Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-03-14
Judge Wylie Talks ofthc Early Days
ofthe War.

Judge Wylie Talks ofthc Early Days
ofthe War.
Judge Wylie, Of Washington, form
erly of this city, has given through
Cath" in a Washington paper some
interesting "reminiscences of the days
just previous to the breaking out of the
late war He says:
During the winter Of 1S59-G0 | had
both legal and legislative business at
Richmond and went down there and
stopped at the Exchange Hotel. There
was Il nearly universal sentiment in
favor of destroying the government as
far as could see it, ! do not believe
that most of the men of influence there
desired 10 see u democratic president
elected that wear. Such an election
would put off this preteXt to destroy
the Union. There were one or two
persons like Alexander II H. Stuart, who
had been in Fillmore's cabinet, and a
gentleman from Wheeling who thought
with me that the government must be
preserved. While | was there some
kind of convention was being held with
closed doors Delegates came from va
rious directions, and pains were taken
that nobody should get into that room
or hear what was going on there. 1t
was announced that scheme of dis
union was being there contrived. And
| made up my mind that whatever per-
sonal influence | had should be ex
pressed in the ensuing campaign.
''To vote for Bell and Everett | felt
would be to throw away my vote. l
therefore resolved TO vote for Lincoln
and Hamlin. But they would not al
low tickets to be disseminated at AL
exandria, and in order to get ticket |
had to write to n friend who was on the
electoral ticket and lived at Wheeling,
near my birthplace. This gentleman
was brother-in-law Of mine. He sent
me a ticket (The elections in those
days, if | correctly remember, were in
the nature of rira r0ce voting) | took
my ticket to the polls and handed it to
the Inspector. The other tickets had
designations upon them, and he saw
that this was not either the Breckin-
ridge the Douglas or the Bell ticket so
he held it in his hand Said |: sWhy do
you not deposit my ticket in the boX?'
He had in the meantime been confer
ring with the judges of the election in
whispers.) Said he: we were deliber-
ating whether we would allow this
ticket to be voted here You know
said l, that | am voter and free
man, and have my rights here. | de-
mand that that ticket be put in the box
while stand here. With reluctance,
or hesitation, it was putin the box.
''When the votes were counted it
turned ont to be the only vote for Lin
coin in the city of Alexandria. Then
began agitation, such as you might ex
pect in an old slave community like
that. However, l did not pay much
attention to the matter. | had some
friends there, and some connections,
too. \ lady of my connection used to
come with her husband to visit us in
the night. They told us they were
afraid to come in the daytime, lest they
bc also black-listed l continued, how
ever, to go over to Washington on the
ferryboat and return again, and one
day as was coming over with copy Of
the New York Tribune in my hand, q
member of the bar said to me, i see
you have got the New York Tribune
there Yes Now, said he, if you
are going to read paper like that, |
advise you not to display it. Ifyou
must take it home, put it in your pock-
ct Said l, we are not yet savages, |
hope, in Alexandria, We'll, said he,
there is great smothered excitement
here, and war is approaching, and you
must be careful
After that did put my paper in my
pocket. 1t was generally known and
remembered, however, that was in
favor of the government and of seeing
Mr.. Lincoln inaugurated. On Saturday
night was going home, and had hardly
stepped oil the boat when l found my
self surrounded by quite band of men,
One of these cried out. Hang the
black republican, had stick in my
hand, and l notified them that if they
interiered with my personal action they
might expect the consequences at once
They followed me some distance to nv
house. That evening two gentlemen
came there and told me they feared the
house would be burned that night. 1t
was not my house. but belonged 10
another person. l said to them, L
have no desire to live longer in such n
community. Tomorrow is Sunday,
and you may say to ill-disposed persons,
who want to burn this house, that if
they will let me stay here over Sunday
and put my papers in order, that | will
go away on Monday morning and cease
TO trouble them
There was man in Alexandria by
the name of Massey. who was not a
republican, but Union man. He
called on me one morning while the
convention was meeting at Richmond
to consider secession, and we did not
know anything about its conclusions.
Said he: Something has been done at
Richmond. Last night could see from
my shop that the rolling stock here was
all hooked up and pulled off southwark.
Then also saw Mr.. Barbour,
the superintendent at Harper's
Ferry, get off the cars and 60
rapidly past, and l hailed him
and asked him what had been done at
Richmond. He said that I must not
stop him, that he could not tell me.
Now said this man. 4 am satisfied