The news & observer., 1902-01-05
THE BROKEN SWORD
Col. Worthington Writes with
ViriIe Fen of the Recon-
struction Period.

seven years since the immortal Lee and
his small army of matchless Southern
heroes laid down their arms at Apo
mattox For four years they fought as
never men fought before in defense of a
principle, they thought, yea, more they
knew to be right; In this four years
struggle our Southland had been stripped
by superior numbers of her ancient glo-
ry; her property had been swept away,
our cities and towns been burned, the
institution ofrslavery abolished, our ne
groes freed without compensation to their
owners; plantation life the grandest,
the most beautiful picture of lordly exis-
tence, the world ever saw, destroyed
The happy memories of Southern life and
traditions where our ladies were indeed
all queens were wrecked and soon to be
forgotten. At the close of this unequal
combat our Boys in Gray" with brok-
en- hearts, but retaining in them the
true metal, the steel of heroes and excel
lence, accepted the situation, laid down
their arms in the hope and belief the
war was over and returned home to re-
build their fortune and our fair Southern
homes. But alas, they were doomed to
disappointment; President Lincoln, the
friend of the South was assassinated. In
his place another ruled, and while he was
of Southern birth, reared at the South
and at the time a citizen of Tennessee,
permitted the inauguration of warfare
OF Reconstruction, which was for ten
years far more terrible in it's conse-
quenees, in it's blighting effect, in its hu-
manhood than was the bloody conflict
which terminated at AppomattoX. Oh, why
was Lincoln killed? Oh, that some power
had stayed the hand of the misguided as
sassin for the South's sake; had he been
spared the South would have been SPAR
ed the terrible days of Reconstruction.
What days those were; our men drag
ged from their homes and thrown in
prison; our ladies insulted; strangers,
carpet -baggers, adventurers and men
without character at home were. sent in
our midst to make our laws and govern
our people. History will, We believe,
truthfully write the story of Reconstruc-
tion, will tell of our struggle under the
rule of men who should have been incar-
cerated in the penitentiary, of the in
suits TO which our wives and daughters
have been subjected, of the humiliation
and suffering of our boys who wore
the Gray" heroes thought they were
and this. too after they had been parolled
at Appomattox. Preparatory to the work
of the historian, it is indeed a pleasure
to know that Southern writer's Hide
Thomas Nelson Page and Col. d. Worth
ington are telling the tales of Recon-
h-, ~
ID. Worthington tells in a masterful and
forceful way how much more terrible
was Reconstruction to the South than
was the wara. The author himself a
Confederate soldier, should be more ap-
preciated in his efforts. The veterans of
"61-'5 will find much in it to please
when they remember the author was a
brave Confederate soldier and the only
living Confederate soldier who was con-
demned to be shot by Beast Butler
and VINO at the time refused to take the
oath or allegiance to the United States.
In the Legislature of 1888, (of which the
writer was a member), the author of
THE Broken Sword" Col Worthington,
was chairman of the Committee on Mill
tary Affairs, and as such on the floor of
the House made the best and most elo-
quent appeal for help and assistance
from the taxpayers of the State to the
old Confederate soldiers and their widows
that it has been yet our pleasure to
hear. The Broken Sword" presents ex-
cellent pictures of the old Southern gen
tleman and ladies'. excellent pictures of
the old slave in his fidelity TO his MARS
ter and Missus," how in memory he clung
to the happy past and how lovingly and
devotedly did the eX-slave owners and
their children care. for these old serv-
ants The picture of Judge Livingstone"
does credit to the better class of the
North, especially the soldier class how
they sympathized with us and wished the
boys who wore the Gray and with whom
they had in battle crossed swords, should
indeed have justice before the law and
an opportunity to rebuild our fair
Southern country, while in the character
of carpet Dagger Laflin" the author
gives us a true picture of an unprinci-
pied scoundrel who after the unfortunate
Lincoln's death was sent among us to dis
grace our land.
Yours truly,
K. S. SIMMONS,
4,