The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-07-09
lsaraeI Denny "A asrincc ely and Modest


i 20 BIO hoped, mud which ] believe contains
the true germ from which feeling of Union
/ will spring ,ip again that will bind our
States forever In the bonds of common
brotherhood. This incident came to my
knowledge while in The State of Georgia,
and believe IT. to be i'm ali respects strictly
| true, md it illustrates that spirit which
alone can be looked toas means OF restoring
the feeling of fiaternityand national brother
hood which would form at once the happi-
'css and the strength and safeguard OF Utir
union OF Suites, and without which the
Union is but mockery and u dellision,
| destined to perish at the first rude shock it
shall receive In foreign war,
Whci the war closed In the stjrng of 1865
. an officer of the southern army found him.
| self, like thousands of his compatriots, with
| out dollar, OIL his way home to his family.
Not far from Atlanta he found his aged
| mother and family, people whom In 1861 he
mad icst in aftluencr, surrounded by all the
| luxury and refinement TINT inherited wealth
| and cultivation for generations In the saline
| family can alone produce. He threw himself
| from his weary horse. and entered the door
| Of his dwelling. The dgtJ mother, the wife;
sisters; l!tte children; were alI there: Death;
which lEtd held his harvest among the brave
| men on the field of battle and i'm tho north
| ern prisons, had spared the weaker ones.
Their suffering had been to live. They had
seen not only luXliries which their mode of,
living had made habitual swept away by the
breath Of war, but even the nccessaricS Of "A
| frugal life had gone. and when my informant
found these ladies' and children, once so
| tcndcrly cared for, they had been living for
| ten days upon dried okra and salt. This had
! been Their sole sulisistGiyc: Unable to re-
licvc their desperate condition; lic rclnoulitcd
his horse und rode back to the town of At.
| lanta to solicit food to keep his f;lmly alive.
| am crcdibly informed there was not head
| of horned cattlc, Il sheep, Il pig, or chicken
| in that county outside Of the camp of the
United States army.
On his way to Atlanta he met colonel of
the United States army. who. without know
ing him personally, mentioned his maine
Historic In Georgia and California; and il-
| uuircd the way To his residence. My i'll
| tormant disclosed himself to the officer, and
finding his purpose, told him his condition.
| and accepted such loan of money us en-
| ablcd him TO purchase from the United States
! comn,SSary ut Atlanta the ncccSSarics of life
for his family. will not recount how, with
energy and courage, he struggled, with vary
ing success, to make Il living for those who
| were dependent OH him. but the election Of
Bullock and the appointment Of his State
officials forced him to abandon the practice of
law. where merit and ability could not com
pete with corrupt iayoritsm. About this
time he wrote to Il friend in the North Il letter
descriptive of the condition OF southern men
like himself, honestly cndcayoring to act us
faithful citizens Of the Govern ;cnt Of the
United States. and finding 40 confidence en-
hibitcd In their good intentions, but on the
other hmd rebuff and discrcdit. while
thieves, c7Imp-folowcrS, and ignorant and
vicious negroes were placed in power over
them. This letter found its way into print
in some of the northern papers; among
others, l believe. In the New York 1rihttnc.
\ few weeks after the letter was written
my informant received Ivy mail a letter post
marked Boston. Mass He opened it and
found ncu>cd IL check for 81 900 and Il few
lines from the writer Stating that he had
seen the letter referred 10. and desired, us Il
northern man, to aid 4 irlow-citiZCn in
distant State struggling in such bitter advcr
Sity. The writer's name WIS totally III
known 10 him. and he thought il must be Il
mistake or cruel hoax. lie submitted the
| check TO a banker. who 1T once informed him
| that it was good for its full amount. He,
| however, considering that there must be
some mistake, wrote to Boston, stating the
arrival Of the letter with the check, hut his
fear that his motive In writing which drew
forth the remittance had been misunderstood;
| that he might have been supposed to he what
! was known It's !; i" Union man," in the south
crn acccptation of the term, or Il irrcntant
rebel. disposed to gain favor with the sue
ceSSful purity by condcmning his own past
course. lie told him that lie WAS neither:
| lao Il nal
,o,ls believer in the right and duty of ScccS-
sion in 1861, and hid no regrets except for
his failure; but that he accepted his fate, and
WAS ready TO keep faith with the Govern
mcnt which has conquered.
A reply from Boston to this letter assured
him that the writer had earnestly advocated
tho prosecution of the war, and during the
war would have held linn an enemy, but that
peace lEld come, and he now sought to make
him friend, and took this us Il natural mode
of dom. it, and begged him to keep and lIs'
the money. | need not S:.y.Low much the
heart of this Southcrncr was touched; but
he was Il man OF honor, and though sorcly
pressed for money, felt, in looking over the
entire field of his affairs, that even with the
81 900 he was greatly in debt, and, in fact
insolrcnt. He felt it WIS his duty, as it was
his right, to avail himself of tho bankrupt
law of the United States and start afrcSfl If
ter giving up al he possessed, which, con
sisted chiefly of the farm and homestead
which sheltered his family. He therefore
| wrote again TO the good man in Boston, tell
ing him these facts, and declining his prof
icrcd loan under the circumstances. The
mail soon brought IL request to know the
precise condition of his affairs He made il
out in exact detail, and his statement dis
closed debts several thousand dollars i'll OK
cess of his assets.
i In prompt return of mail !; letter reached
him with check for the amount of his needs
in full. His debts were paid, his energy re.
stored his family retained their home, tho
day of their adversely had passed, and pros
pcrty met him with Il pleasant smile and
Boston merchant to 4 total stranger in Il
southern State, one whose face hc bad never
seen, whose opinions, social and political, Inc
had ever opposed, has been returned, but
this Is the least part of the transaction. There
is debt that will never be paid so long us
likelihood warns that Southcrncrs hcart-thC
debt of love, of gratitude, OF friendship,
which binds him and his kindred with tics
stronger than iron to that Boston merchant,
and all who wear his name or are of his Kin
drcd. The name of the northern man Is
| borne by the son of the southern man. Ii
will be IL household name that shall couple
those two families in true ties of friendship
while their name shall hast. Should danger
or trouble aSs;,il the man of the North or his
kindred he can count upon the ready hand
| l,,- ,,fl, J,.nf fn InTnnI