Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-12-22


wrong at the beginning Of this contest, cruel.
ty and Injustice have made the wrong become
the right, and they stand now before the won
der and admiration of;the world as noble
band of patriotic heroes. Hereafter, reading
of their deeds Therlnopylm will be forgotten.
"'When l aided in the capture and execu.
tion of John Brown (who was murderer on
our Western border, and who was fairly tried
and convicted before an impartial judge and
jury of treason, and who, by the way, has
since been made god), I was proud of my
little share in the transaction, forI deemed it
my duty, and that was helping our common
country to perform an act Of justice. But
what was crime in poor John Brown is now
considered (by themselves) as the greatest
and only virtue of the whole Republican
party. .
"Strange transmigration Vice to become
virtue, simply because more indulge in it..
I thought then as now, that the abolitionists
were the only traitors in the land, and that
the entire party deserved the same fate as
poor old Brown. Not because they wished
to abolish slavery, but on account of the
means they have ever endeavored to use to ef
feet that abolition. If Brown were living, I
doubt whether he himself would set slavery
against the Union. Most, or nearly all the
North do openly curse the Union if the South
are to return and retain sing le right guar
anteed to them by every tie which we once
revered as sacred. The South can make no
choice. 1t is either determination or slavery
for themselves (worse than death) to draw
from. I know my choice, and hasten to &C.
cept. I have studied hard to discover upon
what grounds the right Of State to secede
has been denied, when our very name, United
States and the Declaration of Independence
provide for secession. But there is now no
time for words. know how foolish l shall
be deemed for undertaking such a step as
this, where, on the one side, have many
friends and everything to make me happy
where my profession alone has gained me an
income of more than $4,000 year, and
where my great personal ambition in my pro.
fession has such great field for labor. On
the other hand, the South have never bestow-
ed upon me one kind word place now
where I have no friends except beneath the
sod a place where l must either become a
private soldier or beggar To give up all
Of the former for the latter, besides my moth
er and sister whom love so dearly (although
they so widely differ from me in opinion),
seems insane but God is my judge. / love
Justice more than l do country that disowns
it; more than fame and wealth, more (Heav.
en- pardon me if wrong) more than a happy
home. | have never been upon battle.
field, but oh my countrymen, could you all
but see the reality or effects of this horrid war,
as have seen them, in every State save Vir.
ginia, know you would think like me, and
pray the Almighty to create in the Northern
mind sense Of right and justice (even should
it possess no seasoning of mercy and He
would dry up the sea of blood between us
which is daily growing wider. Alas !! have
no longer country. She is fast approaching
her threatened doom. Four years ago l
would have given thousand lives to see her
remain Gas l had always known herr powerful
and unbroken, and now I would hold my life
as naught to see her what she was. Oh my
friends if the fearful scenes of the past four
years had never been enacted, or if what has
been had been frightful dream, from which
we could now awake, with what overfiowing
hearts could we bless our God and pray for
His continued favor.
"How 1 have loved the old flag can never
now be known. A few years since and the
entire world could boast of none so pure and
spotless. But have of late been seeing and
hearing of the bloody deeds of which she has
been made the emblem, and shudder to think
how changed she has grown. Oh! how l
have longed to see her break from the mist
of blood and death so circled around her
folds, spelling her beauty and furnishing
her honor. But no; day by day has she
been dragged deeper and deeper into cruelty
and oppression, till now Gin my eyes) her once
bright red stripes look like bloody gashes on
the face of heaven. I look now upon my
early admiration of her glories as dream.
NV love is now for the South alone, and to
her side I 90 penniless. Her success has
been near my heart, and / have labored faith
fully to further an object which would have
more than proved my unsel6sh devotion.
Heart sick and disappointed l turn from the
path which had been following into bolder
and more perilous one. Without malice |
make the change. have nothing in my heart
except sense Of duty to my choice. If the
South is to be aided it must be done quickly.
1t may already be too late. When Cesar
had conquered the enemies of Rome and the
power that was his menaced the liberties of
the people, Brutus arose and slew him. The
stroke Of his dagger was guided by his love
for Rome. 1t was the spirit and ambition OF
Cesar that Brutus struck at.
SO then that we could come by Cesar's spirit,
And not dismember Caesar But alas
Caesar must bleed for it !'
answer with Brutus
He who loves his country bet
ter than gold or life,
JOHN W. BOOTH.
STORY OF JOHN MATTHEWS, THE ACTOR.
"Following Mr.. Booths signature" Mr..
Matthews continued, (which was evidently
written in great haste were the names of
Payne, Harold and Atzeroth, all in Booths
own handwriting, given as the men who
would stand by him in executing his changed
plans. Booth wrote John S. Clarke, the &C.
tor, his brotherin law, in the November pre-
ceding the assassination letter Identical in
many respects with the one he left with me as
justification for his act. The arguments
we're all the same, the changes in the letter |
destroyed being those which would follow the
change of plan from kidnapping to assassina-
ton. The material alterations are in the
first part of the letter, where he indicates the
change in his purpose. The most striking
difference between the letter he gave to me
and the one he wrote to Mr. Clarke is his
reference to Brutus and the quotation from
Julius Cesar" The body of the letters were
identical. Of course there may be some i'm