The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1880-04-28


The late Capt. Jos. r. Thomas
(whose obituary we lately published
while in the "Army ofTennessee," !" was
engaged in the capture Of rebel mail
in June, 1864. We had the pleasure
of looking over some of the letters and
papers which we're shown US by his
brother. in.law, s. d. Irwin, Esq, aud
were much interested and amused by
the perusal of the same.
The characteristic feature of the
letters is the sameness in style. The
letters were from a Rebel camp, %
miles from Helena, Ark. The intro
duction is similar in each. As, 81
take my pen in hand to let you know
that am we'll and hope these few
lines" &c, and end with, "Yours till
DEATH" The spelling is bad, but with
exceptions mentioned the diction is
good. The letters show destitution in
the rebel camp, and they write to
friends for money and clothing, and,
as late speaker has it, Smoothing"
An officer writes to his wife to send
"also loose negro, Jack preferred" F"
but that he hears "the Yankees have
stolen Jack" &c.
The newspapers, one of which was
published at New Berne, N c., on or
binary brown wrapping paper, such as
is used in stores generally, is intensely
Union, strange to say, and the editor
utters brave words for Liberty and
the Constitution as it is" The other
papers were copies Of the Weekly Miss
issippian, which was published at Selma
Ala; and a strong advocate of the Sc
cession cause. Such phrases as "das
tardly New Englanders," "Skim mill
Yankees" &c. are used; stating tina
they cannot fight a kitten, but arr
good on contracts, &C., that the fighting
element of the Yankee army comes
from the Great West only; that Yam
kee invention runs to wooden nut
mtgs, bassWood hams, Iron clads
stone fleets and Greek fire wound VI
by one of Barnum's alarm clocks, >
beats call natur," &c. Lincoln au,
Grant come in for large part of tn
newspaper abuse. The following fror
the Mississippiam, of May 27, 1864,
so good in its way we publish it Ell
tire:
ga MUNCHAUsEN.-A story pub
lished by Yankee newspaper repre-
, sents that "the executive officer of ii
3 Jones'" Yankee boat blown up by Oh
3 of our torpednes, gave on the occasio
> the rarest evidence of GOODNESS an
skill on record. His vessel, he O
> board, was "crushed like a piece {
D paper" and as he ascended to tt
, upper air, on piece of the wreck, h
q drew a revolver and shot dead ii
man who bad exploded the TORPEDO
Said man was standing on the bank
the river, and the narrator of the wol
8 derful feat calls him wretch" an
e says his ma me was Burton. He ado
that "the incident is vouched for
Oh, of course. 1t would be astonis|
ing that any man should doubt such
q reasonable Yankee story. But Il
It "wretch," Burton, who we believe WI
killed by some executive Yankee, d
serves to be remembered by his coul
. trymen, and a monument should
# raised to his memory. Who is he
g Every year, that We are seperat'
o from these times our interest increas
t. in the doings and sayings of tho
e days. They carry us back in memol
g to those dark days when the ''stars al
Is bars" threatened the Republic, whi'
'e was saved by Providence through q
h instrurnentality of "the boys in blue
"a | --oe--------