The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-01-19

inference was that the majority was against US.
Quarters had been provided for us at Knox
vile in
DESERTED OLD MANSION HOUSE,
situated on road near the outskirts of the
town.
On account of my injuries from the railway
accident was allowed to take quarters with a
private family in East Tennessee whose name
was Craig. am giving the correct name, be-
cause / am desirous, even at this late date, of
| acknowledging my Indebtedness to the family
! for their kindness. Mr.. Craig was an official Of
the County-Prothonotar or County Clerk.
Mr.. Craig was one of those old fashioned gen.
tlemen who was able to entertain visitor
| handsomely and not ask any questions. 1t was
| understood that he was Union man; but on
this important subject he was the most agreea-
! bly, non -committal man / ever met There was
an elder daughter who was decidedly and en-
| phatically Southern in her sentiments. A
younger sister, Miss Maggie, was the Union
| girl of the family, though not as outspoken nor
so decided in expressing her sentiments. She
was, nevertheless, settled in her conviction that
the Government was right and that slavery was
wrong. And, as she put it, !" It's not right;
SLAVERY Is SIN AND AN EVIL,
and it will not be permitted to exist"
Of course Miss Maggie became a favorite
with me during the week or two that l remain
ed confined to the house. She was the good
/
need as if / were a brother. At every meal
time Mr.. Craig reverently asked blessing, and
usually heightened it into prayers for both
sides.
Around the corner from Mr. Craig's house,
on n lot that almost Joined the Craig property
in the rear, was the house of Parson Brownlow.
| AT the time of which | am writing Mr.. Brown
low was achieving National reputation by his
| bold and defiant stand against the Southern
| leaders, and his outspoken belligerent Union
sentiments had gotten him into all sorts of
! trouble with JEFF Davis's Government.
] had heard of Parson Brownlow all my life.
Before the war | had been much interested in
/ his denominational discussions with the Bap-
fists of Tennessee, the accounts of which were
| printed at the time.
The Craig family were, think, Baptists and,
probably on this account, they were, as Miss
Craig politely put it,
"NEIGHBoRLY, BUT NOT INTIMATE"
with the Brownlow family.
| learned from them though, the history of
this peculiar family after the manner in which
private family histories are detailed by their
neighbors.
1t seemed as if the family had always been in
| hot water There was son, who had either
killed somebody or been killed himself Another
] boy was around town, stirring things up in a
way that made the old town lively. The old gem
! tleman owned and edited paper-the Knox
vile Whig-that circulated pretty much every
where, and served to stir people and things up,
not only outside of Knoxville, but all over the
country. At the time of which / write the
! Parson had been arrested by an order from
/ Richmond for his Union sentiments, and was
| held a prisoner in his own house.
Personally Mr.. BroWnlow and his family
] did not seem to receive much sympathy from
| his immediate neighbors though politically the
| town was IN full accord with his sentiments
The members of the family were, however,
able to take care Of themselves, and seemed to
| be entirely Indifferent to the opinions that
| other people entertained.
! Mr.. Brownlow himself was a rather tall,
| gaunt, smooth faced old gentleman; Just such
\ a person as one would expect TO find
/ in the pioneer backwoods Methodist peacher
! of the Peter Cartwright stamp. l saw
him frequently, and it always seemed to
me as if his broad lower jaw snapped open and
/ shut when he spoke, something like automa-
| tons that one sees the vantriloquist working on
the stage He gave me the impression that he
never spoke at all except TO jaw at some
! body. I'm not attempting a criticism of Par
son Brownlow. Everybody knows that every
time he opened his mouth he said something,
/ and that his words are quoted to-day ali over
| theland. 1t was bis abrupt manner that seemed
SO odd and harsh to me, when compared with
| the mild, c0urteously spoken words of Mr Craig,
my host; the two persons being so closely as
/ "
THE HOME OF PARsoN BRowNLoW
was one of the plain, old-time structures that
are to be met with by the hundred in every
| town like Knoxville. 1t was situated in back
street, away from the business portion of the
town, and was very unpretentious There was
! porch IN front Of the house extending over
each side Of the door, and the only difference
in style Of architecture in this particular porch
from all others was, that on account of the
house abutting too closely on the slab stone
walk, the steps led down from each side of the
porch into the little front yard instead oi
straight III front to the pavement.
Atthis time there were other ornaments TO the
Parsons front-door steps not to be seen on the
other houses namely, Confederate soldiers with
loaded muskets in their hands. who were on
guard as sentries over the person of the Par.
son, who was then State prisoner. He was
subsequently removed 10 Jail, and compelled to
live in damp disagreeable pen, that had been
used for years as the slave-cage for runaway ne
groes. This was rough. but it is true, as / can
testify. One reason perhaps for his removal ia
the jail has not been given by himself or his
friends. While all admired the pluck and spirit
of the family that resented the presence o.
armed rebel soldiers on their own do0r-steps-
their castle--one cannot help but feel that
little discretion mixed up with their abundant
spirit would have brought out more satisfac
tory results.
The Parsons combatiyeness must have beer
in the blood Of the family as it was not confined
TO himself and his sons, but was exhibited in 8
striking manner while l was in Knoxville By
one OF his daughters. For some fancied or rea
ohense on the part Of one OF the guards who wa
stationed at her fathers door, Miss Brownlow
after deliberately giving the soldier aud hii
officer "piece of her mind,o coolly walked
up TO the guard and vigorously and repeatedly
SLAPPED HIM IN THE FACE
and kept up her attack until the armed soldier
actually backed down off the side Of the porch
while the officer Of the guard who was with
him hastily scrambled down OH the other side
leaving her in possession of the entrance. The
incident had widespread notoriety at The
J time, and when the story reached the North
IL was widely published throughout the coun
try, with many exaggerations. did not wit
, ness this affair, but gathered from the Misse!
Craig and others what is probably the true
story.
Ny confinement to the house of my gooi
friends, the Craigs though sick and sometime:
: suffering, was made TO me the most agreeable
two weeks Of my trip South, all through The
z Kind care and attention of the family. By the
exercise Of some diplomacy, necessitating
: good deal of talking and some shameful lying
l to young and innocent girl, induced Mis-
Maggie and her elder sister to take me dowr
TO the Brownlow house as q visitor who wa
e2irpuS OF fupQtirp the lahr