Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1895-07-14

AS you know, continued General
Curtis, Il was in the Union army dur
ing the war. Near the close of the re-
bellion | was chief of staff of the Army
OF the James in the department of Vir-
glnia and North Carolina, and had
command in southwest Virginia One
OF my duties was to send Confederate
soldiers to their homes after surrender
and also to arrange for transportation
Tor civilians In case of necessity. A
few days after the surrender l was in
my office when a tall, grizzled Confed-
crate came in to make arrangements
for sending to their homes a number
of Mississippi soldiers. l asked him if
he was from Mississippi, and he said he
was. l asked him if he knew anybody
in VicksbWg, and he said he had lived
there and knew pretty much everybody
in town. The only name of the former
friends of my brother l could think of
at the moment was Major Partridge,
editor of the Vicksburg Wing, and so l
said to my caller:
Then you must know Major Par
fridge, of The Whig?'
My God, l should say I did, re-
sponded the Mississippian. l am Major
Partridge myself
well, l was glad to see him, and
told him if he knew of any Vicksburg
or Mississippi Johnny Rebs in Rich
mond | should like to go to see them.
He took me TO a hotel where quite a
number of Confederate veterans were
sitting about waiting for transportation
Ttrct hnfnra a
number of Confederate soldiers had been
arrested on the charge of having vio-
lated their parole, and when | entered
the room where these Mississippians
were they naturally thought l had come
to place them under arrest, and they
did not give me warm welcome. But
| soon disabused their minds OF this
impression, saying TO them:
Men, you need have no fear Of me-
I come to you as a friend. My brother,
now dead, was for eight years a citizen
of Vicksburg. AS soldiers far away
from your homes some Of you may be
in need. Your Confederate money is
worthless, and you may not be fortunate
enough to have coin. If there is any
man here who will permit me to help
him as an individual and not as a staff
officer of the Union army my purse is
at his disposal.
This was replied to by tall Missis-
sippi soldier, who wore the epaulets
of a brigadier general. In a little
speech which showed him to be man OF
learning and of heart he thanked me
in behalf of his comrades for my offer
and said such a spirit on the part OF
the conquefors was something they had
never dreamed Of He added that II
Union soldiers were to treat their de-
feated foes in this manner the bitterness
| engendered by a long struggle would
! the sooner be effaced. He spoke with
deep feeling. and the scene with these
dusty and tattered veterans gathered
around me and looking up into my face
was one long to be remembered.
Accustomed as we all were to scenes OF
blood and suffering, something about
the eloquent remarks of the Mississippi
brigadier touched our hearts. There
were plenty of moist eyes in the
throng."
Did you ever learn who this brig
adler was, General Curtis"
Yes. His name was Lamar, after
ward Senator, Cabinet officer and JUS
! tice of the Supreme Court. In later
years often met him in this city, and
we had many dinner together at which
we talked over the old days.
AN ABLE ROASTING.
81 had a strange and funny expert
ence with constituent short time
ago" said Congressman Richardson, Of
Michigan. Il won't tell his name, but
will call him Brown for short. He had
been employed in the government print
ing Office, had been discharged and
came to me for reinstatement. He
called on me many times, and during
one of these calls placed in my hands
a bundle of Endorsements which | prom
| ised to file. His Importantly was so
great that at last one morning l started
to go to the printing office l had al
ready to put on my overcoat, when it oc-
Cured to me that l had better glance
over the papers and Endorsements so as
| TO be able to make an intelligent pre-
| sentation of the case. l ran through
| them. and among them found a letter
addressed to Secretary Morton. l
wondered what that was doing among
! the papers, and glancing at 1t saw my
name mentioned in it. l read it, and
the contents of the document made my
eyes open, | can tell you. 1t was evil
IDENTIFY intended not to be included
in that batch of Endorsements. The
| letter was from Brown, and stated that
he had edited paper in Michigan, had
afterward gone to Nebraska, the Sec
retarys home State, and there con-
sistently advocated the triumph Of the
doctrine of Democracy. This as the
preliminary. II went on to ask the ap-
pointment in the department Of agri-
culture, and then the remainder of the
letter was devoted to a very able roast
ing OF myself.
1T stated l was no Democrat and
didn't amount to shuckS at home, never
earned enough to keep the pot boiling,
that the nomination to Congress was
given me only because no one else
wanted it and that there was great re-
gret i'm the district when | was elected.
1t went on to state that l did not
amount to anything here in Washing
ton. paying no attention to the affairs
of the district and that it was owing
to my indifference that Brown had not
secured the position before. AS a spec
linen of the process of frying conceit
from a man over a literary slow fire the
letter was worthy place in a scrap
hook. After l had perused the curious
document l took off my overcoat and
POSTPONED my visit to the printing
Office. The next day when Brown call
ed there was a scene. He was speech
less when confronted with the letter. l
told him he need have no concern, how
ever: that my Indignation was lost in