The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-04-09

u
johnson, there was no abatement of his con-
yictions ~ held antagonistic to those of Mr..
johnson. The latter, with the earnestness
which was part of his nature, begged that he
would not suddenly, or without matured
thought, give Q final answer. but take time
and they parted. There was no further in
terview; but have in my possession three
autographic letters, written by George D.
Prentice, in reference to this fubject, which
came into my possession shortly after being
received by George w. Johnson, and have
been carefully preserved by me since as
historical documents The first is in pencil
without date, but written several days after
the interview, and sent to Mr.. johnson
while he was still in Louisville. It reads as
follows:
MY DEAR SIR have been sick In bed ever
since saw you. Ills, of course impossible
for me to say now anything beyond what
have said. l shall always be happy to see you,
but can not leave my room. Your friend +
The second was sent by mail, and is writ
ten in ink, as follows:
LOUISVILLE, Aug. 4, 1851.
MY DEAR SIR-I have not been able to at
tend to any sort of business since i saw you.
are very badly infiamed. 1 do not seem to- my
self to be improving. The doctor encourages
m noen TO E hope, howegyeT' that shall be out
The third and last letter, which. claim.
with which his memory has been aspersec,
was addressed to General Geo. w. John
son, Payne's Depot, Scott county, Ken
lucky" near which place he resided, and
the envelope, which, together with the let
ter itself, is before me as I write is post
marked Louisville, August 13, 1861. 1t was
ssken by me out of the post office-under the
following circumstances: The receipt of the
two preceding communications, without q
positive declination from Mr.. Prentice, led
Mr. johnson to hope that he might yet yield
to his argument, and that the Journal might
take sides with the South. 1 went to the
depot on the morning of the 18th of August,
as / bad In several preceding days, hoping to
find this change in the Journal. On the day
mentioned / found the letter IN the post
Office for Mr.. johnson, which, on taking to
him, he read AMI handed to me:
[Confdential.l
LOUISVILLE, Aug. II, 1861.
my sick room, which left this morning for
the first time, reflected calmly, and tried to
reflect deeply, upon the suggestions you have
do not know that In war the Union can
possibly be restored If knew that it could
recommend, but have some hope that it can
and upon this hope feel bound IN conscience
SO ae bns rnn ma and
In TIE Journal of to morrow morning, which
l shall order sent to you, you will find an ex-
Il
endeavor to enforce. If at any future time 1
conclude with you that there is no earthly
shall advocate the recognition of Southern in
dependence. but in doing this shall feel little
else than despair for what have ever regard
ed as the most blessed country on earth. AT
some future time 1 may take your counsel,
but for the present my course is taken.
Sincerely, your friend,
GEORGE D. PRENTICE.
I am familiar with the handwriting of Mr..
Prentice having seen him write, and CORE
sponded with him, and know that these are
autographs letters.
Accompanying this last letter was COPY
of the Louisville Journal of the 18th adj
dressed to AR. johnson: and the article re-
ferred to was leader of more than a column
in length. Long as it is, regret that the
scope of my letter will not admit of its re-
production, since, read in connection with
the proposition of Mr.. johnson above given,
it is the cap stone in my argument in Mr..
Prentice's yindication. 1t is in his strongest
style, and is q direct reply to the arguments
advanced by Mr.. johnson in favor of two
confederacies and in full keeping with the
earnest spirit which charaeterizes his last
letter. No one but George ID. Prentice could
have written such an article, and its context
bore such internal evidence of his author
ship in the unmistakable response which it.
contained to the pending propositions for
peaceful settlement OF the wa that it would
have been recognized as Prentice's even
without his letter announcing its authorship.
1 we'll remember the day and the impression
produced upon US by the decision announced
in the letter and the article. Previous to
that the Journal was for neutrality, and we
had hope that 1t might yet be with us. Now
we realized that its whole power would
be hopelessly against us. Others might
doubt but we knew that Prentice's resoiu-
ton was irrevocably taken. 1t is my DELHI
crate conviction that upon his decision hung
the fate of Kentucky, and much as de
plored his course then and afterward, l am
unwilling to have theof his merit act de-
MED. He may have been SO given at times
to convivality as to require that his manu-
script should be revised or his articles scru-
tinized, but no man read his letaer of the
18th of August, 1861, winch we have given
above, and believe that, drunk or sober, he
ever pursued q line inconsistent with the
sentiments thus expressed. We who read
in them the knell of our hopes for a united
Kentucky could feel only sdmiration for the
man who, calmly surveying his duty, and
knowing that his sons and his oldest and
best friends were ranged on the side OF the
South, could defy political and personal
ostracism for the sake of conscience. The
manliness OF that letter, and the earnestness
in question, gave new views of MIR. Prem.
tees character. Before, l knew him
only as the partisan editor, the
witty paragraphist, the genius
whose excuses In wine expelled the thought
of all moral grandeur. Bat this was an
exhibition OF manhood which compelled my
admiration, and though in the long years OF
the war / felt that but for him we who
were exiles from Kentucky, IN the Coufeder
| ate army, would have had different fate,
| never forgot the brave and touching words
in which he announced that with him the
die was cast. And therefore it Is that II
CRATES harshly upon me to hear his name
coupled with dishonor, and to find the world
ready to accept the idle story which has
found such wide currency and such ready
belief And hence, rebel though 1 was
write this letter in his defense. / should
| have preferred to have taken more time and
deliberation from cares rendered more ex.
acting from the fearful tragedy just enacted
in our midst, to study events and go over
papers which are now getting old, but
prefer to let the promptness of my reply
| plead for Its other defects Familiar with
| Mr.. Prentice BY tight from my earliest boy