Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1884-10-03

bhbh III NDhuidiiu JuCiCi anu al
were paroled for forty days, or IN.
til exchanged, an equal number on
the other side beingpassed through.
Riddleberger went to his home in
Edinburg. Some time before the
parole had expired a party of men
known as 'Jessec Scouts all dressed
in gray uniforms, dashed into town
as the advance Of battalion fol-
lowing, anl rcarrested him and
. (nOw) Rev. John $. Hutchinson,
one of the authors of the "Blue and
the Gray in which book some of
these incidents appear, and started
them back to the prison from which
Riddleberger had but recently been
released. Crossing a run at Kerns-
town slack, as the boys always
called him, escaped in the darkness.
Riddleberger rode on to Winches-
ter and was shut up in an old prison.
The parole was examined by the
provost marshal, referred to Genl.
Hancock, and returned with orders
to send Riddleberger Immediately
back by way of Baltimore and
James River, with a letter also to
the commandment of Fort McHenry,
where he remainedin good quarters
without guard until a boat was
going down. Before reaching the
James, active campaigning had be-
gun between Grant and Lee and no
boats could 90 up. He was then
put off at PIT. Lookout with the
freedom of the Point. Here he re-
manned till Lincoln was assassina-
ted ; the next day he was confined
on account Of the temper of some
Of the guards, was subsequently
sent around to Fort Delaware and
there remained till July after the
war.
This detailed statement is made
as a refutatiOn Ofall the ISLANDERS
and libels of political and other
enemies since 1879, when they were
first begun. The only that had
any color Of foundation being that
Riddlebergcr remained at home to
be captured. For this the explana-
ton given must suffice. For thet ruth
of all that is here written there
are living witnesses ready to verify
in this county. There are scores
of his company and comrades in
this county and Rockingham who
among them know how far every
statement made is borne out by the
facts. AS for the many Othe r
libels and ISLANDERS repeated in
each political campaign, they are
so utterly devoid of any color of
truth, so contemplate in origin, so
malicious in conception that no
man possessed Of the instincts of a
gentleman would expect or excuse
an answer to them.
But to make this reply final we
propose to go into the origin and
of some of the parties to
them. DR.. Prescott, to whom |
Triplett refers, is dead. We can |
bear him no malice if we would. He |
had no knowledge OF anything he |
wrote. lie was a captain the first |
year of the war and retired at the
end Of his term of enlistment. He
subsequently went across the lines
and remained there. The first we
saw of his letter was when We were
the Southwest in 1880 or
81. a copy OF a paper containing it
was being shown IN Abingdon. We
started for home to inquire about it,
md at Stanton were met with the
that DR.. Prescott had
lropped dead Of apOplexy. We as
that the papers of Shenan-
loah and Page had declined to
pub lish the letter, and therefore it
vas sent to the Rockingham register.
We saw one gentlemen, Captain
irandstail', who told us that DIR.
'rescott had said he derived all bis
from another, whose
Iame he desired to be reserved and
his regret if he had done
IS injustice in statement. This but
short time before his death.
Bnt this was a sweet morsel for
'riplett nevertheless. Whether it /
ias just or unjust made no differ I
nee to him. Though he pretended {
D be friendly it delighted him to G
reasure and refer to it all. His d
hole statement of the Woodstock f
fair from beginning to the end is C
ntrue, with one single exception h
} prove the rule. But all his k
all his brag, all his
Iuster can do Riddlebcrger no +,
Jury here. d
Were it true that RiddIeberger a
ruck him back of his head or Ii
lck, it would be paliated by peo- OF
G who knew the difficulty of OF
pertaining definitely which side 10
his head his mouth ison when he III
talking. h;
But the cause Of Triplett's at. OF
to Riddleberger and his yC
olive in libelling him remain to tn
told. Since he has had two Of
blications, he will doubtless think iy
a personal indignity if he shall 81!
} longer unnoticed. on
While Riddleberger was acting y
enrolling officer and by special ed
pointment provost marshal, with Go
adj quarters at Woodstock, Trip. ca
A ..-.... 4, d, . III.