The Ripley advertiser. [volume] (Ripley, Miss.) 1843-1897, 1881-01-15
WRITTEN FoR 'THE RIPLEY ADVERTISER
We WNltC Rose
MEMPHIS. -
BY W. Q. EA1KNER.
CHAPTER XXI.

4
would have been great misfortune
if the government had been broken
ups'
"Believing as / do that can
dor is the best, / answer yes; but
that does not justify the govern
mentin reducing its citizens to pov
erty, for no other crime than a wish
to be treated as equals, as regards
the protection Of property. If the
people in the north, had come with
money in one hand to pay for the
slaves, which they had sold to us,
and their love oFfreedom in the 9th.
er, it seems to me that would have
looked more like doing the fair
thing. But they first sell him to
US, take the money, stuff it in their
pockets, and then go into spasms
about the poordown-trodden negro.
Wouldn't it have lookeda little bet
ter if the fits had come on before
they got the money for their me-
groes9
"Well as yoh have set an example
of candor, l will initiate you in that
respect and say that it would have
been more business like, if they
could have had a few fits of human
ity before they sold their negroes" +"
"The south is ubjnstly accused Of
bringing on the war, because she
merely wished to withdraw from
governmentthat had failed and re-
fused to give her that protection for
her property which, under the con-
stitution, she had right to demand
and receive. Our northern broth
ers declared thata Union with slave
holders was a "Union with the Dew
Il and a league with hell" Our re-
ply to that was let US go in peace,
and let the league be dissolved"
For that crime, and that alone, our
citizens were killed like dogs, our
houses burned, our mules, horses
and cotton taken without compen.
sation, our slaves set free, and set
as rulers over their enemies. De-
fenseless women and children driv-
en- from their homes, their houses
burned to the ground, their proper
ty destroyed. Thousands Of villa.
ges we're totally destroyed, while
officers wearing the United States
uniform participated in the plum.
der, and with their own hands light
ed the incendiary torch. l was
captured in a cavalry fight at Egypt
Mississippi, and while was bleed
ing from severe wound ! was tied
on the bare back of mule, and
hurried on, when / was SO weak
from loss Of blood, that / would
have fallen of. but for the thongs
that tied me on the mule. | saw a
Federal captain lash a delicate wo-
man with his horse whip, until the
blood streamed from her neck and
breast, because she refused to tell
where her wounded husband was
bid. That woman was the daughter
of "a hero, who fell in the foremost
rank Of the United States army at
Buena Vista, Mexico; and the grand
daughter of a captain who lost his
leg at New Orleans under General
Jackson. Isaw a German soldier,
who had not been in the United
States as much as six months break
the arm of a little thirteen year old
girl with bis gun-barrel because she
clung on to the neck other pet po-
ny, which he was trying to take
from her. That little girl was the
grand daughter Of the same hero
who died for his country in the Mex
lean war, and the great grand
daughter Of she man who lost the
leg at New Orleans. What did that
COWardly Dutch-man know or care
about the Union or the constitu-
tiOns7
"About as much as q hog does
for Christmas. The truth is the out
side world never will know of the
that were inflicted onusin
the name of liberty. That there
we're many brave, and honorable
men in the Union army, ] do not
deny; but they failed to prevent the |
cruelties that were inflicted byl
their comrades. We were over
not from the lack Of cour-
age. but for want of food, because
while our soldiers we're starving in
the field, our families we're perish.
ing at home. We we're told that III
We would surrender we would re-
aeive a parole, and be allowed to
return to our homes; aud So long as
We kept the terms, we would not
oe molested. But Andrew John |