Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-08-03
WHOLE NO. 1887.

the rebel TO do it, TO save their own
lives, and so | am charged with mur-
dering him.
SHOOTING REBEL BRIDGE BURNERS.
As to the shooting of mon after
they surrendered, these are the facts;
The rebels had been burning the rail.
road bridges and tearing up the
track to keep the Union troops from
getting to the front. They were try
ing to throw trains off the track, and
weaken bridges so as to let whole
regiments down into cuts, chasms,
and rivers, hoping thus to kill them
Well, sent Lieut.. Mckinney (now
Gen. Mckinney, who was command.
ing Company A of the Second then
as gallant soldier, and as noble
hearted q man as ever lived, but who
always meant business as much as
any man | ever knew, to stop these
murderous depredations. BY little
strategy he managed to catch q lot
of them in the very aot. Laughter. ]
A gang of them were tarrIpg a rail-
road bridge ready to burn it just be.
fore train, coming with large
number of soldiers on board, had
reached it. Well, in catching the fel.
lows at it he hurt some of them.
{ Laughter and applause.
The first reports got of the affair
were from some of the rebels. "Mac."
after attending to this gang, had
gone on to catching others. The
rebels came in whining, and COM
planning that my detachment OF
troops had murdered some of their
friends, or shot them after they had
surrendered. | told them to wait
awhile, and would inquire into it.
Pretty soon, "Mac" and the boys
came in. / saw that "Mac" bad
blood in his eye. Laughter.] | ask
ed him what he had beeu doing. He
said he had caught some of the devils
and had stoppedIthem. Laughter. ]
He had caught them tearing down
and burning the bridge, and they
had got hurt. laughter | asked if
he had killed them. He said he
guessed so-as they didn't move af-
forwards. asked if it was so, that
he had shot them after thoy had sur
rendered. lie said it wasn't SO, that
be wouldn't let them surrender.
[Cheers.] He said, do you think |
could lot these fellows, who had al.
ready murdered some of our Union
troops, and woro trying to do il
again, surrender No, sir. |
couldn't do it, and l didn't. Ono lot
of them havo stopped their devil!ry
now that know of, and more of
Thorn will if can catch them" APP.
plauso Those were the fe!low WIS am
charged with having murdered after
they had surrendered. They didn't
surrender. "Mac" wouldn't let them.
[Cheers.1 There were no more
bridges burned on that line while |
was in command of that road. Soon
after we left the burned a bridge,
and threw q train into the water,
killing a number of women and child
rem. They thought they were laying
the trap for a soldiers train. But
the night passenger train happened
to come first, and so the soldiers es~
capped. only wish that "Mac" and
his squad had been thore, and caught
them setting it on fire.
ANONYMOUS LETTERS.
These. felloW-citizens and neigh.
bors, 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.
In having done my duty as q sold
Ter, in my humble, and yet earnest
and well-meaning way, / am now
called, after | have left tho Demo-
cratic party, robber, q burner OF
houses, murderer do you won
der, gentleman, that | have been
stung into making publicly the re-
marks that | have here? | 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 fgo.
THE ST. LOUIS CONVENTION.
That convention did not look as
though treason was an odious thing,
nor that rebels wero any tho less to
be honored than patriots. That
gathering proved again what the
Democratic House had already prov
ed, that the old rebel element is rum
ming the Democratic party, and that
it's 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 cheeredlby the convention, and
honored and Iionized by the same
gangs of rebels who were spouting
treason and abusing soldiers there in
1861, as we were going to the front,
and who were talking the same trea~
son when l was there two years ago.
+ Applause. Why is it that the NOM
ination of Tilden has so revived and
re-inspired the old rebel element?
Why so much more so than the cam
didacy 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
we'll as | can. 1t looks like they
know their man. IApplause.] The
alarming demonstrations daily de-
veloping in the South would look
like it.
GOODBYE, DEMOCRACY.
And now, in conclusion, as to the
reason why 7 have not left the Dem
ocratic part sooner. They say l
want Office. If | had, gentleman, |
would have left the Democratic par
ty years ago, for it is matter of
record that | have said for years
that there was never any hope of the