Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-08-11

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again, sitting near by, holding the same old
\ drum that he drummed through the war1,
/ can tell you more about that than can.
/ Mr.. Case-The fellow said he would shoot
the first man who dared even 10 touch the
flag or the aff, and the boys went for IL. He
, tried to shoot, swapping his revolver twice.
Tie didn't get chance TO snap 10 again. His
' flag came down and so did he. fCheers1
The General-Well, that's the story of it.
/ didn't see that part OF IL. / saw the flag
after it was down, though, and saw the fool.
ish young rebel lying there dead That's all
know about IL, and perhaps am responsi.
BILE. III so, have nothing to take back. Our
business down there was to put down the
rebel colors, and Of course we commenced
as soon as we saw where the work com.
menced. tCheers.l The boys, in taking
down the rebels flag, had to shoot the rebel
TO do Ito save their own lives--and so
am charged with numbering him.
} As TO the shooting Of men after they sur
rendered, these are the facts: The rebels
had been burning the railroad bridges aud
tearing up the track TO keep the Union
troops from getting to the front. They were
trying to throw trains off the track, and
weaken bridges so as to let whole regiments
down into It's chasms and rivers, hoping thus
to Kill them. Well, sent Lieut. McKenney
lnow Gen. McKenncy, who was commanding
Company A of the Second then, as gallant a
soldier, and as noblc-hearted a man as ever
lived, but who always meant business as
|
murderous depredations. BY a little strategy
he managed to catch lot Of them in the
very act lLaughter.l A gang Of them were
tarring railroad bridge ready to burn it just
before train, coming with large number
Der Of soldiers on board, had reached IT,
Well, in catching the fellows at IL he hurt
some OF them Laughter and applause.l
The first reports got Of the affair, were
from some Of the rebels. "Mac" after at
tending to this gang had gone on to catch
ing others The rebels came in whining
and complaining that detachments Of troops
had murdered some of their friends, or shot
| them after they had surrendered told
| them TO wait awhile, and would inquire
into 1t. Pretty soon, "Mac" and the
| boys came in. saw that Mac had blood
he had been doing. lie said he had caught
some Of the devils, and had stopped them.
| Laughter. He had caught them tearing
down and burning the bridge, and they had
got hurt. lLaughterl / asked il he had
killed them. He said he guessed so-as they
didn't move afterwards. 1 asked if it was
| so, that he had shot them after they had
surrendered. He said IL wasn't so, that he
| wouldn't let them surrender [Cheers.l He
said: Do you think | could let these fell
lows, who had already murdered some of
our Union Troops, and were trying to do 1t
again, come up to me, with their hands all
tarred over, in attempt to do il again. sur
renderY No, sir. I couldn't do It, and
didn't. One lot Of them have stopped their
deviltry now that know of, and more of
them will II / can catch themr [Applause.l
Those are the fellows / am charged with
having murdered after they surrendered.
They didn't surrender. Mac" wouldn't |
let them. [Cheers, There were no more
bridges burned on that side while l was in
command of that road. Soon after we left |
they burned bridge, and threw train into |
the water, killing number of women and |
children. They thought they were laying the |
trap for soldiers train. But the night pas
senger train came first and so the soldiers |
escaped. | only wish that Mac" and his |
squad had been there, and caught them set
ting it on fire.
These, fellow-citizens and neighbors are
some OF the many charges made against |
me, and sent to me daily by the score, in |
anonymous letters. / cannot refer to all |
OF them. They can prove up many like |
things on me, and on any Union officer or
soldier who was in the war and tried to do
his duty.
having done my duty as a soldier, in my
humble, and yet earnest and well-meaning |
way L am now called, after l have left the
Democratic party, a robber, burner of
houses, murdercr Do you wonder, gen.
teman, that have been stung into making
publicly the remarks l have here? l have no
abuse to make of any one. / call no one by
name state simply the general facts, that
others may see as well as myself that the war
and the hate of the Union soldiers did not die,
as the st. Louis platform says, eleven years
ago.
That convention did not look as though
treason was an odtous thing, nor that rebels
were any the less to be honored than patriots
That gathering proved again what the Dem
ocratic House had already proved, that the
old rebel element is running the Democratic
party, and that its whole hope Of success is
staked on their solid support. They were
all there at St. Louis, and were the lions of
the day, especially honored and cheered by
the Convention, and honored and lionized by
the same gang OF rebels who were spouting
and T6S ABUSING fsS sSlfeT thSEr S5 h ii s
talking the same treason when l was there
two years ago. Applause Why is it that
the nomination Of Tilden has so revived and
reinspired the old rebel element? WHY SO
much more so than the candidacy of Greeley
four years ago, when there was some hope
of new party and the death for good of the
old Democracy? You can answer as well as !
| can. 1t looks like they knew their man.
lApplause.l The alarming demonstrations
daily developing in the South would look
like it. !
And now, in conclusion, as to the reason '
why have not left the Democratic party
sooner. They say want office and that ! ,
have wanted office. If had, gentlemen, ,
would have left the Democratic party years
ago, for it is a matter of record that have
said for years that there was never any hope
OF the Democrats carrying Iowa If l had
been an office-seekcr, l should have left the |
old party long ago. l am not candidate
for office, and never will be. | have no as O
pirations for prominence in politics, and :
do not see why, when as a private citizen,
have tried to change my party quietly, all
this abuse should be heaped upon me. a!
can stand 1t, though, and it in nowise |
changes my conviction as to my duty, only {
10 inSensify and confirm it. [Applause.l t
feel In earnest now, as l did during the $
hnr -, -.
Renewed cheers. The reason have left \
.he Democratic party is that have no faith \
n 1t lchecrsl, and no faith in the old rebel =,
element whom have long feared would
,omc to the front, and whom l now know
md see hare come, and whose coming has G
made my way clear and my course of duty I
'lain. lGreat applause.1 C
Among the last Democratic officers Of any il
tote were Floyd and Jake Thompson, the i
Democratic Secretary of War and Secretary :,
Il the Interior They stole from the Gov I
rnment they were sworn to serve, to help ?
he rebellion raised To destroy it; and be. l
ide their crimes and their corruptions, all n
hat is charged against the Republican Of II
clals, admit 1t all to be true, even, sinks e
nto insigni6cance. u
Why, old Jake Thompson, encouraged by I
he defiance Of Ben Hill in his speech, went n
own to Washington few months ago, and y
Ike braggart demanded investigation,
ompously saying that he would wave the le- a
nj point OF time. He went down there blow II
lg, and got sued-fOr the money that he Il
LOle for the rebels. [Great cheering. If L
Id Floyd were alive, he, too, probably would r
o down there, under the protection of the q,
ebel shadow Of Ben Hill, and demand invcs-
cation. Laughter He was at Fort Don
son with the other "Constitution-hug- W
ers," but he skipped out early so as to be ii
.fe. He ecould steal for the Confederacy, but in
e wasn't willing TO die for It, (Laughterl in
1t Is his fault, gentlemen, and not mine, N
rat his memory is not TO be spoken Of with :,
lore respect This Thompson and this y;
lloyd were the last Democratic rulers, and 81
ley represented the domination of the 81
outh IL the Democracy then. And Thomp. b,
,n and his friends, and the friends ofFloyd, k
re again pressing TO the front to assume v,
arty control. AS they have come as lead hi
Is, have asked and taken the privilege of IA,
aving the Democratic ranks. tCheers.l W W
Finally, gentlemen / would say, keep a az
did front, and we'll beat them. lCheersl 81
hope and think we will. am with you, is
Id with you in earnest. [Great ch ,erILg1 dt
fAr fba Gr,nt |