The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-02-13

THE PRIsoNERs-A REMARKABLE INTER
VIEW BETWEEN LEE AND aRANT-sfo
R1oUs PHOTOGRAPHS TO FIRE THE LOYAL
HEART.
NFw ORLEANS. Jan. 81. 1876.
To Hon. James Lyons. Richmond. Va:
Dear Frtend-Your very KIDD letter Of
the l4th inst, wac forwarded from Mem
phis and has been received at this place.
have been 40 long the object of malignant
slapder and the subject of upscrupuious
falsehood by partisans of the class OF MIR.
Blaine, that, though l cannot ray 1t mas
become to me a matter of indifference, 1t
has ceased to excite my surprise, even in
this INSTANCE, when it reaches the extre-
mity of accusing me of cruelty to prison
srs What matters to one whose object
| is personal and party advantage, that the
records, both Federal and Confederate,
disprove the charge that tue country 10
| full of Witnesses who bear oral testimony
against il and that the efforts to revive
| the bitter animosities of the war obstruee
| the progress toward the reconciliation OF the
sectuns. 1t is enough for him if his self
! seekipg purposes be promoted. 1t wouto,
| however, even' teem probable thas such
Only those who are wilfully blind can fsri
to See ia the circumstances of the case the
| taliacyOf
MR. BLAIEE's sTATENENTs,
The pm blisbed fact of an attenp t 20 au-
| bonn Wire, " lille under sentence of death,
| by promising him pardoa ifhe would crs@-
| mate me in regard to the Andersonvii8E
prisoners, is conclusive SO to the wish ~
the Governaseot. to make such eharEe
against me, and the failure TO 40
! 80 shows that nothing could be fORnd 20
sustain it. May we not say the evloence
Of 10y innocence was such that Holt AND
Conovsr, wish their trained band OF snb-
| orned witnesses, dared not make against
me- this charge, which Wiiz, for his life
would not maize, but which Blaine, for tht
Presidential n0ninRtion, has madef nov
let us review the
LEADING FACTS
81 the case. The report of the Confederate
commissioner fer the exchange of priso
ners. shows how persistent and liberia
were ou7 eff ,rts 20 secure the release of tht
captives. FailSg in those attempts,
instructed Gen. 2. E. Lee to go under
flag of trace and seek an interview Wit
Gen. Grant, to represent to him The suffer
ing and death of the Federal prisoners he'll
by us, to explain the causes which wer
beyond our con5TOl, and to urge, IN tn
name of humanity. the observance of tn
cartel.for the eNehange of prisoners. L
, this, az to all previous appeals. the del
ear was termed. will not attempt fro
l memory to write the report made TO me
!. the incidents of this mission. Lee 1
n longer lives to defend the cause M
# country he loved 30 we'll aud served
3 efficiently but Gen. Grant cannot fail
b. remeInbe
- so EXTRAORDINARY visI7;
ID and his objections to executing the car
GO are we'll known to the public. But, vi
70 ever else may choose to forget my effo
OF in this regard, the prisoners at Auderso
10 20 vile and the delegates permitted them
IT. IT. send to President Lincoln to plead tor
,o- resumption of the exchange OF TTison'
M cannot fail to remember how willing "
to restore them to their homes and to
Lty comforts of which they were in need, pl
Of vided the Imprisoned soldiers of the Co
er, federaey should be in like manner releas
Ok and returned to Us.
w, THIS FOUL ACCUSATION,
Of though directed especially against me, v
b. no doubt intended, and naturally must
Jug the arraignment of the South by VIII
Gu authority and in whose behalf By de-
!, = of Of were done. 1t may be presumed that
ess feelings aud the habits of Southern solid
ON were understood by me and, in that CT
ion nection, any fair mind would perceive
and my eoDgratulatOry orders to the army Al
in victory, in which the troops were n
commended for their tenderness and &c
in rosity to the wounded and other captI'
av- as we'll the instincts of the person who
the sued the order as the knightly TEN
pay of the soldiers to whom it was addressed
lch 1T IS ADMITTED
slst that the prisoners in our hands were no
tE' we'll provided for as we would like to b
a. had them but it is claimed that We die
sic we'll for them as we could. Can the OF
pro. side say as much To the bold allegati
lch- of ill-treatment Of prisoners by our side
this the humape treatment and adequate f
per plies by our opponents, it is only necest
any to offer
e to
nu- TWO FACTS.
n,ss l. 1t appears from the reports of
United States War Department that, tho
we had 10000 more Federal prisonere
,mp- they had Cunfederates, 5000 more of
ne to Confederates died than Northern prison
must 2. The want and suffering of mex
that, Northern prisons caused me to AJAX for
wsvs mission to send out cotton and buy supI
the for them. The request was granted,
aCon only on condition that the cotton sh
daily be sent to New York and the supple
1. 10 a.. n D. ,x~EC =