The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-05-17
SOME RECOLLECTIONS OF
CONFEDERATE CAMP LIFE
BY w. r. HouGHToN.

Former mention has been made OF the
robbery OF women and children by the
viler class of northern invaders, since
which l have seen the statement of
son of Henry A. Wise, of Virginia, who
was one of the cadet corps of the Vir-
ginia Military institute which took a
battery from veterans at Newmarket.
After the war; he discovered that a
valuable painting which had been stolen
from his fathers house at Norfolk was
adjoining the mansion of a union gem
eral who refused to give 1t up. The
young man went to the acting secretary
of war, himself a general who wrote q
note to the possessor of the picture
: intimating the position he was In. The
picture was restored and sold for $500
which was all the family had for sup
port so dreadfully had they been robbed
But the quart of jewelry," the thous-
ands Of rings, plate, watches and money
could not be recovered. When we read
of the ship load of loot that came from
the sacking of Pekin, and was stopped
until duty was paid of the fourteen
diamond ring cases which went TO the
supreme court of the United States, be-
cause they were imported from the
Philippines; of the sacred vessels taken
from the churches. of the water cure
torture those of us who recall the days
of 6l-65 read between the lines that there
has been looting in the Philippines. Ii Is
Inevitable In war that bad men have the
opportunity to rob, but 1t Is not cal
culated to win the respect of the island
ers any more than that OF the southern
ers
al m
there is court martial In the Phlllp-
pines on charges of brutality, and though
no one is ever convicted still an occa-
sional newspaper sets up a cry against
the evils done to unoffending natives ana
Senator Hoar sheds tears for them. But
no one ever heard of a court martial or
a cry of sympathy for the barparaues
practiced against whites In the south
during the war. Some of the federal Of
f,cers who were gentleman, tried to pro-
tect people by placing guards at their
houses but so profound was the hatred
towards the southerner that he got no
sympathy, he was white.
This leads me to speak of the feel
ing now prevalent in both sections. In
common with the confederates, l have
been a law-abiding citizen, and would go
as far as the most vie south hater In
the north to defend the country against
foreign aggression. In everything that
goes to make a loyal citizen, we are
their equals, and in regard to respecting
their prejudices, In not forcing negro
equality on them in protecting them from
Chinese immigration and In not trying
20 loot the treasury by false and fraud
ulent pension claims. we can certainly
compare favorably with them
South Haters.
Some of the creatures hate the south
10 much that they are constantly ready
to put the worst construction on any
event that happens in this section. AS
has been said, their souls are so infin-
itesimally small that II enclosed in the
shell Of a mustard seed. they would
roam for endless ages without meeting
the confines ] know II is fashionable for
those confederates who have been as
government officials. drawing large sal
aries for long time, TO talk about the
disappearance of prejudice, reconcilia-
ton and peace. The politicians, newspa-
per reporters and some others talk along
the same lire, all apparently engaged in
trying to force the course OF history.
The larger newspapers ana magazines
In the north are leaving off their prating
and pursuing a policy of letting us
alone, which is the true way TO bring
about reconciliation, but 1t is not long
since they all In heated campaigns adj
yised their readers to vote as they
shot" during the war and even now the
little country papers that we seldom see
in this section. will cry the slogan,
ssyote as you shot and any man who
does not know that such feelings actuate
great masses of people in that section,
is lacking in observation. II is not claim