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Staunton Vindicator: September 15, 1865 Go To Page : 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

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Summary: The paper denounces northern newspapers for printing stories about continuing southern violence toward freedmen and hatred for the Union. The editors suggest that such stories are sensational, fictional, and damaging to the cause of reunion. The paper argues that such stories serve only to drive northern moderates into the southern camp.

Full Text of Article:

Many and chimerical are the stories related by correspondents of the radical press of the North, who write from pretended localities in the South, and who serve up for the insatiate maw of the Northern masses, dishes, which ought to satiate the appetite of the most rabid radical among them. Some of these radicals, of the more moderate kind, like those men of the North who really loved the Union, for which they fought and bled, are exhibiting considerable nausea from the over doses administered by these garrulous correspondents. They, experiencing the effects of a healthful nausea, begin to understand these penny a line scribblers, who either go through the South, not to see what they should see, or in their quiet apartments in the North, far from scenes and things which they pretend to describe, cull from their imaginations long and prosy articles, which the most casual observer must know and understand to be entirely without foundation.

To feed the popular mind of the North, at present, upon marvelous and inhuman stories of cruelty to freedmen and indestructible animosity to the Union, is their object, in order to create feelings of hostility and keep alive those engendered by a hotly contested struggle, and thereby prevent the consummation of what the men who fought and bled in the struggle most earnestly desired, the preservation of the Union of our fathers. To do this may subserve a temporary purpose, but must of necessity, ultimately, when truth and reason shall be heard, redound to the everlasting disgrace of all such scribblers, who, attempting to retard the restoration of order and prosperity in the South, are retarding, not only the prosperity of the North, but of the United Republic.

Our readers can scarcely realize the extent of the wonderful Munchausenism emitted by these real or pretended travelers through the South in search of news. We clip a portion of one of the latest, from a correspondent, who signs himself "Mendez Pinto" and styles himself "Raleigh Correspondent of the Associated Press." So utterly incredible is his recital that we incline to the belief that it was intended as a caustic sarcasm against the relaters of wonderful disloyalty and terrible cruelty on the part of the whites of the South. Whether it is a genuine correspondence or intended as a piece of irony upon the wandering scribblers who infest the South, but to defame us, it suffices to show the animus of the hireling writers sent among us. Here it is:

"Judge Carter, who has returned from an extensive trip through the South, states that the cruelty to the freedmen and the homicides among them by the whites are increasing to a fearful extent. For the most trivial offences the poor blacks are hung up to the forest trees by their thumbs, and Judge Carter assures us that while in this position they are frequently stuck full of pine slivers, which are set on fire. Judge Carter saw portions of one freedman that had been subjected to this treatment. The missing portions had been manufactured into sausages. The wife of a notorious secessionits, residing at Pelican Turn-Out, on Saturday, deliberately butchered one of his servants for attempting to eat an apple plucked without permission from the orchard. As fast as children are born they are thrown into the wells; and so alarmingly extensive hast this practice become that in one section--Guerrillas' Retreat--the wells were all choked up, and many of the whites, by a stroke of retributive justice, had died of thirst. Judge Carter passed through the great pine woods south of Raleigh. On every tree at least one negro was suspended, as often by the heels as the head; and sometimes there were so many freedmen to a pine that it resembled a banyan tree."

Whether "Mendez Pinto" is a regular correspondent, or merely writes in a caustic strain to defeat the object of the scribbling wanderers, who do not try to represent the sentiments and feelings of the Southern people, we trust he may write often and more marvelous stories still, for the tales he tells utterly destroy the effect intended by those who write more plausible imaginings of Southern sayings and doings.

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Summary: The paper applauds President Andrew Johnson's position supporting the re-mustering of southern state militias. The editorial remarks on the great change from hostility to confidence in southern support for the president.

Full Text of Article:

President Johnson has written an admirable letter to Governor Sharkey, of Mississippi, on the subject of organizing the Militia force of the State, for the purpose of enforcing the law and preserving order, from which we clip the following:

"If there was any danger from an organization of the citizens for the purpose indicated, the military are there to suppress, on the first appearance, any move insurrectionary in its character. One great object is to induce the people to come forward in defence of the State and federal governments. General Washington declared that the people, or the militia, was the arm of the constitution, or the arm of the United States, and, as soon as it is practicable, the original design of the government should be resumed under the principles of the great charter of freedom handed down to the people by the founder of the republic. The people must be trusted with their government, and if trusted, my opinion is that they will act in good faith and restore their former constitutional relations with all the States composing the Union."

These are the words of a man who came into office with the feelings and prejudices of the Southern people decidedly against him, but who, by his firmness and decision of character and his determination, repeatedly exhibited, to restore the Union as it was, and as speedily as possible, has won for himself the lasting confidence and support of the Southern public. Nor does this letter lower him in the estimation of the conservative people of the United States, but rather places him more firmly in their confidence and shows that he is eminently worthy of it.

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Summary: The paper announces that Joel Ettinger, the agent for Stieff Pianos in Staunton, will show a piano recently purchased by Mr. J. W. Alby as a model for prospective buyers.
(Names in announcement: Joel Ettinger, J. W. Alby)

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Summary: The paper announces that Joseph N. Ryan, elected Clerk of the Circuit Court, has been deemed eligible to take office by Governor Pierpont. This is a victory for "the many friends of Mr. Ryan in this county" against those who argued that Ryan was ineligible for office.
(Names in announcement: Joseph N. Ryan)

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Summary: The paper announces that Robert Williams, "a freedman who was shot while attempting to rob the store of Mr. Gabriel Hirsh of Staunton," escaped from jail. Williams had been sentenced to one year in the penitentiary by the corporation court of Staunton. A man named Gibson attempted to escape at the same time, but was stopped by the guard.
(Names in announcement: Robert Williams, Gabriel Hirsh, Gibson)

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Summary: The paper announces that upon the authority of the Provost Marshal at Staunton, no persons are authorized to collect government property in the section. "All persons so pretending are merely using this subterfuge to steal said property."

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Summary: The paper announces that Jacob Cason has been committed to jail on the charge of shooting with intent to kill.
(Names in announcement: Jacob Cason)

Married
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Summary: Mr. William H. Teawalt, of Woodstock, Shenandoah County, married Miss Mary Lizzie, daughter of David Beard, at the residence of the bride's father near Mint Spring, Augusta County, on September 7th. The Rev. Mr. Dice presided.
(Names in announcement: William H. Teawalt, Mary Lizzie Beard, David Beard)

Died
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Summary: Mrs. Mary B. Bell, wife of John J. Bell of Waynesboro, died "after a painful illness of several months" on June 3rd. She was 49 years old. "She was a Christian woman, a valued member of the Presbyterian church. She discharged well and faithfully her duties as a wife, a mother and mistress."
(Names in announcement: Mary B. Bell, John J. Bell)