The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1895-11-08
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
WILLIAM IS AvERSE TO ANOTHEH
SANGUINARY CONFLICT.
The World to Him Seems Now Cone
tented and Happy.

All is peace and harmony about Atlanta now,
but l haven't forgotten when Sherman Was
throwing his unfeelinx shells all over tho city.
Suoh panic, such q stampede. such helpless
terror among women and children never Wit
messed. had gotten my wife and little chill
dren away, but had to stav, and the sceno
was az awful az tho picture of death on the pale
horse. Everybody and everything that could
move was moving. Shells arc not terribly
destruc iv', but IA Big John said that day, they
arc tho ''most p"rlyzing thing" in the world.
1 met him ON Decatur street, making tracks to-
ward Stone Mountain, carrying his three hum
dred pounds of fesi-most of it in front. Big
beads of perspiration were on his forehead and
ho was carrying his wig in ono hand and an old
carpet bag in the other. ''Where now. my
friend?" said l. Anywhere in this direction"
said he, with distressing smile. 81 am bound
to kecr ahead of 'cm, the Internal devils.
They don't travel fast, thank the Lord"
where il your cart and steer1" said T. sold
em-soid EN- to a free nlgger for two hundred
keep me in vttles and whisky for week"
And then whatY said 1. 'Jinc the conscript
camp at Decatur said he. and he mopped tho
sweat of his head and face with his big ban
through the air and Big John moved on with
alacrity, never even said goodbye, but halloed
back, PRAY for me. Bill" The next week
got him place in the ordnance department at
him sitting on box full Of guns He placsd
two boxes close together for bed and said no
should sleep on his arms.
The shells kept coming on making their
paraholas and singing and sizzing in the cit-
cumambient air. I had sorter gotten used to
shells in old Virginia and venturod to walk
down half a mile on Walton street to soc what
had become OF an old uncle and his family who
but my unce and aunt and their only daughter
lived there. found them huddled up in tho
basement, for a shell had already torn part Of
the roof away and they had moved-moved
to see what the Lord or the devil would do,
They escaped unharmod. One of thoir absent
boys was killed and another was trimmed up.
but that was tho common lot. But now every
body Ia happy except some-everybody except
the very rich and the very Door. That is why
old hugur dident want to do eithor Just tho
expression OF the people you meet-meet On
the trains or at the depots or the fair grounds
or Oh the streets or in the churches. How
much more pleasant it is than a few months
ago. How happy are the women and children.
How cordial the greetings between tho north
and the south-thc blue and the gray, The
fact is, when our northern brethren como down
here and eat our barbecued meat and receive
our hospitality and look at our beautiful womep
they are nearlv ready to apologize for every
thing they have done to us said about uS
I've been waiting for them to apologize fok
twenty-five years, but they say they can't do IL
consistently until they begin to pension our
soldiers and our widows and orphans. believe
they will pass pension law for our soldiers
that unpensioned soldiers do die.
s'Time cuts down all,
Both great and small,
Except q pensioned soldier"
An insurance man told mo that a man who
was drawing pension could get his life In
sured for half price.
1t is curious how short sighted arc the wisest
and the greatest men. Calhoun and Davis
and Stevens and Henry Clay aud John
Randolph all said that no races of people
could ever live together in peace unless ono
was in subjection and under the civil dominion
of tho other That has proved mistake. Wo
are living together now on terms of civil equal
ity and getting along fairly we'll Giddings
and Phillips and all the abolition leaders said
that just as soon a war broke out tho negroes
would rise up and kill and burn and dcstroy
all over the south. They did nothing Of the
kind. Nathaniel Hawthorne said: II am fer
the war, but don't understand what We arc
lighting about or What good results can como
from ~; rejoice tnat the Uia 1.....ap iR,
SMASHED We never were one people and never
VIII be. If we pummel the south ever so hard
they VIII love us none the better" =
But the union is not smashed. It is stronger
man ever and Dana says tho nation will have
to look to the south for its preservat on-pre-
servation from anarchy and isms that seen
to breed and tester and flourish in tho
north. And Chauncey Depew Gays the south is
fuller than ever of the old spirit--the old nag
confound him, I like Chauncey, but why
ddent he mention that the north got 95 PEI.
cent OF all the appropriations, all the money
that 10 spent on the army and navy and public
we get is little custom house and postofice
here and there and for those we have to take a
northern architect and build it with northern
stone or brick and fill 1t with northern furni-
ture. Confound 'em, dogon. They throw a.
sop to us once in while. just like throwing a
bone to dog. Never mind. II they do 0et.
up war with some foreign country they wilk
want us to do the fighting and we expect to
nave 1t to do, but they will have to apologize
aud heal up the old sore first. Now mark my
prediction. II war does become imminent
between this country and any one OF tho
great powers, some fellow from Massa.
chusetts or Tom Reed from Maine will intro
duce bill to give pensions and back pay to the
souther" soldiers. Up to date there has been
paid 81, 0OO, 000 900 in pensions since tho war
and the Grand Army is howl,ng for more, and
MIR. Cleveland and Carlisle have to keep issuing
bonds 10 keep up with it.
But let the procession proceed. Mr. Lochren
says he thinks that some of the pensioners will
begin to die Off next year. Somo of them ars
moving down to Georgia and huying land and
building towns i'll the pincy woods. That's all
hight. We welcome any northern man who
comes here to stay. They are most aiwavs
good citizens. The mean ones don't come
Ih"y had rather stay mp TIE - and arUsc ,II. A
man told E!c that about bali of the @. A Rs
WHO came TO the Louisville Cnuamumcnt tho
r'A." day were foreigners, who G'dnn' speak
English and came with unr Shir: and 81 and
didcnt chnnGc either til ihcv go ack home.
Bat we are harmoniHnG a. last ana We want
everybody from up the @ to crIn' down to our
show. Their" arc good many ssSu. OF coming
peace and good will b tween the sections.
northern democrat sent my w fc a photograph
OF Lincoln as he was away back in the fi.tics-
Lincoln in tn" woods, Lincoln III rail splitter
and says he has had 1t thirty.thrca years. 1t
- = markab!c picturc-the most nest and
serious and the uGlicst whit" nan ever saw
on cardboard. 1t tx strangely ntrrarrivc. and
unNnr got tired lnnli - u ,rnnlnr