
ofmy life; how on two occasions, at War;
renton, and Augusta, Georgia, he saved
me from serious harm and perhaps death
from the skuiking biood-hounds Of the
League. Itthis shall meet the eve of any
Of the leading citizens Of Warrenton it
win bring to mind the unusualexeitement
among the negroes on the evening of my
arrival iu'their town, and their openly ex-
pressed hostility toward me-a feeling
created by the false representations Of the
leaders of1he league. the object being to
excite tho negroes to mob me- Some OF
the citizens will also bring to mind how
strongly they urged me to allow them to
guard my hotel during the night, for the
protection of myself and the rest, and how
1snccessfully opposed their wishes in the
lLAllEEs O0l N4CI hCAO aOk oh L lA1o@N
late in the night, after they had retired 10
rest, for the purpose Of gaining informa-
ton, I disguised myself, and, with my
trusty friend, stole quietly from the house
and attended a negro meeting, presided
over by two white men, where / heard
myself misrepresented by the whites, and
roun6ly cursed by the negroes.
While in Selma, Alabama, an agent OF
the League called on me and requested a
private interview which / granted. His
object in calling was to induce me TO be-
come a member Of the League. His ar-
Quments and the inducements offered by
him I viii pass over flor the presently
While stopping at the European Hotel
in Montgomery, Alabama, 1 was one eve
ming a short time absent from my room
On returning to it and entering, l found 9
communication which hadbeen thrust IN,
der the door during m -absence, andeit
was from the League, who threatened me
with certain death unless ] furled my flae
and returned to my home, giving up al
further efforts in my attempt to dsceiF.
tho people Of the North in regard 9th
loyalty of the red-handed traitors o "a.
South, Sc, DC j mentioned thematte
to but n person-General james Clan
ton, of Montgcmery-who urged me
dCccDG Ol III c6COIJ VI
diers who would see me and the Gag pas
safely through Alabama into Georgia.
refused the escort.
At Greensboro, N. c., 1 was offered tel
thousand dollars, which l was to receive
provided 1 would stop the march and g
home. I was to do it apparently in dis
gust, and in the interests of the Republi
can party. The offer was made by W. w
Holden Of your State, Although a poo
man, nevertheless neither myself nor tn
flag Z carried was for sale. On my wa,
through North Carolina, / was INFORMED
by numbers Of the League that the or
~ganization in that State was already pow
erful and was growing more so at a rapii
rates that Governor Holden was at tn
head of the League, and that they wer
guided in all political matters by him.
The above are only q few of the facts c
the kind. The same Union League c
which the Senate committee said "No VIC
lence was either directed or -countenance
by them made four attempts to brib
me and three times threatened me wit
death, YhIle on my way with q Uniop fla
from Eicksburg To- WashIngton, It bein
well4nown that Twas IN the 1pterest {
no pafB my only object being 70 PROV
that-the people ofSthe North and Sout
could and shoald be united in the bond
of a friendlyunion. Allow me I say tbs
lam opposed to all secret political organ
izations of whatever character, for ] be
lieve them unnecessary and apubhc evi
I would also say that 1 can giveyou fnl
Their important information in regard I
sueh- organization, asserting nothing bu
what1 can prove, and, if acceptable, wi
do 50 willingly sim!Iy from the fact this
| beisys at a dutyjI owe to the public {
give publicity to information OF the aboy
character, which l am possessed Of.
nY Very respectfully,
SERGEANT G.. II. BATES.
- .v. HdvTnaIo