The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-06-25

anu declares there are not over Sixty
Of these d~esperadoes." Vance replied:
Il hope you Will not relax until the
tories are crushed. But do not let our
excited people deal too harshly with
these misguided people. Please have
the captured delivered 20 the proper
authorities for trial" \ letter. which
was a report was made to General
Heth January Goth, ard an extract
from it sent to Vance. This report is
by General Davis. who says: Il am
satisfied there is no organization in the
mountains of armed men banded to-
gether for the purpose of making eff
forts to destroy bridges or to burn
barns and property of confederate of
ficers and soldiers. I think the attack
on Marshall was gotten up to obtain
salt. for wan of which there is great
suffering in the mountains. n
of other property followed, as a matter
Of course. Colonel Aliens SiXty-fourth
North Carolina regiment are said to be
hostile to the Laurel county (there was
no sue county in the state) men and
they to the former, for a long time a
kind of a feud existing between them.
Of the men killed by Nelson's cavalry,
all ave one or two were deserters from
Aliens regiment. They formed part of
the expedition against Marshall and
no doubt plundered Aliens house. There
has been no attack on persons travelling
the Asheville road: the stage has not
been disturbed ard no acts of hostility
committed that | can hear of but the
Tlunder of Marshall and of Aliens
house. This attack on Marshall has
given rise to wild rumOrs Of organiza-
tons Of armed tories throughout the
mountains, bent on sacking towns and
~Tiuudarirg loyal men. The reports,
greatly Inagnifed as they went to Ra-
leigh. have no doubt led Governor
Vance to all On the confederate gov
eminent for q protecting force. 1 think
you can safely assure him that the
militia are not needed"
President Davis issued a circular let
ter to the various governors saying it
was desirable that there be such legis-
lation as would enable the governors
to command the slave labor. so as to
use it in building defensive works:
January Goth the Governor issued a
proclamation stating that great mum
Ders Of North Carolina soldiers were
absent from their cOlOrs without leave,
and saying that those who did not re-
turn by February 10th should be de-
clared deserters and liabl to all the
penalties for desertion.
Il
On the 23rd of January the secretary
Of the navy begged for ten miles of
railway iron to be rolled into plates for
the floating batteries under construc-
tiUn on the Roanoke. He says: THE
Tredegar mills, at Richmond, are pre-
pairing to roll thirty tons a day. Rail
way iron, as we learn from experiments
with it here and from results to the
"Arkansas,'' affords but little protec-
ton against heavy shot, whereas rolled
into plates we can produce vessels
which can run every gunboat out of
North Carolina"
The legislature adopted a resolution
providing fer the establishment of a
n~,anufactOry Of cotton and wooden
cards in the state. Governor Vance
wrote Governor Brown, Of Georgia, for
information. BY the way in a letter
to Governor Brown, Vance said tina
the action of Georgia, more than any
other state, determined the course of
North Carolina in seeding from the
union.
Virginia officers came over in this
state recruiting and secured some VOL
unteers and also some conscripts.
Vance protested, and Governor Letcher
of Virginia, returned to him the men
thus taken.
General w. G. NJ. Davis, writing
from Warm Springs, says: believing
it will be OF service to North Carolina
to get rid Of such a population as that
inhabiting the Laurel region, I have
proposed to allow all who are not i'm
plicated in any crime to leave the state
n to aid them in crossing into Ken
lucky. I am informed that nearly the
whole population are DESTROYS of ac-
cepting this offer. They will be driven
to do SO from necessity, as I learn our
troops have consumed all the corn and
meat in h settlement. I propose to
give all tories the option of going to
prison or of enlisting in the army"
Governor Vance wrote to General
Smith February 2nd: II thank you for
your prompt and energetic aid. 1 was
fearful that in the great excitement
prevailing among our people the mis-
guided people of Laurel might be deal
with too harshly and armed the Off
GERS to be cool and just. I was, there
fore, sorry to learn this morning that
Colonel Allen had hanged several of
the captured prisoners. I approve Of the
plan of removing them to Kentucky,
if they desire to go, but would not
want to exile the women and children
Gil JIM AiiN - Al 0ScAi ~ SNoS
On the 26th of November the gov
ernor by proclamation laid an embargo,
or in other words prohibited any per-
son from carrying out OF the state for
thirty days any salt. bacon, pork, beef,
corn, meal, flour, potatoes, shoes, leath-
er, hides, cotton cloth n yarn and
wooden cloth.
The reason given for the enrolment
Of all troops in the confederate service
was that if captured they might be ex-
changed, as the United States did not
exchange troops in the service of any
state, but dealing only directly with
the confederate government.
December 9Th the state set in to pur-
chase 20, 900 bales Of cotton, to be stor-
ed in the interior, for the purpose Of
obtaining credit OF it in England. It
was ordered that all this be removed
west Of the Wilmington and Weldon
railway by December 18th.
At this time h state made heavy