The Evening critic., 1882-01-13
The BIOOdy B'a.

Inc following letter anu cafu nave nocn
furnished for publication
"HoUsE OF REPRESENTATIVES,,
WASHINGTON, u. C., Jan. 8, 1852.
gen. s. q. BuJridge:
"S1R: Your lettcr dated January was
handed me last night, and as l find it,
with accompanying documents, given to
the public in this mornings prints, pre-
sumo il was intended for the public, as its
reception and my own must have been
simultaneous. Now, sir, ii is only with
the personal phase of the issue, so far rs it
regards myself, that can deal, and as you
have abandoned that, feel no longer any
interest in your communications. As to
your insinuations in regard to the yellow
fever, which you so gratuitously throw in
to distract attention from what had been
said of yourself all have to say is, that If
with the proofs of which you profess knowl-
edge, and of which / am ignorant, and
which you regard as ample, your courage
ever enables you to formulate q charge and
become responsible therefor, then will there
be ample time left for me to give IL consid-
Grafton. Respectfully,
~. G. S. BLACKBURN"
Upon receipt of the above letter, Gen.
Burbridge returned il to the writer at once
with the following Endorsement:
Returned to the writer as unworthy of
notice. For my courage / refer him to the
history of my country, which is silent upon
his achievements. For ample proofs of the
attempts to introduce clothing infected
with yellow fever virus into the Northern
cities, refer him to the correspondence re-
lating thereto now on file in the State
Department. s. G. BURBRIDGE."
Upon receipt of his own letter thus in
dorsed, Representative Blackburn wrote
the following open letter:
To the Public.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Jan. II, 1882.
a correspondence between Gen. Stephen
G.. Burbridge formerly of Kentucky and
now q citizen of Pennsylvania, and myself,
begun by him, has through his instrument
tality been obtruded upon the public at.
tention. / regret this, but not because |
have any reason to fear the Judgment of
the public on the questions involved.
For the soldiers of the Union army who
respected the law of honorable warfare, l
have no feelings but respect and apprecia-
tion of their manhood. Gen. Burbridge is
outside this pale by reason of atrocities
well-known to the people of Kentucky,
which have justly made him an outcast
from State where honorable men have
buried in honorable reconciliation the ami
mosities of that unhappy period. share
fully the detestation of Gen. Burbridge
and his conduct which is entertained
alike by Confederates and Union men
in the State of Kentucky, and this
feeling j have expressed on proper
occasion. The fact was made known to him
when he interrogated me as to my utter
ances respecting him. / refused to modify
my language or to accept his attempt at
Standardization. / gave him frankly this
answer. His response is not an appeal to
the usages by which gentlemen have been
governed but an attempt to retort by coun-
ter-insult. If this course is satisfactory to
Gen. Burbridge or his friends, / cannot
complain. l dismiss him to the enjoyment
of any honors he may acquire by this effort
to rehabilitate reputation which, resting
as it does upon the known facts of shame
full personal history, cannot be made worse
by aught that l can now say against him
or improved by his own asseverations of
innocence or certificates of character. These
are not required by gentlemen who have
practiced decent respect for the opinions
of mankind.
~. c. s. BLACKBURN"