, 1879-06-25
GEN. ATKINS INDICATED.


trrtoe4 fIH.} Baiirtin, yans n.
Az announced IN The Daily Da!'ttiA, tfcp. 8.
D. Atkins returned from Washington on 6atur-
day afternoon, whittier be had been to answer
tho cnargca preferred neatnss him. The fact
OF his cn.fro vir!dicaton had preecdod Him two
OF thren dRys by telegram 10 tic Du1etta, h'll
cur people dctcrntine(l to give him a public
greeting upon Ills return. Therefore, Oh Butur.
day evening, about y o'clock, Eonpany G, ]. n.
g., Of which Gen. Atkins Is Captain. lets their
Armory IN full dress, hcadea by The Freopu1t
band, and took up line OF march for the Grts-
eral's rcsIdcpcc, followed by an immense tlrong
Ut citizens on foot and In carriages, to fully
the Number OF 1900. Tie crowd was not eosr-
posed alone Of tho political followers nf Our
Gratis, Republicans, Grccnbaekcrt,a ,a1Mi C,vil-aerv
leo Rcformers. Even farmers living long
distance III thu country, remained In town to
sta.np, BY their DTosencc, their scai Of conaein"
nation on the vilauous attack tl:at had been
made on worthy citizen. In The procession,
too, wcro merchants, lawyers. doctors. railroad
officials. otc. In faet 1t wns gathering In which
alt classes were represented. collected With the
sog view % ct ss9ssef e er he s.s ma; s1es Ms
attempted to blacken The character OF
an ola and respected citizen IN an
uuderhandcd, assassin-]Elsc manner, for
the base purpose Of securing q few @ paitry do!-
ktns from the PostO!l!cc, nna getting it for.o
nf their own party. Arriving at alis rcsidencc,
Lieut.. Durrull entered md Hoo1 rntsrncd. With
the Gencr.!, 10 thu front porch, a1i. after tl.e
company had presented arms TO tlicir Captain,
Who bowed bis Acknowledgements, md ilnd
come to parade rest, the following remarks
were snado By Dnrrsll:
GEN. ATKINS: On behalf Of Company e, vel.
come yon home, and congratulate yon upan your
psord 10 call you ''lapta!n." did not cnmc TO
spcnk m,self: but We Ill cana 10 lear you sucag.
Gci. Atkins replied, thanking them for the
personally; 1t only meant that the good people
uf freerort. without regard to party, were IN
favor OF fair play. 10 any other citizen Of
Frecpoft, tic highest or the lowest, placed 70
circumstances similar to his owp, tho complt-
liz rcla.ed i stors of rresilca. Fillmore. who
Ind beef, abused by On cdltornamed Clamp and,
aa Alr. Fillmore had ncycr "done klndncssh -
TO hlr. CIapp, he could not understand why
Kindness TO A. V. Richards; when Richards
had begged tho General, on account Of .nts.
fortunes md poverty, With teara streaming
| down Ills cheea1s, to do him ktndpess Cen.
Atkins had done h!m ths great k!udness to
| turned upon him like the snake that the kind
hearted farmer had warmed IN lis bosom,
turned upon tue farmer.
Ills General said that ho had never sought
hc asked WINS fair ptaY. lie was not afraid ui
the scoundrel opposed to him. II he Nus only
granted au opcn, manly. fair light. When The
agents OF the Post-Office Department first ca,uG
| to Freeport theY protnlcd him thAt not a Wit.
| ness should give Testimony against him except
Ia Tho presence Of Gen. Atkins, AMI Rieharla
| had agreed to the same thing and then like a
coward anu sneak be lad Aunked out Of hi.
agreement, md the little corarls and sneak.
tagging onto Richards coat.ta!s nunkcd ou'
| With him. Gen. Atkins protested aCatnss n star
chamber Investigation, but the agents had gone
! into dark cornorsi and ctawlcd under the bed
with the sncahing coHarts, and hal heard all
t!ey had to sRy, n!d then had carefully weighed
Tue testimony, and had In their report to the
Postmaster General, completely yndlcated t'en
| Atkins from all tho charges that lad been pre-
fcrrcd ngatnst him.
The Houcral said shat .ho was the happtts
| man In Frccpurt liz had good ttn,o In Was1.
ington, visiting senators md Congressman nnt
| the GIg runs y ut tic National CapTtal. Hut
T! rode all rolnd New York City on the e1evatat
| railroad, inspected the grcnt Brooklyn bridge
| rode over tue new harrow gauge rlTOatl or
Long Island, listened to t}lllmore's celebrated
band, md cat roast clnms by the peek.
He ogain dlsrlaitned anythtnHto himself PCT
| way tic good people Of Frecport ilad of express
ing their love OF fatr play; lint he liked to 1y
arioue such people--hal lived hare the bes
part Of hs life, alid should spend the balance o
Ills dnys hero,
Company gavo their Captain three roustn.
1 cheors, which the citizens present duplicated
| n,Ni, wfstle tic baud vas playing, Gen. Athin
shook handa With every iuttnbes OF his coul
pany prcscut, mud With many OF the old citxct,
| swecptnG ysndtcation trom tho conspiracy aEains
| him.