The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-01-15
BASE LIBEL ON THE SOUTH.


In a brief letter from Professor w. f.
Peters, Of the University Of Virginia our
| attention has been called TO an extract
from an article by certain Marquis de
Chambrun in scribner's for January en-
titled. personal Recollections OF LIN
| coin" in which the author basely ISLANDERS
and villifies the South. Speaking OF the
| death OF Lincoln the author soys:
"For four years had the thought or as
sassination terminated and developed III
the South The Presidents murder hau
become q topic OF common conversation.
Many spoke OF 81 In the camps Many
spoke OF IL through the streets OF Hlcn-
mond. and all these cowardly passions,
all this bloo6thirstness had founu .hei.
exponents in the hands OF assassihs al
| Washington"
Could Il be imagined that 1t we're posi-
! bic for such tissue OF faisehood ana
| slanner to be woven together In so small
q space Here the Southern people are
denounced as a set Of bloodthirsty con-
snirators. openly talking about ana plan
Ming the killing of Lincoln long before IL
occurred, and the assassins are charac-
terlzed as true opponents Of the Southern
| character.
II is hard TO conceive how the worst
enemv Of the South could have been
| guilty OF so villainously Infamous faise-
hood about her end her people. TO the
credit Of the American name be IL saiu
that It required all the devilish hate OF
n fippant Frenchman to invent and pup
lish such base libel upon a people whose
| reputation for manhood, bravery anu
chivairy has become worldwide.
There was no man, woman nor child
! living at the South when Lincoln was
assassinated who did not hear the news
OF that dastardly crime with horror, and
there is not a survivor Of the war to-day
who ever had the most remote idea OF
ever seriously contemplating such deco.
The first expression upon the lips OF every
one when II first became known. was one
OF sincere regret, not only on account OF
the Southern sense Of humanity, but be-
cause of the universal apprehension that
Lincolns bloody taking off would recoh
upon the Southern people and their beloved
land. And so little was there any desire
10 see the Chief Executive of the United
States killed-although by many In the
South he was, and is, considered to have
been the author OF her direst
woes-that when an adventurous young
officer made application to Hon. jefferson
Davis for permission to organize secret
force to go to Washington. capture Mr..
Lincoln at all hazards and bring him
dead or alive to Richmond. the Conted-
crate President told him distinctly that
II he could capture Mr.. Lincoln and bring
him alive to the Confederate capital as
prisoner OF State, he might do so, but
that he CMr. Davis would not for a
moment countenance the idea Of inficting
bodily harm upon his distinguished op-
ponent. Mr.. Davis related this Incident
himself to the writer Of this article, and
although the name Of the young officer
who proposed this bold undertaking has
been forgotten. Mrs. Davis can, no doubt,
recall both his name and the occurrence.
This French Marquis. with a title and
nothing else, has therefore gone out OF
his way to grossly. deliberately and with
out the slightest foundation, except what
exists in his own mercurial imagination,
villify and misrepresent the South. And
what shall we think OF reputable North
ern magazine who permits the use of its
columns for such libel? AS Professor
Peters writes, 'it should never be al
lowed to enter any Southern home" and
we heartily indorse his sentiment and
share his indignation. Southern people
can put their money to better use than
TO help support a publication which per-
mits itself TO be used as a medium for
their most base and vile defamation.