The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-03-06

/ how you are situated, she WoulC
setf you 10. take your gun and gS
out and DO your duty asa a0ldier.
mo. cir" he quickly replied; .-shs
last thing my mother said 70 me
was to be true TO my religion, anC
/ L aseoR. to do &c. Il was during
his stay at Gen. Maney's head
Iauarteis that yestol had an inter
view with Gov. Foote. Gov. Foote
was at that time 2 member of tkt
Confederate Congress, represent
ing the Nashville district, and was
a candidate for re-eleesiony heins
opposed, as I now remember, By
Col. Savage. The soldiers from
Tennessee iasfhe army we're. allow
ed to vote; al he Governor ives
out electioneef1n9 a1ao0g the sol
diers., While 1t General Nancy
headGuarters, some one pointed
out ~ TO Gov Eoote,. or in.
troducea estol to him, as q Qua.
ker who wouldn't fight, Hhen The
following conversation occurred
between them:
,Eeoge What, young nen,
mohf you fght-you are 3 stout
good enkipg yoQng man-:-ig Is
truH that sou refuse to fghtT ::
Eestot--s.Yea sig" -s@szi2 e.
Eoete-"Why yOR are alb wrong
about that. Suppose you we're so
/ t3arks 4 llseassf s;;i I'D Gee pliDs5l
ed young LADY, sad some rulASu
were to ,cpme into your house and
grossly insult her, wouldn't you Kill
him2" r'.s
Vestoi-"No, sir"
Foote-fJumpiug from his seat
in a very excited manner l-"Why,
I'd kill him in q minute"
Resuming his seat after min
ute. the Governor surveyed Vestoi,
and again commenced converse.
ton with him.
FooLe-"Young man, you are
all wrong about this matter, even
from q Scriptural standpoint.
When Christ was upon earth he
direc ted his disciples to pay tri
butte to Cesar. The money thus
paid went into the Roman treas
ury, and was used in carrying on
the wars of the Roman people"
Vestol-"No, sir, you are mia
taken about that. The Temple Of
Janus was closed at that time, and
there were no wars going on"
Foote II believe be knows
more about it than l do. ] don't
know whether the Temple Of Ja-
nus was closed then or not"
Such was substantially the in
terview between this remarkable
boy and this remarkable man.
Perhaps two moro opposite char
acters, in many particulars, never
came in contact.
Gov. Foote, as before stated, was
ct that time member of the Con
federate Congress. Whether he
voted for the conscript law, the
officers appointed under which he
denominates the .s'bloodhounds of
the Davis despotism," ! know not.
1t was passed during the time he
was q member OF the Confederate
Congress, whether with his sane
ton or not, / have no means OF
ascertainiRg. One thing is GER
tain-he used all hispower of per-
suasion to induce Vestol to bear
arms on the side of the "Davis
despotism," and was seeking the
votes Of tho soldiers who were
bearing arms on that side, and OBJ
tanned the votes of hundreds of
them with the understanding
implied, at least-that he was in
full accord with the South IN her
struggle. On no other ground
could he have received vote.
But to return to the young Qua
ker. His case was such an extra
ordinary ono that Gen. Polk wrote
the facts to the War Department
at Richmond, but never received
an answer, so far as I am advised.
Vestol was ordered to Knoxville,
and from that place he found his
way to the Virginia army, and Was
assigned to the Fourteenth or
Seventeenth Tennessee regiment
II do not ROW remember which.
Here he was ordered to military
duty, but firmly refused, as he had
done before. The Brigadier in
command, knowing nothing Of his
history or antecedents, ordered
him to be bayoneted for disobedi-
ence Of orders, and the bayonet
was applied TO him repeatedly.
He bore it with the spirit of q
martyr, and the soldiers, seeing
that he would die willingly In pre-,
ference to sacrificing his princi-
pies, refused further to punish
him. No punishment or threats
could shake the settled purpose Of
his soul for q moment. He was
under arrest all the while. Ere
quently, on retreats, his guard
would lose sight of him, hut in 6
day or two Vestol would march ar
alone into camp.
He made such an impression
on me that. after the war was over
inquired of all those rebs / sup
posed would know what became
of him, and whether he had sur
vived the war, but none OF then
could tell me.
/ In the year 1871, / Was sitting
in my Office one evening, when |
| young man walked In and spok
to me, and asked me II my nam
was not so and so. ! told hiu
yes, and asked him to take 3 seat
that l would talk to him in fe,
minutes, as / was engaged jus
then. He remarked that be didn'
believe knew him. ] looked q
him more closely, and told him
did not. He asked me if ! re
membered a Quaker at Chats
nooga that refused to fight. l s
once recognized Vestol, and wa
really glad to meet him, and mad
him give me a history Of his up
and downs in the army after
parted with him at Chattanooga
He told me he was in Castle Thur
= der for awhile. at Richmond, bt
|, was finally permitted by the Seer
tary of War to go down to Mort
Carolina to school, and was thel
at the time the war closed. Fee
ing that his education was N
!, sufficient, at the close of the WI
be went to Rhode Isia2d, ar
there continued his studies an
taught school q portion OF Il
time. He informed mo that 1t WI
T seven years from the time he lie
:. his fathers house to report
Bragg At Chattanooga before
- returned to his paternal roof. T
, had invented q mode for taking {
= and putting on wagon bodies, {
O which he had obtained pateI
!. and was selling the right when
= met him.