Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-10-23
~ Al i
A(ffan0rla Q6azettt
TUESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER %
Confederate Records.

Confederate Records.
10 the editor the NeaO York Herald;
70 remove all misapprehensicn which may
exist in any quarter as to the extent, value and
accessibility tr the archives deposited with the
Southern Historical Society aud our readiness
to aid the Archyc Bureau in Washington 10
the work OF completing accurately its files OF
Confederate reports. documents, &C., submit
this brief statement of facts.
| The Southern Historical Society was organ
z2d 10 New Orleans on the lst Of May, 1862.
| by few gentlemen who desired 10 collect and
preserve the material necessary Tor true his
tory cf the struggle for Southern independence.
ln August 1873, by a convention called BY the
parent society,it domicllc was removed to Rlch
mond, where the archives have been deposited
| in the capitol of Virginia. by authority of the
Legislature and Governor Of the State. With
out national or State aid, without endowment,
| with 90 resources except such as have been sup
piled by the self respect Of our people, the 80.
cety has achieved its present success. and holds
selected contributions Of authentic MSS, docu
ments, reports, books, &c., which make our
collection the most valuable ior true history oil
the war now in existence. We hold these as
fided to US in trust for the uses Of history and
have always been ready to afford the frcest &C
cess to them, aud 10 aid writer's Of every State
and country who desire to tell the truth about
he war between the States. And authors OF
historic works 10 this country and Europe have
freely ayailed themselves oil the facility W. have
thus presented,
Two years ago VIC opened negotiations With
the Secretary of War with the view OF pro
curing free access to the captured Confederate
archives 10 WashiEgton city, and we offered Ia
give authenticated copies I'll anything III OH
possession in exchange i3r copies OF suc! docn
mcnts in the Archive Bureau as We might de
sire, and We also accorded and invited the lrCcst
possible examination OF our Orlglnal documents.
The Secretary (BclkDap) accepted our Oilers.
proposed TO send clerks to cXanlIuc our archives
and CODY such a. he desired to havs, but dc.
clincd TO rcclprncAtc IN any way or TO give that
access to the original papers held IN Washing.
tou which is essential To The due authentic'tS
Of any publication which may be made t:c:u
them and to the historic value Of them.
More recently the correspondence with Us
has been resumed by the War Department..
which has offered Us the advance sheets OF The
documents it purposes to publish 80 soon ~
they arc ready for publication.
The duty and or" &c! ot our society Is to ope"
to history every evidence winch can shed ray
Of truth upou the great events We are recording:
therefore we could urt 10y aErccl"g TO the un
reciprocal proposals OF tha secretary, sanction
the withholding tic iiGht nt thorough and
proper Y ,mlnalloo OF ANY 0rlgoa documents
by which alone he truth Of history can be sat.
slactoriy and fairly established, and we could
not accept the proposition. restricted as It can'
TO us.
Has not tho time yet come when the curtain
which wells the captured archives in Washing
ton can be raised to all who seek historic truth,
whcp policy which has denied to Robert r..
Lee and other Conicderatcs access to their own
reports can be abandoned? Can such policy
fail to keep alive sectional bitterness or be ex'
rlained in any other way than as purpose t'
conceal or pervert the truth OF history?
If public money is to be appropriated Tor The
publication OF the captured documents We de-
mand that representative Coocdcracs shall BE-
allowed to Inspect the originals Of their own re
ports before the publication OF them, and that
equal facilities for examination OF the docu
ments held in tho Archiva Bureau OF the
United States shall be accorded to all OF our
fellow citizens. DAENEY II. MAURY.
Chairman Executive Committee Southern Its
torica Society.
A LYNcluNu IN Texas. Inst Friday night
fifty we'll armed and disguised men rode silently
into Jefferson, Texas, and quietly proceeded to
the iail, which they succeeded. without much
trouble, in cnlcriog. Within its walls were Jim
johnson, the negro, who is accused OF having
murdered Frank Jennings, tho mail rider ana
Abe Rothscbild, the wealthy young Jew OF
Cincinnati, who so brutally murdered his mis-;
tress, Miss Moore, alias diamond Bessie,
and is moving heaven and earth, by the aid OF
his fathers money, to escape tho just penalty
of his crime. After johnson had been secured
| nv the raiders, their leader. who was evidently
a man Of culture and great authority, addressed
| Rotbschihi in cold and formal tones. lie 10
formed the prisoner that 10 lis case they in-
tended to let the law take its course, but il 1t
was shown by The evidence at the trial that
thcre was any Likelihood Of the ends Of justice
being thwarted they intended to take him Out
and hang him like dog. Rothschild. who, 1t
will be remembered, attempted suicide just
nreyous to bis arrest, exhibited the most at lcct
| fear at the prospect of death at tho bands OF
the mob. lie pleaded pitcous'y for his Lite,
cryiug bitterly, and was not molcstcd. Alter
| The warning an order was given by the leader,
and his men quietly filed out Of the jail, taxing
johnson with them. lie was undoubtedly
ilynchcd, but his body has not yet been found,
nor has any ccw as to The identity OF any oil tho
raiders been obtained.
When the head Of Bulgarian family per
ceiyes that he is about to die, he sends Tor the
priest aud begins to bargain with him about
the cost Of bis funeral. The moment ne dies
all the pots, pans and kettles 10 the house are
turned upside down to prevent his soul taking
refuge n any one Of them, aud great care Is
taken to prevent either man or anImal-cspcc
ciay cat or dog from stepping. across M
body, as otherwise, 10 the opinion OF his !aml!y'
bc would turn into a vampire and be a contin
NAL nuisance to them and their Dciphbors. The
BODY is buried without any colin, in shallo"
grave aud LET. thor for thrco years, dur'nl
Which time many offerings OF food and vino ART
placed upon it, At the end OF the third yea