Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-08-08

When our CIVIL war came on the
people of the north We're, as a whole.
patriotic and loyal; yet there were
in almost every neighborhood one or
more persons who sympathized with
the south in her rebellion. People of
this kind, for some good reason, no
doubt, came to be known as copper
heads" Rattlesnakes give warning,
but copperheads bite in secret.
1t goes without saying that loyal
men and women did not have a very
good opinion of persons who having
lived SO far in safety under the pro-
lection of the stars and stripes,
should, when the good old flag itself
needed protection, turn traitor to it
and all it symbolized in the way of
good government and national integ-
rity. 1t goes also without saying
that young men who had enlisted for
the purpose of putting their lives in
Jeopardy for the perpetuation of that
safe government and the preservation
of our national notwithstanding be-
hind them their loved ones, as well as
the comforts of home and all the pros
poets of on-coming manhood,-it goes
without saying, repeat, that those
brave, self-sacrificing young fellows
should cherish a wholesome contempt
for copperheads. Few people born
cir hn fu1I a n
the natural bitterness of feeling that
took possession of the hearts of most
union soldiers of 1861 towards those
northern traitors. Some of our older
people can.
The neighborhood of Delton, Sank
county, where my own company was
recruited, had as large proportion of
loyal men and women as any in our
state. vet the country round about
was not entirely free from copper
heads Two or three times, while our
company was in quarters there one
or another of those southern sympa-
thizers was unwise enough to visit
the village In spite of his contempt
for the old flag he was compelled by
our boys to cheer it right Justify be-
fore allowed to go home
Here is the most notable case of
the kind.-an incident that has for
years been one of the village tradi.
lions of Delton | am telling it in or.
der that people of these days may I'M
derstand something oflthe feeling in
81 toward those who We're disloyal to
our government. yet you'd not go
south and help the ste with which
they were in sympathy | do not just
now choose to remember the name OF
the copperhead in question, so will
call him Mr. Blank.
AS we were drilling one forenoon
on the village green, an elderly man
drove past on his way to the mill, a
quarter of a mile pi the creek. One
of our boys stepped out OF tn ranks
and said to Liehienant Gillespie:
THAT is Old Bark the copperhead
who is making all sorts of vile threats
about how he viii tease our mothers
and sisters aftet we have gone to the
war: we ougH to ride him out of
town on rail.'
The lieutenant gave the man a
sharp look as he drove by, but told
the young fellow,who had spoken that
he did not thinl1it best to stop drill
ing on the old minis account; and so
we went on with our marching till
time to break rhks for dinner. AS
we marched at noon over toward
Newman's tavern where we were
wont to break inks, we saw Mr..
Blank at the blacksmith shop. Again
the lieutenants fention was called
to the copperhead and some of our
bows whose homo were near his de-
clared that he shuld be either made
to cheer our fla or ridden out oil
town on rail-
Looking at thebld man, Lieutenant
Gillespie said: Boys, am a ~oung
man and he haSgray hair; | cannot
do him any hart. | viii march the
COMPANY over tdNewman's and turn
you over TO the iolu captain anu ne
may do as he leases about the mat
ter Forward. harchi" Arriving at
the tavern Gitspie informed Cap
tain yanderpoei concerning the mat
ter.
Without a bibf hesitation, the cap
tain commando: sAttention, Com
ranvi PLIGHT he, Countermarchr by
file left. MarS." and in two min
utes we were b line in front Of the
blacksmith sip. Seeing Mr.. Blank
in the door Il captain said:
How do yo do, sir. Your name is
Blank. I belief
..Yes. sir. thai is my name. was
the answer.
Captain yandpoel replied, We
have heard. sir, Atryou sympathize
with the south. al the rebellion.