Year: 1861

The following correspondence in the Chi


cago Times is most excellent take. off OF
the many frightful stories Of i'll treatment O


Northern men at the South, with which Alb


clifton papers abound:


About ten o'clock at might've heard one o.


the most terrific conflicts ever listened to- or
the lower deck. Very shortly after, the cap


tain came in and informed us that half do


zen Southerners had been butchered in free
fight over game of poker. About eleven, q
man came aboard at a wood yard, whose inn


age haunts me still. 1t seems he was sort
ofJudge among the tribe known as the Rack.
ensacks. He was about six feet and hall
high, and without hat, shoes or shirt. His
sole garments were pair OF blue cotton pants
and a green blanket overcoat, which was but
toned up to the throat, but SO ripped and torn
as to show his tawny hide in dozen places.
His beard had never been shaved, nor his
hair combed, nor his face washed from in
fancy. His pants were held up by leathern
belt, IN which were hung four revolvers and
two-foot bowie-knife On his shoulder he
carried rife, and in his hand singular
looking cane, which he took early occasion
to inform us was made from two thigh bones
of Northern preacher, spliced together,
whom he had killed for having said a negro
had soul! My very flesh crawled on my
bones as he went On to boast of his deeds Of
blood. He declared that he had never been
enabled to get Office till he had knitted or
hung seven Northern men with his own
hands. He never went to bed the whole
night, but kept drinking whisky and reciting
his murders and hunts for runaway negroes
with blood hounds, until daylight. Early in
the morning we passed place called the
hat I Iox
given to have never, never seen that place
1t is a species of eddy or whirlpool in the
river, that gathers and retains for DAYS to-
gether matter floating into it. As we passed
it | counted fifty odd human bodies twirled to
the surface by the surging and muddy wa
ters But imagine my sensations when | saw
the pale corpse of young and lovely woman
thrown to the surface, and as she sank again
in the ugly waters, | read upon kind of
streamer that floated around her, the letters
"a -b-o-!'' Il clasped my hands in
agony, and held my breath as | heard imme-
diately behind me voice exclaim-'' Death
and thunder! if that aint the pretty school
marin we drowned for teaching nigger gal
the Lords prayeri" turned my head, and
came face to face with the Rackensackian-
my very heart froze with fear and horror !
Looking at me moment, he said, in the
most drawling and impertinent voice, ''whar
| did you come FROM stranger-whar you a
gwying, and what's your politics?" Pardon
me, my dear Times | was so scared that
forgot all my certificates and letters, and ver-
lily believe that told him / was from South
Carolina; that | had just been North after a
fugitive slave and shot four Abolitionists,
who had attempted rescue, and that all
had lost in the combat was my secession
cockade, which wore as captain of my troop
of Knights of the Golden Circle The Judge
at once shook me by the hand and proposed
incontinently to "liquor," saying that he
would forgive me for having been North of
the line, for the handsome manner in which
| had peppered the nigger thieves!' We took
a drink of regular rifle whisky just as our bell
rung for the Memphis landing.


Yours, truly, ZACH.