The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1880-11-11
A BRITE'S LETT .R.

A BRUTE'S LETT r..
IHarch 6h. 1865. i have long since
ceased to attend the morning mail calls, =
as there was no expectation of my getting
anything and it was rather painful to hear
the other prisoners receiving half dozen
letters of morning both from home, and
from courteous friends or kind hearted rela
tives in the Northern States. Some of the
prisoners whose names were published in
the Philadelphia and Washington papers
Gas they came here( receive scores of letters
from positive strangers, among the Northern
people, begging to be allowed to send some
thing for their comfort. Good Union
men too, are they. To-day the Yankee
Wolf tossed me a letter 1t was from a
brute named William y. jerks, an under
strapper in one of the departments at Wash
ington. | had written in my letter to
f. f. Abbott that | hoped wnen he went
to Washington he would have me if possible
exchanged by special exchange as had been
done in many cases and if not this, to OBJ
tain for me parole to 60 South until the
settlement of the exchange question. Ab-
bott referred the matter to jerks. who he
says Is some sort of connection Of the Ab-
bott :. jerks writes -
This is to let you know my views in
your case. | am ashamed to own any one
''as a connection of mine who writes him
self Rebel prisoner. And SO far from
- using any influence | may have with the
powers that be to get you exchanged !
should use it to have you shot as you
land every other man in your circumstances
'.iustly deserves. Scores OF your own blood
relatives have fallen fighting for the ''Old
Flag" this is lie only the two S
boys, Of all my Northern kin, died in the
Yankee army, and they we're not natives OF
this country, but born in the Southern land
of Asia Minor, where they did not know OF
the rascaities of the jerks, and Other gangs
OF abolitionsts; hence took up arms while
the others took tut office in Jombproot
poStttons9 and among them my own
brother who has been 'comded QNDEE ,
three times, and who knows but by your
town hand. w. y. jerks"
Poor fool How the New England jack
anapes, trying to profess ''loilty' while fill
ing his purse from the Federal Treasury, and
fattening upon the calamities of the land,
sticks out all through his letter How
magnanimous, aye. and how supremely
Jrure, to write such letter to a starving
prisoner, utterly helpless yea, without
even postage stamp to tell him how much
lower than my contempt he has burrowed !,
ApH 2Sh.-Verily, the End has come
After four years of super human struggling
against the organized vagabonds of Europe,
Asia, Africa, and America, the South has
suddenly, startEngly but finally, and forever
surrendered ubmitted-stooped low to re
ceive the victor's foeman's foot upon her
neck Can this be so? | confess three
weeks ago should have insulted any man
who asserted it; but look you-out in yon-
der Prison yard Niue hundred Contederato
Officers of all ranks publicly taking the oath
of allegiance to the Yankee usurpation that
has caused the panl of want and the
cry of mourning to visit every mansion and
cottage in the South Think of the deep
disgrace Of it.
At ten a. N Ape Ali, or AM 4pe, came
upon the parapet, together with gang OF
iunkeys, and ordered the prisoners to form
in double rank at about fifty feet from the
fence. He then began a false and toully
conceived harangue about the triumph of
Liberty and Freedom, the rout and capture
Of Lee, the flight of Jeff Davis. etc. etc ETC.
In short, the Rebellion having been
crushed the Loyal bosom of the Government
longcd to welcome the well thrashed Prodi
cal, or at any rate would now give ca n prs
oners, below the rank of field officer, IA
chance to forswear his evil practices, repent
and confess his crimes, and escape the pun
ISHHlcHl VI tA ApdtildllOIli WHICH dNdllcu
those who should prove obdurate, and re
fuse to bow the knee to BaaI. 1t behooved
therefore, every man of wisdom and pru
dence to step forth ten PAGES, in public &C
knOwledgment of his willingness to forswear
his country
RESULT IN Nearly Nine Hundred Officers,
many of them among the most intelligent
and comfortably situated Of all the prison,
stepped forth and announced their desire To
take the oath Of allegiance TO 1ankeedom
The event has crushed the spirit out OF
every man in the Pen. To night we are like
two hostile camps the oath takers looking
as subdued and embarrassed as if they had
really swallowed the yeller dog. To my
mind there Is no excuse for their action
The fall Of Richmond and Lee does not des-
troy the South necessarily much "a we fear
it wi For my part, | shall not yield SO long
as there is an armed Confederate fighting tor
our liberties. Ny oath when | accepted a
was not merely TO remain true
and faithful to Gen. Lee, or Richmond, or
Virginia but to the Confederate States. and
SO long as they are unsubdued so am l.
april 29.-Wors and worse 1t is repor
ted that OF the 1000 prlvates only about 100
refused to accept the Yankee oath Noble
one hundred What right has any soldier :
whether officer or man-tO assume that tie
South is conquered because couple OF
towns, and Lees scattered army have been
taken by our foes. Think of 5000 soldiers
surr, ndering many deserttng for it amounts
to utter abandonment of their dutieS) III
OF mere newspaper reports :
How do we kno,c that Lee has surren iered =?
How would these oath takers feel if England
and France one or both, by concerted ar