The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-06
EDITORIAL DEEDS OF THE WAR.
Atlanta Editors Slaughtered the
Yankee Union Soldiers.

Atlanta, Ga, dispatch in the Chicago
Tribune: There was a time" said
veteran newspaper colonel, lounging at
mis- desk. in an Atlanta Office after the
work of the day was done, when Atlanta
Journalism numbered among its adher-
entS the wealth if not the wit of the COM
munity. That was during the last days
before Sherman captured the town, when
there were seven daily newspapers run
ming full blast. They cost only 50 cents
copy in Confederate money, and an ordi-
nary citizen would buy a copy of each
aud so home with the entire batch under
mis- arm to read tine latest accounts of
Yankee atrocities and southern victories.
"In those highly colored accounts of the
campaigns in Georgia, Tennessee and Vir-
ginia, it was made to appear that the gal
liant gray jackets were always on the dead
run trying to keep in gunshot of the fee
ing federals and firing at every jump, and
a Yankee dropping at every shot. One
would have supposed, in reading those
was made up of giants, who strobe forth
only to conquer and to pile up laurels as
If stacking hay around a pole.
THE Yankees, of course, were a very
inferior race of people, wouldn't fight.
and when they did stop long enough to
fire a gun always aimed wide of the
mark, so that the loss on our side was
insignificant. compared with the nyriads
of our foemen, who were moved down
at every discharge. The journalistic pro-
fession lost some of its brightest liars
prior to the siege of Atlanta, while Sher-
man was slowly drawing the coils of his
mighty host around the city, that Henry
Wetterson made his appearance on the
scene. He was then running a paper
called the Rebel-running it by getting
out a copy semi and run
ming it out of the way of the Yankees.
W'atterson was in his prime and in his
element, all at the same time AFRO
giant, vehement, fiery and ferocious. he
ran the rebel with a yell, and from Nash
r.t1l H. =
vance of the federal army to Atlanta His
columns fairly blazed with defiance, and
his accounts of the doings of the south
ern troops read like tales of the valiant
crusaders of the middle ages
But the Rebel did not thrive in the al
ready overcroWded atmosphere of Atlanta
and about the time that Sherman's adj
vance guard crossed the Chattahoochee
river the Rebel yelled its last yell. Wat
terson became attached to the staff of
the Southern Confederacy as an editorial
writer. That newspaper was remarkable
for the ability of its staff to keep away
from the front. A gentleman who might
have been anywhere from 125 to $50 years
old was engaged to act as financial editor.
and his articles were marvelS of logical
argument going to show in what manner
one Confederate dollar could be made
worth 8 in silver or 81 in gold, and at
least SO in Yankee greenbacks.
"Of the seven newspapers in existence
when Sherman reached the Chattahoocllee
river only one lived to tell the tale That
was the Atldllld lHVSlllSence. Inc editor
packed up his effects and sl1edaddIed from
Atlanta before the siege began and set
tied at Mflledgeville.. For the sake of the
cause, however, he left a small job press
here, and every day a man representing
him issued a little strip printed on one
side. which was filled up with the most
glowing accounts of Confederate successes
in Virginia and Yankee disasters. 1t was
nothing to see the announcement of 20
0C0 or 80, 600 federal troops shot down by
the Confederate rif1emen, with a very tri-
fling loss on our side, and to those who
chose to believe sucin stories the reports
called for much imbibing of spirits and
consequent flow of animal spirits. The
fire eaters were in their glory, and it was
not until Sherman crossed the river that
they began to get out of the way. Wat
slowly and stubbornly as far as Macon
and hurting defiance from the top of every
sand ridge at Sherman and his cohorts
of invaders