Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1891-10-22
The Best ADVERTISING
Medium IN the county.
President Ii Polk

L. Polk, President of the Farmers
Alliance, was at one time commander
at Salisbury prison; that at the battle
of Gettysburg he caused the murder
of large number of union soldiers
while prisoners of war, and charges
of kindred nature, and honest and
conscientious men are asked to thor
oughly investigate the so-called re-
form movement to find out how many
prisoners in the late war suffered in
juries at the hands of the man who is
now President of the Alliance; to find
out how many prisoners the President
of the Farmers Alliance ordered shot
to reeAt tsata re-captqre; to find
whether the Alliance did notsend and
get the ex-commander of Salisbury
rebel prison to come to Kansas to in
struct the people how to vote" And
so on al intinituns.
The National Tribune, of Wash
ington, D. c., paper that is publish
ed IN the interests of the old soldiers
exclusively. publishes the following
in late issue:
COL. PoLK's WAR RECORD.
We have received u large number of requests
from readers for the military history of Col.
L. l.. Polk, of the Farmers Alliance. There have
also been serious cha yes that he was in authority
in command, at times-at the rebel prison at
We have made tiresome examination of the
Confederate Archives. without much result lie
appears to have been too obscure man during
the war to make much figure IN the records.
b first appears in the Archives-Dec. 81, 1902
as Third Lieutenant, Co. l, 4Sd N. G..
Feb %, 1868, there is another similar entry.
He was then at KInston. n. e.
Oct 81, 1868, he was reported under arrest. but
no explanation is made as TO charges, or the dis
position made of them.
Aug. 81, 1864, he appears on the rolls as Sec
ond Lieutenant.
December 1864, he is reported absent on leave.
| Feb. 4, 1865, his resignation was accepted.
! In the Confederate Adjutant and Inspector Gen
erals record there appears no special assignments
to Polk.
This is all the documents show SO far.
The New York Press one of the
staunchest republican papers IN the
land in a recent issue published a
two column history of President Polk;
speaks of him as an old rebel soldier,
who, after the war returned home and
took up the battle of life; had fnan-
cial difficulty years ago, paid every
dollar of Indebtedness, and started
anew with varying success. He Is a
prominent member of the Baptist
church, and is considered first class
man. The Toledo Blade in answer
to an inquiry by a subscriber, tells
substantially the same story. Neither
of these papers mention his connec-
ton with the Salisbury prison. The
Tribune report should forever settle
these stories.
The HERALD has looked through
several standard histories of the Bat
tie of Gettysburg, where the murder
of prisoners is said to have taken
place, and no where can mention be
found of any such event. Mr.. Folks
regiment. the 43d North Carolina,
was at the battle, and the report of
its Lieut.. Colonel, shows that it took
some 400 or 500 union soldiers prison
ers, but in none of the reports of the
union officers is any mention made of
the murder of prisoners, by their cap
tors. And the HERALD challenges
the Dispatch to show by any historic
al writing where any prisoners were
ever killed by Mr.. Folks regiment,
and the HERALD agrees to publish in
full the reports of any such brutality.
Will the Dispatch publish the clip
ping above from the National Irib-
une?
If the editor of the Dispatch knew
anything about military matters, he
would know that under any circum-
stances the authority of third lieu
tenant is some what limited.
There was a battle where union
soldiers were murdered after capture,
the battle of Fort Pillow. The lead
ers in this crime were afterwards re-
ceived with hands CORY and rocking
with the blood of their slain into full
membership in the republican party,
and given high official recognition
but as their victims were only mig.
gers" we suppose that don't count.
The war is over; let the anger and
hatreds of those dark days be forgot
ten. The south was wrong, was pun
ished, and received back into the un.
ion. The deeds of the noble heroes
who wore the blue are enrolled upon
the pages of history, never to forgot
ten either by north or south. The
aim and object of the Peoples Party
is the re-uniting of the north ant
south by the bands Of commercial and
political fellowship, and actuated by
the prayer and hope that the flag O
our union without stripe soiled or {
star dimmed, may wave over the best
the strongest government, strong in itl
protection of the weak, the world hai
ever known, this new party Will &c
forward to do battle. That it may b.
successful, should be the wish O.
every loyal citizen.
, !