Year: 1863

through the columns OF the Journal, IN
reference to his card, in regard to "a
Butternut Meeting" held at Bethany
Church, March 9th, 1868.


Mr.iRhoads: l have seen inf late
number of the Evansville Journal, a
card, with your name signed to it, in
which you assume TO deny portion Of
the account of the Butternut meeting,
held at Bethany Church, March 9th,
1863, as given byme. You deny,


lst. That you, or any one else, as
Pastor, or otherwise, ever called Bethany
Church Democratic church Did you
not so call it one Sabbath, when cali
ing for members? Did you not ask the
congregation to come and join your
church, because it was Democratic
church, and was ruled by Democrats,
for which you got terribly rebuked a
night or so afterwards, by the Rev John
Youngblood?


I'd. You deny having said that you
was Methodist, until that church was
broken up by the niger question, when
the northern branch turned Abolitionsts
and You joined the General Baptists, be-
cause it had good Democratic members
In the north.


Sd. You deny having said you would
abandon your religious creed for your
political principles


4th. You deny having said that you
would fight for the preservation and
continuance of the Democratic party.
Perhaps you did not say it in SO many
words, but the substance was the same,
and can be proven, if necessary.


Those last three propositions were ut
tered at the Butternut meeting, of which
pu figured so conspiciously, while your
rough gestures and hoarse voice, which
made me almost shudder, as I sat imme-
diately under the sound of your lion-like
tones, which fell upon me like a promis-
cuousjhail storm in December, forced the
words upon my mind so heavy, that I
shall not forget it SO long as there is a
traitor in existence in our land


You would in general pay no regard
to anonymous Communications, but
you would at the same time readily and
without reluctance or hesitation, stoop
to the signing of your name to the ideas
of superior mind. Now, if it is worse
for me to write Gan anonymous eommu-
nieaticn ..i!:: than it is feE yog to sign. 1y0eg
capable of producing the first idea, l
cannot see it.


Although you charge my memory with
being very treacherous and forgetful, on
account of treachery, l cannot think
the same is the case with you, and the
only reason attribute to your forgetful-
ness, is the absence of your mind, and
the want of recollection. But as,a minis
ter of the Gospel, and as pastor Of the
church, would hardly believe that you
had denied your own language, even af-
ter had seen the signature of your
name but have since learned that it is
actually the case But having become
fully convinced that you did deny those
facts, 1 hope that henceforth your
benighted mind may become a little more
enlightened.


You assumed to say that the citizens
of the neighborhood of Bethany are as
great lovers of the Union as Redbrush.
| have never deniedit, but if they yield to
the influence of such men as you are
and allow you to exercise what little in
fuence (Which is not much, thank
God), you have over them, they will not
be so long. You assume TO say also
that there was not one disloyal word ut
tered. If it is not disloyalty to organ
ize to resist the United States laws, the
southern people are not traitors, and
should be let alone to go off peaceably


/ am very happy however, to see that
you changed your mind since the meet
ing at Bethany, by substituting the bal
lot box for the cartridge box. l am hap
py to see that you are willing to vote
down the Abolitionists at the polls in
stead of shooting them down in the
woods.


You assume to say that you will always
protest against the assumptions of pow
er by the President or Congressman, un-
known to the constitution. 1t appears
very singular to me, that public speakers
like yourself, can make a speech an hour
or two long and harp about the viola
tions of the constitution, and never du-
ring that time point out the first instance
in which it has been violated | have
consequently come to the conclusion
that your knowledge of the constitution
is about the same as the knowledge of
young Butternut was of certain high
court. He was telling Union lady that
Lincoln was to be hanged in few days
by very high court The lady, of course,
asked him what court it was, and how
high it was. He said some friend (per-
haps Solomon) told him that it was
very high court and was as high as this
house, referring to the one they were in,
small frame Had it not been that
your denial of the proceedings of the
Butternut meeting, held at Bethany
church, might have led the readers of it
to believe it was false, l would not have
paid any attention whatever to your
card, knowing as lido that you employed
another man not only to write it, but
to actually invent it. '-i


You say it was the theme of all to
put down the rebellion. l am sorry to
say that l did not hear you denounee
traitors in the least. Your theme was
70 knock down greenhorns and upstart
chaps, who would have the impudence to
call an old grey headed man ike you q
traitor | cannot think that it meant
putting down the rebellion, when Capt
Frisbe declared that he was for peace
| ~ -. ,vae Co. ~o~x,