Year: 1860




honest mind


They may be ministers indeed, but no,
ministers of the religion of Christ but o.
divine vengeance, who sometimes destroy
not only themselves, but the people tc
whom they preach To this latter class
Mr.. Beecher, allow me to say you belong
Your slender virtues are so mixed up with
arrogance, impudence and crime, that the
most acute analysis could not discover one
grain of honesty in the composition; and
it Gods grace can save the sinner, the sci
fish hypocrite, the winged messenger oi
mercy would never light on SO mean a
thing as you. Again we have men who
seem to be created for higher purpose
sent on important business, sent to desc
late and destroy, or to caeate, to hold up
and sustain men not living for them
selves, as you do, but for the whole human
race; whose lives are the ornaments which
adorn the age in which they live Ifthey
appear either in public or private life, the
places they occupy are made radiant with
the glory OF their acts; men who are stars
and suns in the pathway of life, to cheer,
to guide and to save Not few have
adorned your profession, sir; some have
adorned mine But the most marked and
distinguished men of the past age were
Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Patrick
Henry, Calhoun, Clay, and Webster. most
of whom were born in that state you
would desolate, and under institutions
which you profess to despise. Such men
are the holy fathers of the church to
which belong, and if sent to hell for the
enormous sin of slavery, allow me the pri-
viiege Of choice to go with them rather
than to the heaven of the canting hypo-
critic, whose every act is to anathematize
all but his own dogmas, and propagate er-
ror and falsehood in every step he takes in
life. Such men, under the garb of reli-
gion, in every age of the world, and under
every form of faith, have despoiled the
fairest hopes of the human race Such
men as claim to be guided by "higher
law than the constitution of the country,
would dash to pieces the fair fabric of our
country liberty, and lay their unhallowed,
polluted hands even on the stones of the
very temple of liberty ere they had grown
cold from the hands of Washington and
Jefferson. Such men as you, sir, would see
the waves of human passion sweep over
the ruins of the lighthouse of the world,
reared upon times thousand miles OF
coast by the toll of millions of the Just, the
virtuous, and the wise, at whose base lie
the brains and skulls of the fanatical gulls
that have dashed against it, And, sir, if
such men 90 to Heaven they should carry
with them every creeping thing. Such
men would plot treason against virtue and
sacrifice even female honor upon the altar
of their hellish designs | do not covet
such a Heayen-have no desire 10 walk the
streets of your New Jerusalem. where am
to be saluted by the whistle of the rattle
snake and the hiss of the viper, and
breathe the atmosphere poisoned by the
breath of the toad and the copperhead.


This may be heaven for hypocrites and
fanatics, but not for me. Many years have
passed since ! knew you, sir, an irnpudent
boy. and having added wickcdness TO impu
dence, you have become a more eonspicu
Gus man, while my obscurity will scarcely
bring me to mind. / have welded the
knife in surgery for profession and
whether have won laurels IN surgery OF
not, my history and profession will show
But sir, this much viii say to you, that
when my country is destaoyed 10y heartles.
fanatics, excited to deeds of bloodshed, ths
knife which has never been turned on the
human family but in kindness and mercy
shall be keeply whetted in justice and in
vengeance. Ny last surgical operation shall
be performed on such destroying monsters
to cut from their hearts the rooted cancer
and rid the world ofsuch canting hypocrits
! am, sir, Hugenot Protestant of the
Marion stock, the lie Grand family o.
France, my immediate ancestors by nv
mother NY father descended from a race
of Scots that have never been conquered
of the Campbell clan, and Rob Roy was my
cousin j have never bought, or sold, OF
stolen, or owned negro; i am Kentuck
ian, born among slaves, and noJudas shall
sell my country for silver, but he shall re
ceive steel instead am friend of tn
Union, and an enemy fall such disturber.
of my country's peace, and, therefore, you
are my enemy.


JOS. y. MCDOWELL, NJ. D..


Prof Surgery in Medical College of Mo