The National tribune., 1898-02-03


Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Of
Nebraska.
Col. Byron Paine commanded the post
| He was also an able lawyer from Madison,
Wis, having but recently resigned the
position of Associate Justice of the SUI
premc Court of that State, a position which
he occupied on his return home at the
close of the war, until he died. in 1872, from
disease contracted while in the line of his
military duty.
The rank and FLEE of the regiment was
composed of the best men that Wisconsin
afforded. They were intelligent and pros
porous men at home, and every man in
his own way made Il favorable impression
| upon those with whom he came i'm con-
| tact. The Importance of these conditions
| will be seen as | proceed
1t was designed that the PrOvOSt-Mar-
shal's office should be a sort of clearing
house for all complaints of the citizens.
1t was here that al differences between
the citizen and the soldier were 10 be adj
| justed. Here all wrongs were To be righted,
| the people controlled and induced to be
| loyal. Sedition was Ia be kept down, the
| dIsloyal watched, the loyal encouraged
and protected. respect for the Government
| INSPIRED, society re- organized, and by
| gradual and pacific measures inspire con-
| fidence, and step by step eventually pre-
pare the people for the al-important change
| of reconstruction, by doffing the habila
ments of warfare and dOnning the vest
| Civil Government.
Tins work was no ordinary one. The
Provost MarShal'S Office was daily thrOnged
with citizens whose wants were as numer-
Gus as they were widely different, and as
difficult to satisfy as they were hard TO
| always comprehend. This man would ask
redress from some fancied or actual wrong
perpetrated upon himself or his family.
That man would ask permission to go on
business 10 some distant part of the coun-
try which required a Federal pass and a
voucher for his loyalty, perhaps an oath of
allegiance, and maybe an inquiry into his
antecedents. Another would desire per
mission to buy prOviSionS and still an
other, Il permit to sell something; and here
man asks protection for his property.
All OF these complaints and grievances
and wants were listened to and patiently
disposed Of i'll summary way, and in a
manner believed to be for the best interests
of the Government and the parties. In
this way each day passed away.
Thousands Of soldiers from rebel armies
were returning. home singly, in squads,
and IN companies. An account had to be
kept of them all. But, more than this,
bands OF marauders and bushwhackers in
tested the country and were daily and
nightly perpetrating all sorts OF outrageS
upon the people and unprotected soldiers.
DetachmentS OF mounted infantry or cav
airy were frequently sent out to capture
them.
Many wicked and barbarOus deeds were
committed that came to my knowledge in
an official way. All Of them were dis
grace to our civilization, and illustrate in a
large degree to what extent the crueltleS OF
war viii ccmoraIize and degrade humanity.
will relate two or three instances more
Tor the purpose OF demonstrating to the
generation that has grown up since the
close Of the hOstiiitics, some OF the features
inevitably resulting from civil warfare.
bod rx-.,f1f If ( NH on
Saturday nights would visit his family at
Winchester, the shire town of Franklin
County. Nance's guerrilla band, composed
OF the young men belonging to first iam-
lies of Tennessee, heard Of his visits One
Sunday morning, lust after the sun had
risen, ! : Of these vaiorous sons rode up to
the negro'S house, ordered him up and out,
marched him To the public square, where
they stripped him To his bare back and
then inflicted upon it 800 lashes. Then
they tied him TO the pommel Of saddle
and rode 10 the foot of the mountains, five
miles distant There they stood him up,
more dead than alive, against tree, and
fired their rc,olvers at his body and left
him for dead.
Some time during the day he recovered
consciousness. He could not see, but he
could hear, and he heard man chopping
in the woods nearby. He craxied to him.
The man refused 10 help him, but directed
him Ia the big road, where he,creptiuntil he
reached the house OF a lady named MCGEE,
who took compassion on him, dressed his
wounds, called a physician, and cared for
him.
Six months afterwards he walked into
my Office upon clutches, and in very
feeble condition. One eye was destroyed,
an arm and leg were broken, and his
| health was ruined forever He filed
complaint, and three of The band were
| captured soon after and sent to General
| Headquarters at Nashville.
4 loyal Union man named Samuel Hick-
man was standing in his front door one
evening, when a band OF guerrillas rode up
| and fired seven shots into his body. They
supposed that he was killed, but he lived
| Before he was stricken down he was
| splendid specimen of physical manhood,
standing six feet three inches in his stock
! ing feet, and weighing % pounds.
When / knew him short time after
wards he was bent almost to the ground.
| His body was so emaciatcd that he weighed
| but 30 pounds. He was not long for this
world for his strength and health were
| gone forever; but his intellect was as
strong and vigorous as ever, and his heart
was loyal to the core and he never faltered
| in his feaity to the Union.
One evening six soldiers borrowed q
| hand-car and started gaily,toff over the
! iron rails on pleasure bent, and To visit
| their comrades at a blockhouse six miles
away. They never reached their destina-
| ttH intI were IouHu
with rebel bullets, and their ears and
noses were wantonly and barbarously
| mutilatcd.
] have only related three of the many
| hundreds of cases that came to our knowl
edge and notice as officials. They were
| the mere incidents Of the war. The loyal
| citizens, the unprotected Union soldier,
| and the colOred man were the especial
objects Of hatred and revenge.
| But ! gladly leave this branch of the
! subject for a statement OF the. views and
| feelings of the real soldiers as they trooped
| to their homes from the disntegrating
| armies Of Lee and the other rebel Generals
i convcrsed with hundreds of them.
These men were apparently glad that
the war was nearly over. They said that
if the Government would only let them
alone they would gladly and willingly do
| anything To bring on peace and harmony
again. Many of the better informed be-
lieved that their property would be CON
fiscdted and themselves baniShed from
| the country, or that they would be i'm some
way punished for the crime of treason
| None OF them barbored the thought for one
moment that they. would be allowed to 90
scott free from all punishment whatever.
] ask any well informed man il an in
stance was ever known before in the his
tory Of all nations where such a grand
exhibition OF magnanimity was exhibited
10 the traitor and thctrcbel by AN outraged
! nation.
The colored man seemed to be an Gle