Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1894-08-08

--o'O. ava h'o Siey iCniucuCc, Wuol
Alexander of Russia and Napoleon O
France are elected Senators in Congress
from New Mexico; when good mer
cease to 60 to heaven or bad men tt
hell; when this world is turned upside
down; when proof is safforded, clear anG
unquestionable, that there is no God
when men turn to ants and ants to
elephants-then will change my DO
litical faith and come out on the side
Of Democracy.
"Supposing that this full and frank
letter will enable you to fix upon the
period when will come out u full.
grown Democrat, and requesting you
to communicate the same to all whom
1t may concern in Arkansas, am yours
truly, w. G. BRowNLow.n
Ii ever man bore charmed life, alb.
solutely proof against all the tragic
perils that beset the audacious leaders
OF great upheaval in human affairs,
this intrepid political preacher was that
man. Indeed, he seemed to court death.
and death itself, in the very presence
OF the grave seemed to turn from him
abashed and affrighted at the fierce
and reckless courage of the man. He
was simply phenomenon, freak of
nature, and his career can not be &C.
counted for or explained on any ordi-
nary principles Of human conduct.
Continuing his terrible denunciations
OF the Confederacy and its leaders, he
was finally arrested and thrown into
jail, his printing establishment being
destroyed in the hope that thereby an
end would be put to his influence. But
not 30. His caustic, scathing pen, dip.
ped in vitrol, was just as active as ever
He would write letters, dated at the
Knoxville Jail" which in some mys-
terious manner would find their way
into print, and it was at length con.
cluded that he was more dangerous in
confinement than at liberty. The mill
tary authorities, however, determined
they would be rid of him in some way,
and accordingly he was arraigned be-
fore drumhead court martial on a
charge OF treason to the Con nfederats
Government, and condemned to be
hung. Whether it was ever really in
tended to carry this sentence into exc
cution or whether it was pronounced
in the vain hope to terrifying Brown
low into silence is not known; but GER
tain it is that it had not the least ef-
feet in subduing his violent, tumult-
uous and defiant soul. On the night
preceding the morning set for his exc
cution, while his guards were asleep, he
wrote speech to be delivered on the
gallows. Some extracts from that
speech are here given to illustrate the
unconquerable spirit of the man within
the very shadow of doom:
"Fellow Countrymen: l have often
addressed many of you, upon different
topics, but never under circumstances
like those which now surround me, as
feel that | am speaking for the last
time. l suppose have been sentenced
to hang by court martial sitting in
this city; l say l suppose 80, for have
never had any trial, or even a notice of
trial being in progress. 1t is alike a
matter of indifference whether was
tried by that court martial in my alb
sence and in the absence of witnesses
and counsel, or whether l had been
present; the result would have been
death. Justice at the hands of such
unmitigated scoundrels and ruffians is
the last thing would expect. Indeed,
there is more glory in being acquitted.
for l would look upon in being put to
death by such men than any man whom
they would acquit as being of the same
character as themselves"
But Brownlow did not have the salts
faction of being hung for his devotion
to the Union. The Confederate author
tiles, fearing the effect of thus making
a martyr of him, issued an order. thro'
the Secretary of War, to Major General
Crittenden, annulling the sentence of
the court martial and ordering that the
troublesome prisoner be conveyed, by a
guard of Confederate soldiers, through
the lines into Northern territory. This
was done in March, 1862. Brownlow
then made tour of the Northern States,
being royalty received and entertained
at the chief cities, where he made furi-
ous and inhammatory speeches against
the Confederacy, arousing much bitter
feeling by the recital of the outrAges
and atrocities which he alleged were
being perpetrated upon the Union mon
of the South. Meanwhile, his family
remained in Knoxville until the Con-
federate authorities learned that Brown
low was representing in the North that
his wife and children were being forci-
bly, detained as hostages for his good
behavior, when they were sent under
flag truce through the lines and con-
veyed to New Jersey.
Summing up the character of this
strange and most extraordinary man.
without any regard to the abstract right
or wrong of his position, it must be
conceded by the unprejudiced and fair
minded that he was patriot, pure and
simple. The writer of this is South
erner, born and bred, whose relatives
were all ardent sympathizers with the
| Confederate cause he himself was too
| vouuU tn he ttahnt at Shilob tl h,t ho