The Hartford herald. [volume], April 14, 1875, Image 2

About The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926

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THE HERALD.
JOHN P. BARKKTT,
JOHN I. CASE.
WALLACE CRUKLIjK. J
rnurstKToRS.
WALLACE KRUELLE. Kihtor.
iiaiitfokd, oino corxTV, kv.,
DAY. APIIIL 14. 175.
SELF-DEFENSE.
CV1. NtoiIlnr.l Joliiwlon. In HrirlIliiK
J-ru William I.rlnir AwinlK npon
tl int. In f'o'iipfllcxl l Mrlp llio I.lon
Nklu rrnas Vf Nolny Jf .nlsmTT
ti A 1'ivHljr i'irlnroriiMiiiiiiIlro
iih N-ru In lhr Iiittwrllal IlnM or IIIx
lory Jo-limlvn'MNprrrli. Delivered nl
,.... 1 1 j: ..ii am M fi fi tl ;l V- Atirll .
itfl Nuiiveuientl- Itrprnlcd nl Hop-
klitoviiir.
Peixow citizrns I appear before ou
trt-lnv Inilefrrencf toaceiisenfihity which
I f-rl" that I o.te no le-s to my own eflf-
nwtwrt tlmn t mv frienils Iiere unci
il.nm .limit ilie State. Mv name lia-
before the Dcni-icralic parr of Ken
Itlr.kv ns a candidate lor the Giibtrnatori
I .Kimin.ition for more than ft year.
Without anr intimation of such intention,
nnil whollv without anr suggestion from
ir rtnimultMtiou with me. or any of my
friends, my name waa precented as that
or one suitable to fill the office of Govern
or. Xerer having been a candidate for
anv office before the people, although a
consistent voter and worker in the Dem
ocratic party of Kentucky for twenty-one
years, the proposition teemed to meet
with such a response from the party that
I 4id not leel at liberty to decline uie use
of mr name. ' Hecoenizlne the dignity
and responsibility of the Chief Executive
Office I felt that it was neither to be
tnnffht nnr declined, and. at an early pe
riod,aid Irankly that, if my qualifica
tions and services were such as commend.
A tm in the notition. I should esteem it
on l.nnnr to Twpivr the nomination, and,
;r.Wt,l would seek to discharge the
duties pf it with fidelity and whatever of
ability I might possess, a. remaence in
Frankfort, embracing nearly two Guber-natorial'Urras,-under
circumstances which
), ova r".rn me an insisht into and
an intimate acquaintance with the details
of tli KiftMitive administration of the
Ktj.i. insnired me "with the hope that I
micrrit hrWtothe office a Talnable expe
rience not often possessed by one who
has not occupied ine position, ut uuc u
acquainted with (he grave responsibili
ties. ,
From the time indicated I have endeav.
ored to bear myself in a manner consist
ent with the dignity and honor of the po
;tmn in which I now aspire. Deprived
hr circumstances bevond my control of
the opportunity of a personal acquaintance
with the people of the State, except in a
comparatively limited sphere, 1 nave, as
mv Juties to my business and. family
would permit, taken occasion to visit a
number ol counties, and, while making
inraelf familiar with the topographical
features of the different sections of the
State and its agricultural and mineral re
sources, sought to become ueuer acquaint
ed with the people, politically and social
ly. Believing tnattne iemocra.uc (huj
alinnld he left free to decide UDOn the real
or supposed merits and qualifications of
the several candidates, without undue ap
peals to their prejudices or tiasnions, J
have abstained from public speaking in
advocacy of my pretentions, anO. have
only in rare instances appeared before
public assemblies,- ratner oneuj 10 upui
rnnrn mr Mnfaneakin? than to make for-
ft J 1 a
lu&l addresses.
WILLIAMS CnARCKS.
Those who have observed the progress
of the canvass will bear me witness that
I have abstained, even under great prov
ocation, from renlvine to charges made
upon me more or less directly, by one of
icy competitors iuea. w iiuaras;, who au
dresAed vou here several weeks ago, even
though friends, in whose wisdom and dis
cretion I had confidence, have urged it as
being. demanded by the .unwarranted na
ture of the assaults to which I was sub
jected. I have forborne patiently to
take nart in discussions which seemed
calculated only to stir up passions which
should better remain dormant, preferring
wen to make a Dersonal sacrifice than to
eem to be a party to a system of elec-
tlnneeriniT gi nnrel iu it is unbecoming.
But my v ery forbearance has seemed only
to encourage greater seventy oi auacK,
until, at last, it is easy to see that I must
either abandon the contest, with a sem
blance of acouiescence in the charges
with which I am assailed, or meet them
in such manner as they deserve. I am
here to-day for that -purposet and I trust
that in what I have to say I shall be able
to discharge 'my duty to myself and
lriends, without deviating from a line
consistent with the most scrupulous pro
prieties of the occasion. I therefore beg
vour careful attention to my remarks,
which shall be as brief as the nature of
the ttnliiect will admit.
You heard the speech of Gen. Williams,
which, as regards myself, is in substance
that which he is reported to have made
unanswered, in a number of counties in
the State. I shall strive to restrain my
natural resentment at the slurs and
charges' with which he assails me, and
.. . , t .. i. -lr
the involuntary aension wnica iub en
adultation provokes, wnile L caimiy re
view the position he has assumed.
The charces in his indictment are:
First That I am "the candidate of the
press rine." implyine that I have been
presented to the Democratic party as the
result of a movement set on foot by the
"Kentucky Press Aeeoeiation," of which
I have been for some time the president.
Second That I am the candidate of the
"Frankfort cliaue." implying the exist
ence of an organized body of prominent
politicians and placemen at rrankfort,
operating in my interest and in their own
as contradistinguished from that of the
Democratic party.
Third That he has, by his eminent
services in two warn, as the "hero of
Cerro Gordo" in the Mexican war. and as
"the. hero of two hundred battles' in the
late war. become entitled to the Govern
orship, while I, from a failure to possess
there military distinctions, am not the
relf-laudatioii being coupled with inuen
does intended to cast an imputation upon
the humble part I. took in the late war.
JOUNtsTON AMD THE PRESS.
Now the prerA of Kentucky needs no
vindication at mv hands. Its present at
litudc, and its course through this protrac-
It-d canvas, is the bcia refutation ot th
charge upon which it is arraigned.
.iiinrn with indignation, as one of its rep
rernt;itives, the imputation that it has
riipported ine with servility, or with any
' i . . c . : i . . ... . e
rviufiice ui an oriiiA-ii uiuvt-iiiciiu iruui
the mere (act of mv having been one o
its members, I deuv a Cilse. in fact and
in Ktilrit, anv attertiim that I have been
iirrxerited. or am now siirtained, for the
(itilicmatorial nominauon n "a press
rnn-lidatc.'' It in true Mint nearly all of
I In- nrwrpapcr nl Kentucky have, at one
nine nr nno her. referred favorably to my j
ii.iliff;ilion Inr the po.iliin of Govern
or, Hhilvtiulii lVw liae advucatfl and
still urge mv nomination. It is a source
of pride and a -matter of grateful reflec
tion that those with whom I have been
associated in a common pursuit, and who,
lor the past six or eight years, have had
almost daily opportunity of weighing my
fitness for position, by. the principles ad
vocated or the sentiments expressed in my
paper, have, with scarcely an exception,
borne testimony to my capacity and fit
ness for the position of Governor: and it is
equally a source of pride that these ex-
pres-ions have been tendered by those
who differ from mc politically as well as
my pany friends But it is with no re
morse or disappointment that I have ob
served that, notwithstanding the personal
Inei ilslnp entertained Tor me, there is ft
healthy division of opinion in the support
extended to the several candidates for
Governor. In point of fact, it is not true
that I am supported by the press as a
body. Because the gentleman who makes
this complaint lias but lew newspapers
which advocate his nomination, it does
not follow that I am the recipient of its
undivided support I have not made out
a list of all the papers in Kentucky, and
tabulated them as to their expressed
prelerences, but 1 assert that, out of the
whole list of Democratic journals, but a
rmill proportion advocates my nomina
tion, while the greater part are neutral or
sustain the fortunes of some other aspi
rant. It is doubtless true, as so often
charged, that but few advocate the nomi
nation ol General Williams, but this is
his misfortune, not my fault. The very
fact, however, that a large number advo
cate the cause of other candidates than
myself is proof of the independence of the
press of Kentucky, and is a refutation of
the aspersion that I am sustained by
combination, so reprehensible in its
purposes and designs as to deserve the
condemnation of the people aud the Dem
ocratic party. The very violence of the
charge, and the evidence I have shown of
its want onoundatton, should sumce to
condemn it and cause it to be spurned as
unwoniiy oi any wetguv or consiueraiion.
LIE NO. I NAILED TO TOE COUNTER.
If General Williams has incurred
the ununfriendly criticism of any
portion of the press it is a matter for which
I am not in any degree responsible. It
rests between him and those who. with a
full sense of their responsibility to public
opinion, have prosecuted whatever war
fare they have made upon him. in my
own conduct toward linn, both as an ed
itor up to the time I retired from the
management of the Yeoman in Decern
ber. and as a candidate, I have observed
toward him a courtesy worthy of better
appreciation at his hands. During the
whole period I never permitted my own
name to appear in its columns in connec
tion with my candidacy, and never copied
an article Irom other papers compliment
ary of myself, but copied every one wbtcl
met my eye complimentary of General
Williams or others, excluding all of a de
rogatory character. Not only this, but
when he was assailed, 1 wrote to editors
whom I knew to be friendly to me; and
requested them to abstain from all detrac
tion of him, and besides wrote the follow
ins letter which was published in the
Paris Kentuckian, of the 'Jth of Decem
ber last:
"We have received the following pri
vate letter from Col. Johnston, and while
we do not deem it necessary to refute
such an imputation or suspicion as it re
ferred to. we take the liberty of publish
ing Col. J's. letter because all who know
him will recognize in it the same high
bred, manlv spirit which forms all his
wuoie intercourse wnn nis iciiowo.
'Editor Kcritueldan:
'"The position which I have take'n not
to permit the mention of my name in the
columns of the Yeoman in connection
with the candidacy for Governor, pre
vents me from noticing much that is as
distasteful to me as it can be to any
one. 1 allude more particularly to me
effort to disparage General Williams by
papers friendly to me and otherwise. I
have no desire to make any sucn canvass
nor to profit by such a course, and in all
cases where 1 have seen such notices in
papers which favor me for the position I
have written to the editors, requesting as
a lavor to me and an act oi justice to
General Williams, that they will not do
so. For nearly two months 1 have been
in Frankfort devoting myeelfexclusively to
my business, and have not in that time
written half a dozen letters respecting my
candidacy, content to let others make the
canvass and abide the issue. It, therefore,
as you may conceive, annoys me greatly
to have the impression go out, nowever
indirectly, that 1 am either encouraging
any warfare upon my opponents, or en
gaged in promoting the advocacy of my
claims through the press, l saw lor the
first time in your paper of yesterday the
reference to myself which you quote, and
no one sooner than yourself would do me
the justice to believe that 1 seek no such
mention of my name, holding the dead
too sacred to wish to profit by their mem
ories. 1 nave no ambition in connection
with any position of honor save the pride
of obtaining it honorably and as the re
cognition of merit, rather than the result
01 intrigue ur puiuiuai mrc-nurmng.
" 'My bands are tied in my own defense
again t any assault: and, as you may
have seen ol late, x have Deen made ine
target of the spleen of some who are
only too eager to take the advantage of a
delicacy which they can not appreciate.
In view of this fact, I beg of your friend
ship that you will, if consistent with your
sense of propriety, insert a slight para
graph to the eilect that youjenow that i
do not approve the attempt to make capi
tal for me at the expense of General Wil
liams, for whom I entertain the most cor
dial friendship and esteem. Very truly
your friend, J.Stoddard Johnston.
Frankfort, ity., uec. o, isi.-
Afler this exposition of the facta in the
case, it wilt be ditiicuu to convince any
one that I have been wanting m courtesy
to General Williams, or am in any way
amenable to the violent charges against
me in connection with the press with
which he seeks to arouse indignation and
sympathy in his behalf.
LIE NO. II IMPALED.
Of a similar character the threadbare
charse that I am "the candidate of the
Frankfort clique,"' the invariable refuge of
every demagogue who leeling that he has
not sufficient merit of his own to stand
upon seeks to arouse prejudice by ap
peals to the passion of his hearers. Were
it even true that I had the supportrof the
party leaders at Frankfort, who are sought
to be stigmatized as a "clique" or "ring,"
it would be unworthy both of the gentle
man who makes the charge and of those
to whom he refers, to imply, as he does,
that there was a corrupt combination on
their part to control the Democratic party
in my interest. But when I state, on the
honor of a man, that I have never sought
the influence of any one to whom he re
fers, and that I have not, in fact, the active
support of any one of them, except that of
my partner in business, it will be apparent
at'once to every fair-minded man that I
nm recklessly assailed and sought to be
traduced before the people of Kentucky j
and the Democratic party, without regard
to either fairness or trulbt It w easy to
make n charge- bftt sometimes difficult to
sustain it. I repel the insinuation wheth
er direct or indirect, and whoever shall
henceforth say that I am the candidate of
any ring, clique or faction of any kind
wnatsoever, will stand branded as a slan
derer and a falsifier. In my humble sphere
as an advoeatp of Democratic principles.
and a worker for the success of the Dem
ocratic party at large. I do not intend that
my character shall thus be traduced and
myself held up as a mere trickster, opera
ting through selfish motives and seeking
through local agenries to advance my own
interests at the sacrifice ot honor. What
ever renutation or standine I have attain
ed has been honorably won, and is as dear
to me as life itself, and I shall defend it
against malice as I would my life. Hav
ing pttrsned a line of conduct marked in
every step by courtesy and an elevated
sence of delicacy to the rights and feelings
of every one, I appeal to all in whose bo
soms there beats a manly heart to vindi
cate me from aspersions like this, which
tend to sap the very foundations ot my
honor. No, fellow-citizens, I am theenn
didnte and representative of no clique or
taction, but relying on thecaui'e ot trtiiii,
and with an eye single to the good of the
whole party, and of my own honor, if 1
have offended at all it is solely in the pre
sumption of daring to aspire to an olhce
to which my competitor seems to think he
alone is entitled. The Democracy of Ken
tucky, although in some counties they
may have been mixleil by these sp-r.ou
appeals, will not permit me to be Htrickt-n
down and condemned on charges s-o v.dd
of any semblance of truth. To them in
their assembled wisdom in convention l
am willing to submit, content to abide
their decision, and ever ready, as hereto
fore, to sustain their decree, whether 1 or
another may be exalted to the position to
which I aspire.
WILLIAMS CERRO O0RD0 TIKR0IS1I UNDER
TUB VICBOSCOl'X OF UNBIASSED IIISTORV.
I approach the third main point upon
which be claims your support and bases
the reason why 1 should be rejected
confess I approach it with reluctance, and
would willingly omit all reference to it
uiu not unreicniingauiv require oiuerwioc.
And first as to Gen. Williams' Mexican
war fame. I can excuse much of his self-
exaltation on the ground that he lias
reached that age when the soldier likes
to fight his battles over again, and by
common consent considerable latitude is
granted in the enterprise. But when his
claims differ so materially with the rec
ords of history it is not admissable that
he shall take to himself credit which does
not belong to him. He does not hesitate in
his harangues to pronounce himself the
hero of Cerro Gordo and to claim that he
planted the flag of his country upon its
gory heighta. I have heard of self-made
men, but this may be said to be one of
the most remarkable instances of a self-
made military reputation on record. Has
the lapse of time effaced from the mem
ory of men the facts in regard to a battle
'which occurred in the lifetime of many of
those now before me? The battle of Cer
ro Gordo was fought by Gen. Scott in
command of the American forces. Gen
Williams was in command of an inde
pendent "company originally composed of
one hundred and hve men lrom the coun
ty of Clark, of which Koger Hanson was
the lieutenant. 1 have heard the latter
describe the exploits of that company and
of its Captain, and though as jealous as
any man of the fair fame of his gallant
countvmen, he represented their experi
ence in action as a disastrous deteat, com
pelling a retreat down a steep hillside
with more alacrity than dienitv. and al
ways pictured himself and his Captain as
among the most skillful in getting down
the precipitous heights. He was never
aware that my competitor was entitled to
the credit which he claims, but even
charged and proved that cannonr bought
to Kentucky as the trophy of the battle
had been fished up out of the pool in
which it had been thrown by the Mexi
cans in their subsequent retreat instead of
being wrested from the hands or the ene
my in action. Nor was Gen. Scott less
ignorant of the distinguished bravery of
Captain Williams, for in his official re
port of the battle he ascribes the honor of
planting the flag or his country on the
Mexican works to Lieut RobL E Lee.
who, though thus officially indorsed and
subsequently elevated to great eminence
in the eyes of the whole world, was never
known to boast of his exploits. In after
years Chilton Allen, a distinguished noli
tician, at a public dinner or barbecue, in
a vein of humor and pleasantry, gave to
Gen. Williams the sobriquet of "Cerro
Gordo," and Roger Hanson subsequently
in a race for the legislature against Wil
liams, while humorously recounting the
incidents of the battle, and the sham cap
ture of the cannon, sarcastically applied
it, and it has stuck ever since. The facts
as I have cited them will be found in a
letter written by Roger Hanson in 1851
and published in the papers at the time.
They may be within the memory of some
present 1 hey are familiar to all ot that
day in central Kentucky. Disgusted that
the people of Kentucky, did not appre
ciate his great virtues, he has erected for
himself, on the basis of imaginary fame,
a monument so towering in height as to
obscure in its shade that or .Lee, and even
ofScott himself. Not content with this.
he now demands of Kentucky the high
est niche in her temple of fame as an ad
ditional reward for his exalted services.
LIE NO III. PUT TO THE SWORD.
But great as Gen. Williams regards
his services in the Mexican war, they are
as nothing compared with his achieve
ments in the late war, in which be
boasts that he was the hero of two hun
dred battles. History so far has failed to
do him justice, and if he secures an ade
quate record of his exploits be must nec
essarily monopolize the pages of some fu
ture historian, who may delight to hand
down loan admiring posterity a narrative
of his wonderful victories. II he confined
himself to an enumeration of his own acts
of heroism I should not complain, for
these would then be properly measured as
the mere boasting of a stilted vanity. But
when in addition to magnifying his own
heroism he seks to detract from the
merits of others he treads upon forbidden
ground, and must array against him the
just censure of every honorable mind.
The honor of a soldier is dearer to him
than life itself, and however humble the
sphere in ivhich he served, he cannot af
ford to have charges or insinuations made
which involve cither his courage or his
fidelity to duty. It is distasteful in the
extreme to me, as it must be to every man
of proper sensibility, to allude to his per
sonal service; but every sentiment of Eelf
respect requires that I should repel the
assaults of General Williams as they de
serve. He has seen proper in various
public speeches to refer to me sneeringly
as an Adjutant General in the late war,
a neiphew of Albert Sidney Johnston, a
friend of Gen. Breckinridge, and occupy
ing a position which removed me from
service in the field, and enabled me to
keep safely in the rear, enjoying ease and
comfort, while he was exposed to the fury
of battle. He has even conveyed the im
pression that we sen' ed together in the!
same campaign, and that alter escaping
ine perns oi an engagement he would go ,
to the rear and find me secure in my ease.
occupying a bouse, and'prepared to ex
tend to him the hospitalities of a home,
coupling his charge with the playful re
mark that l would always give him a re
freshing drink from a little brown jug.
These charges in substance and detail I
pronounce false and slanderous, without
scintilla of foundation, except in the
malice which prompts them. 1 can refer
to the several officers with whom I served
in the war, and by whose sides 1 rode
into battle at Perryville. Murfreesboro.
Clrcatuauga and a dozen others in the
valley ot theShenandoah and other parts
of Virginia and! Maryland for a refutation
of a charge which impugns them no less
tbai myself, for every one knows Ibat in
time ol battle the position of adiutant w
by the side of his- general, whose every
important order he promulgates, i can
refer to their published reports in which
my name- appears, conspicuously men
tioned for gallantry and efficiency, and I
can refer to thousands of Kentucky sol
diers uith whom I shared the dangers of
i ie battle, never once being ott duty and
altvays-where honor called me. During
the entire Inn of my service I was con
tinuously in the field, and never had but
o-ie tttrlonsh of ten days, on sick leave.
winch 1 spent under the fire of the batter
ies pointed at Fort Sumpterand Charles
ton, and never under arrest. When at
the close ot" the v.nr I returned to my
fiinily lerefl of fortune. I had the protxl
consciousness of bringing with me a char
acter unspotted by the breath or reproach,
and whi'e I have life no one shall assault
it with impunity. It is the only heritage
I expect to leave reyehildren.and he who
stabs it shall godowJvto infamy with my
curse upon his hfao-.
But what will b said by men of honor
when 1 add, in reply, to Gen. Williams
intimation that he had an opportunity of
personally knowing of my service in the
war, when 1 assert, as a fact, that I never
served in the fame army with binv, and
that we never were in ox near the same
battle. 1 not only never gave him a drink
after he was fatigued by the exposures of
war, but his-history shows that he was
much more in the habit of taking his
drinks before than after battle. The first
time I saw him was in March, 18C4,when
I went with General Breckinridge as Ad
jutant of the Department of Southwest
ern Virginia. lie had served there con
tinuously while I had served with the ar
my of Tennessee.
TIIR HERO AT RHEA TOWN, TENN.
When I met him he was not in the ser
vice, being under arrest and deprived of his
command under the charges ol drunken
ness in the presence of the enemy, and
Conduct unbecoming an officer, at Rhea
town. If General Williams has by his
rashness brought this' exposeure jpon
himself, he has no one to blame, but
while he is' so vulnerable to censure I
will no longer remain silent when I havl
the means at hand forhis exposure. The
facts are well known to hundreds of Cone
federate soldiers, and are 'given in the
following letter .addressed to me by Gen
eral H. L. Giltner, who was second in
command to General Williams, as fol
lows: GEN. CI LINER'S LETTXR.
''Hunter's Bottom, Kt., Mar. 11, 1875.
" Col. J. S. Johnilon:
"Dear Sir Your communication of
the 14th was handed me yesterday by
your brother. Major H. H. Johnston. I
am sorry to hear tbalGeneral Williams
has attacked you so madly. In replying
to that portion or your letter which re
fers to the battle of Blue Springs and
Rheatown, I have to rely on memory, as
I have no records to refer to;ytherefore I
may be mistaken in dates, hut in every
other particular I will substantiate.
"Shortly after I was brigaded under
Gen. Williams, he temporarily organized
a division out of the several organizations
which constituted his brigade. I being
the senior colonel, was assigned to the
command of the first brigade, anl Col
Jas. Carter, of the first Tennessee, to the
second. We were in camp near Blue
Springs, eight miles in frant of Green
ville, Tenn., and I think it was on the 8th
or 10th of October. 18G3. We were at
tacked by Gen. Burnside's corps about 10
o'clock a. m. The engagement was vig
orously contested until darjt, then fi: n
ceased, with each belligerent occupying
thesame line ol battle that we did in the
morning when the fight was opened, with
the exception of the enemy's right and
left flanks which had been extended to
our rear. In thia position Gen. William,
accompanied by his staff, retreated from
the field ard rode back to Greenville to
telegraph Maj. Gen. Sam Jones. In the
absence of orders I assumed command
and fell back to the vicinity of Greenville,
where I met Gen. Williams, and he con
gratulated me upon my successful with
drawal, and ordered the retreat to be
continued. We moved on slowly and un
molettid until the dawn of day. Then
we were attacked in front by Col. Foster,
(Federal), who was commanding 2,170
men. (We captured his morning report).
After a short engagement we drove him
from our front and then marched on for
a few miles to Rheatown, where we were
ordered into camp in the face of the ene
my for the purpose of foraging. I remon
strated, but the order was then made im
perative, aud no alterative left me but to
obey. One of the General's staff informed
me that he was in no condition to com
mand, and I must take care of my own
men; consequently I made no forage de
tails, but kept my men in hand. We were
in camp but a short period until the ene
my charged into Col. Carter's camp and
stampeded a great many of bis men. I
had my men mounted immediately and
galloped to the rear, a few hundred yards,
then formed, dismounted, moved forward,
and met the enemy and checked their ad
vance. This gave Col. Carter an opportu
nity to rally his men and bring them up
in good order. Here a desperate fight
ensued for a considerable time, the range
being too cloe for comfort. The enemy
was continually receiving reenforcements,
and extending his flanks. I had notseen
nor heard from General Williams from
the time I received the order to go, into
cam p until I was making a reconnoissance
in the rear for the purpose of selecting a
position to fall back upon. I had assumed
command of the division and was acting
independent of my superior officer. Af
ter the line was withdrawn and re-established
upon the ground selected, then and
there General Williams said to me that
he was very sick and could not assist me,
and that I would have to work out of our
trouble the best way I could. He then
mounted his horse and again went to the
rear.
"Some few weeks after this charges
were preferred against General Williams
by Captain Blackburn, of Colonel Car
ter's regiment I never saw the charges
nor the specifications, but was told that
the charges were for drunkenness in the
presence of the enemy, and conduct un
becoming an officer. Specifications re
ferred to the time and deportment as com
municated in this letter.
the General was relieved of his corn-
rnand, and when again assigned to duty
it was not in the Ifepartment ol a. W.
Virginia,
"It is not my desire to rob Gen. Wil
iams of it single laurel that decks his
brow, aor detract from the glory he claims
as the hero of a hundred battles, but the
statements I have made are facts, given
in compliance with your request, and if
lie isauacuing your war record lor polit
ical cueci, ana me statements i nave
made are worth anything to you. it is
your privilege to use them. Respectfully,
your friend, H. u. Giltnm."
SOME MORE COWARDICE AT PEACH TCEE
CREEK, OA.
Heremained nnder arrest from October.
1803. till May, 1864. when, without trial
or acquittal of the charges, he was as
signed to duty in another deportment.
.ven in his new sphere he was not wholly
free from imputation of similar indiscre
tions, his absence from the command of
his brigade at Peach-tree Creek, on the
23d of July andatthetimeofStoneman'a
capture, two or its mou notable engage-
meats, Lol. Bteckenndge commanding in
the first and Col. Butler in the second,
being by many attributed to the same
cause. JJut whether in deteat or victo
ry, he seemed to have been equally the
victim of misfortune, for as he suffered ar
rest after the defeat at Rheatown, so after
his vaunted victory at Saltville, in Octo
ber, 1864, he was again placed under ar
rest and stripped of command. The
charges against him were still pending
when the war closed in May, lebo, and
the surrender of the Confederate armies
came to him as a boon, which, while it
brought captivity to others, was a release
to him from bondage.
Such is the military record of one who
seeks to delude' the people of Kentucky
with the falsef "glare of a reputation for
glory which lives only in his imagination.
with the facts of bislory staring ds in the
ace tnat ne was ror more than one year,
or more than one-foorth of hia term ol
service, under the ban of a military nr
rest youid enrontery go farther, or could
additional words from me- speak more in
bis condemnation or ray own vindication?
, a hua have l sought to prick the bubble
which has floated so long before the ad
miring gaze of an indulgent and deceived
, people. Willingly would l'have permit
ted its owner to bask in the sunshine of
his own vanity, had not forhearance
ceased to be a virrne, and my longer si
lence been capnbre-or misinterpretation.
THE COURSE Or A BTlATE 80LDIEt AND TRUE
OCNTLEXAN.
For myself, I erased figlitinc my bat
ties when the war dosed, and no one has
ever heard me allmletothe'eyents dftbe
war, or to my participation therein, as
any ground for my support. My whole
aim has been to leave- in the background
all of the past, seeking to unite all Ken
tuckians, of whatever antecedent,- in the
advocacy of correct principles of govern
nientraand the promotion of the peace.
prosperity and honor of Kentucky,
I have contended only that one's par
ticipation in the war, whether enema side
or the other, should not le urged as-an
argument against his political advance
ment, and always deprecated an appeal
to the passions of the war as a stepping-
stoneito preferment Bv the enforcement
of such a policy we may hope to become
thoroughly united as a people, and ulti
mately efface all of the asperities, of the
late struggle, and it behooves the De
mocracy of Kentucky to guard well lest
we shall bring ourselves into merited re
proach by countenancing the pretensions
of those who aim to ride into power by
such appeals as those i have had to ex
pose.
As lor me, J am impelled by no over
reaching ambition, holding ever mv own
advancement subordinate to the good of
the State reeling thus, and appealing
alone to the just sence of the people of
Kentucky, and of the honest manhood of
the Democracy or Warren and the whol
Commonwealth, I shall submit with de
ference to whatever decision they hall
make in regard to my aspirations, and
labor ever faithfully lor the principle. I
hold so dear, upon the triumph of which
depend the destinies of our State andRe
public.
Ex-Mcnntor Jlacticn anil the Hero of
Two Hundred Ilottle.
Eoprru.LE, Kt., April 1, 1875
Editor Kentuckian:
Dear Sir: My attention has been called
to editorials in your paper of the 28th and
also of the 30th of March, commenting on
the course pursued by Gen. Williams in
.Princeton on his recent visit to that place.
Your informant is mistaken in saying that
in Ins spetch he attacked my character
for' integrity and honor, either directly or
1 . . 1 C . .! ' 1.1 L.1J
uy insinuation, oucuau inuuigence, uoiu
as he is, would have made the occasion
lar more memorable than it is. What h
mav have done in His private levees, 1 am
not prepared to say, as I was not one of
his admiring visitors.
I have thought it just to myself as well
as to Gen Williams, for whom I have but
little admiration, to give this disclaimer.
His entire abnegation ot the usual cour
tesies between candidates for the same of
fice, as exhibited toward myself and Gov
ernor King on that occasion, might very
well relieve me from any obligation to
come to the relief of his character, but
the support of my own manhood demand;
that I make this correction, which I have
no doubt you will readily publish, and, in
so doing, ouuge your oueuieni servant,
W. B. Machen.
If a neighbor's dog kills your sheep,
shoot the dog. If the neighbor geto
his back up about it, shoot him.
Our opinion, based upon the evi
dence so far, is that Beeciier is guilty
as charged, and that JTilton tried to
coin an honest penny out of it.
Every man thinks he can tame
shrew until he marries. And then is
astonishing how soon he becomes a bald-
headed sucking-dove.
The most aristocratic Bluegrass fam
ily of our acquaintance, had a grandfa
ther who "did the State some service"
for uttering counterfeit money.
Kentucky is still ahead. She now
beats the little singing nigger of Virgin
ia. Henry county boasts of a female
child, less than two years old, who can
sing an unlimited number of hymns
with rare precision and correctness.
Her parents are named Violet. Can
it be that the proud State of the sing
ing Violet is to become the forage
ground of the bellowing bull of Mont
gomery county? , Forbid it, May Con
vention!
COLONEL JOHNSTON'S DEFENSE
We surrender the space usually occu
pied by our news condensation toihe;
speech of Col. J. Stoddard JofneaioN,
delivered at Bowling-Green on Monday,
the 5th instant, and subsequently re
peated at Hopkinsville, at both which
points Williams had made brutal, ly
ing and malicious assaults upon hfe hon
or as a man and his record as a soldier.
WnxiAMS did not have the nerve to
tay and.lten to the indignant denun.
ciation of the gentleman he had out
raged, at Bowling-Green, but ran out
of the courthouse, as he has run out of
battle aforetime.
The present contest going on in this
State is the most remarkable in the his
tory of Kentucky politics. Williams-,
the most vulnerable of men, whose en
tire political record can be written in
the two words, "unscrupulous- dema-
gue"; whose military history was- dis
graceful to the cause he espoused; and
whose habits and character are those of
a drunken, bullying- blackguard who
would not hesitate to slander hia warm
est friend or nearest relative if he could
thereby accomplish a desired end; has
succeeded In making the canvass too
disgraceful almost for a gentleman to
compete witn nun. uutcu to a re
.. .. - .
markable' degreo with the tongue of
falsehood, he has "very nearly elevated
the vice oi lying to a. place among the
fine arts, and has not hesitated, after a
fashion peculiar to himself, to exercise
his wonderful gift of falsification upon
Colonel Johnston on aH occasions-.
The latter gentleman is one of nature's
noblemen. Anions the- first and finest
scholars in the State, ho stands in the
front rank of her writers. Elegant in
his manners and address, punctiliously
correct in his conduct, hospitable almost
to a fault, the soul of gallantry a? asol-
dier, he is "the knightly scion- of a
knightly .race," of whom it may be writ
ten as was written of the- TJa y a rd; urns
peur et sons reprod. And withal he is
modest as a woman. In e-rervthinc he-
is the opposite of his brutish assailant.
Recognizing the fact that tire pceitiocr
of Governor of Kentucky is too-exalted
to be with impunity pulled down and
dragged in the mire and filth, the blus
ter and wrangle, the whLky and bribe
ry of the hustings-scramble, Col. Jon-J-
8TON has held himself aloof from a con
test on the stump with Wiluams.
The latter, who imagfnes himself to be
the greatest man in the world, nttribu
ted it to fear of him, and so believing
presumed upon tlx; belief. Col. John
ston kept tha seal of silence npon his
lips until forbearance not only ceased
to be a virtue, but closely bordered up
on a positive injury to himself. Indig
nant beyond measure, he Iiaj been torn
hi. it
penea to address nis countrymen in
self-defense, and it was a sorry day Jor
illiams pretentions to heroism that
he did open his lips. We ask our read
ers to carefully peruse every word of
Ins speech. While it cuts the bogus
hero to the hollow like a keen-edged
sword in every sentence; while it burns
and blisters him as though it were a
searing-iron; it is remarkable for its en-
tire freedom from vulgar personal abuse.
Instead of paying his assailant back in
his own coin, with bleary winks, round
oaths, and thinly-veiled obscenity, Col.
JoirNsros'd speech is couched in lan
guage as elegant as it is forcible; it is
almost Addisonian in its construction.
In ventilating the boastful pretend
er'a military record, the Colonel neg
lected to state the cause of Williams'
arrest, immediately after the fight at
Saltville, which thatFalstafflan individ
ualhas magnified into a battle of thefirst
magnitude, and of which he has consti
tuted himself the hero. We are ena
bled to supply the omission, thanks to
gallant and responsible Confederates,
who stand ready to produce the most
conclusive proof of our statement when
ever Williams has the temerity to dis
pute it. Like he did at Rheatown and
Peach Tree Creek, he retired from the
field, got drunk, and whilo lying in a
drunken stupor in the house of a man
named Smith, enabled Burbridoe and
his men to withdraw unmolested from
the field, after Geu. Breckinridge had
them in a cid de sac, from which they
were enabled to escape only through
Williams' drunkenness and incompe
tency. For this he was placed under
arrest.
On this point, Gen. H. L. Giltner
writes us as follows, under date of the
5th instant:
"The enemy made his escape after
"the Saltville fight through his Wn
"uams" inactivity, or failure to act
"promptly. He was in bed at Chas.
"Smith's, when he ought to have been
"in the saddle placing his men in posi
"tionon SandHill Mountain in advance
"of the enemy. I was occupying a po
sition in their rear, with instructions
"from -Gen. Breckinridge to charge
"them as soon asGen. Williajis gained
"their front; but the enemy quietly
"moved off whilst the 'hero of a hun
"dred battles' lay silently sleeping, and
"probably dreaming of those many vic
tories that he now so proudly boasts
of."
But we merely intended to call the
attention of our readers to the speech
of Colonel Johnston, and not to pinch
the flesh from which that gentleman
has so skillfully removed the cuticle.
Goodness! Here we have been wast
jng sympathy on Bessie Tutcter, think
ing she was a chit of a girl, and bow she ,- .
turns out to be a horrid old tharg- of'
twenty-seven. Hereafter well insist en.
looking at her teeth, rather than take
a woman's word in regard to her age.
Dan Yeast, a rich old miser of Mer
cer county, visited Harrodsburg last; . ,
Friday, and got drunk. Id returningr r
home that night he rolled oflTa cliff into
Chaplin river, and, being bad Yeast,
failed to rise. II w body was fished out
next morning.
We notice that in many portrons'of
the State the disease- known as "dogs"
is producing fearful mortality am on?."
the sheep. Blue pills about the size of Jf
cherry seeds, and half a teaspoonful of '
granulated saltpetre, sulphur and char-. . .
coai, aammisterea to tne canine- from, i
an iron tube, is a sure enrev
Beech er is theclergyman who boast
ed that Plymouth Church did not con
tain one Democrat in it3 membership-, s i.
Poor man! if there had been a JJemo-
crat or two. beiongjng to his ehurch'fie " '
would not be in his present pickle. But
very little of the Democratic salt of pa- '
rity would have sufficed to savor the .
whole Plymouth earth.
Under date of April 5, that gallant'
es-Confetleratech"effem,GenerarH.) .
Giltner, writes us: "I am not. sur-:
prised at the course Gen. Williamh i
pursuing, but am astonished to seehow '
hs nndigni6rbuiryuig is taking with
the people. Our galknt friend evi ,
dently forgets that the great mass of .
men delight in being htunbuggedV'rnrd "-'
that pretentious felly is. nrore attractive "
to. then than; modest wisdom. The
clown of a cirrus will draw a larger--
crowd to any town ia Kentucky than
couM .be prevailed upon to assemble t "
heir Joux C. Bbeckinkidoe make a. '
peech.
MILLIXERT
.IX D
iMjanta&TTiaking !
Mr. rrynr nd STuji Bll SallenjrT
woald Trfpeclfu'rjr announce to the ladies nf
lUrtfonl and Ohio cuantv, that tker hae
juit oprocd a
31II.I.IXERY AND DKES.IJlAUIXfJ
establistwcist on Dm east ildrof the eonrt
bonn in Xis.WuVtn't oTifatano and (olleis
aharrt lieir cnitois. Bonntt and Ht
tnJ, trimnrt.am) repaired. Trimmings of
all kiojj aim; an hand. Tbalateit fnhiom,
the bn miterinU, an l the lowett prices.
CJrittK Xeelufe-H awl Collnm,
l Tall linvnf irvtltmf. Wo will nut nermlt.
oureetra to be nnderiold. Call and examine
lock and prices. nol5 tr
NewGoods! New Goods
FOB
La ROSENBERG & BR0.
Mammotn
mm
t-
Ererjr department In our stock is fall and our
prices are -down to tha C"
Xwwest KTotclx I ,
VTe are confident that no other honte will do .
as well by 70a M oars. We respeetf mllj so e. .
licit an examination of onr ...
GOODS AND PltfCES
before making roar spring purchases, believ
ing that It will pay yon to do so. no!5 tf
HV. K. GREGORY. '
(Comtr Jadg.) ' '
ATTORNEY AT ZA W;j;:.
'
HARTFORD, KY. .t:
Pronspt attention given to the eonetton;of
claims. OSct in 'he courthouse. . . -
JI3S X. TOOL.
Hartford, Kt.
r.l.ivmir, m.
OwtissVoro, Ky. '
rOGLE A SWEENEY,.
ATTORNEYS AT LA TF,-.
HARTFORD, KT.
- Wm practice their profession in Ohio and-
adjoining conntlesand in the Conrtof Appeals.-JJ
Office on Maiket street, near courthouse. .9 . -7
JOHN O'FLAHERTY.:
ATTORNEY AT LAW', '
! ...
HARTFORD, KT. " "
Ccflcctiona Promptly Attended i , . "
Office on Market, street,, oxer Mauiy's. Ua
shop. janSvlj-
JOHN P. BARRETT, .
ATTORNEY AT LA W', -A:
and Real Estate Agent,
HARTFORD, KENTUCKY.
Prompt attention given to the collection of .
claims. Will buy, sell, lease, or rent lands or ri ,
mineral privileges on reasonable terms. Will , '
write deeds, mortgages, leases, Ae.and' at-' '
tend to listing and paying tuMOa lands be-
longing to non-rertdents. stJ
.wi .
. is; "C?
. '