Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1873-09-15
EASTERN DISPATCHES
lsrzorAI TO THE BOLD NIL DAILY srws.l
o o N EsrIo iHTELLIoEHcE
Railroad Accident.


ALBANY, Sept. IA misplaced
switch threw the evening train from
Saratoga while entering this city from
the track. and the engine, tender and
baggage car went down the bank into
Patroon's Creek. The fireman was
killed, and the engineer, baggageman
and another employe injured.
Emigrant Schemes.
New York, Sept. 15.-At n meeting
Of the Wilson Committee last evening
= committee was appointed to COM
plete the necessary arrangements aud
to select land grants under the home
stead law, either on the line Of the
Atchison. Topeka and Santa Fe Rail-
road or some branch Of the Central
Pacific. The committee will leave the
city September 22d. F~orty-eight new
members were accepted. This makes
22S families who will leave the East
for their new homes this Fall or early
In the Spring.
Elk President johnson md Mrs.
Surratt.
A Washington dispatch says ex-
President johnson Is expected In that
city to-day, for the purpose OF taking
part In the controversy now going on
respecting the trial and execution OF
Mrs. Surratt. He will, 1t Is supposed,
endeavor to controvert the statements
Of Judge Advocate General Holt, on
the point as to whether tho courts re-
commentator to mercy was ever pre-
sented to him or not.
Who Burnt Columbia, y. C.!-Letter
OF Gen. sherman.
WASHINGTON, Spet. l4.-The CHron-
sole this morning publishes the follow
Ing interesting letter from General
Sherman:
10 the editor Of the Chronicle-Dea
Sir !: When you applied to me some
time ago for the material bearing on
the controversy OF who burnt Column
bia, 1 gave you two hurried pamphlets
which I had obtained from Judge Holt,
containing all the testimony taken
In the cotton cases growing out Of
that event, and submitted to the mix
ed commission appointed to adjudicate
these cases under tho treaty with
Great Britain. Judge Holt could
have obtained the testimony Of all the
5000 or 10, 900 officers and soldiers
who were at or neal Columbia when
the confag,atlon occurred, but he
thought he had enough without put
ting the Government to the expense OF
bringing more witnesses from a dis
lance. I suppose no did not summon
Col. Stone who commanded the lead
ing brigade Of the Fifteenth Corps,
because he did not know where to find
him. I surely did not know his
whereabouts till lie voluntarily pub
lished his statement in my official re-
port of the affair, published before the
close Of the war, when General Wade
Hampton a fighting against the
United States, and not when, rs he
alleges, he was a prisoner OF
war. I referred incidentally to
an important fact Of which l
had knowledge, that n small
detachment OF the Seventeenth
corps had passed over tho Congaree,
had entered Columbia and hoisted a
flag on the new State House, In ad-
vance of the regular entry OF the 18th
corps, which had made a circuit to
cross the two branches Of the Saluda
and Broad which make the Congaree.
I treated the performance Of this de-
tachment as somewhat irregular, but
the men who composed 1t have now
become Important witnesses, and l
send herewith copies Of their written
statements, together with the official
reports which explain the whole affair.
The witnesses 20 back to time three
quarters of an hour before the entry
Of the head OF Stones brigade, and
about two hours ahead of the time l
personally reached the piles Of burn
ing cotton, OF which there were many.
I invite your careful perusal OF their
statements for they are positive that
they saw the rebel cavalry soldies rip
ping open the bales Of cotton and APP
plying fire. They also saw the rebel
soldiers plundering the stores on the
| Main street, which Gen. Hampton at
tributes to our men, and they further
positively assert that Hampton had al
ready gone out OF Columbia so that he
could not and did not see his men ap-
plying the tirs. Now Hampton asserts
that the cotton wal rolled out into the
streets for the purpose Of burning. but
that he forbade the burning, lest the
fire should extend to the houses and,
r~eiterate that no matter what his or
ders were, tho men Of either his rear
guard or his stragglers did apply the
| fire, and that thia was a sufficient cause
for all else that followed. With great
respect yours, W. 1. SHERMAN.