The latest News from the North.
New York papers of the 38th ult. contain the particulars of the murder, at
Louisville, Ky., on the 29th, of
Major General Bull Nelson, by
Brigadier-General Jeff. C. Davis, of
Indiana, It appears that
Davis had been deprived of his command by
Nelson, and ordered under arrest, but had gone to
Cincinnati, and upon laying his case before
General Wright had been reinstated.
A dispatch from
Louisville says:
‘
There are many conflicting accounts of the shooting of
Gen. Nelson by
Gen. Davis.
About a week ago
Nelson placed
Davis in command of the Home Guard forces of the city.
At night
Davis reported to
Nelson the number of men working on the entrenchments and enrolled for service.
Nelson cursed him for not having more.
Davis replied that he was a general officer, and demanded the treatment of a gentleman.
Nelson, in an insulting manner, ordered him to report at
Cincinnati, and told him he would order the
Provost Marshal to eject him from the city.
This morning
Gov. Morton, of
Indiana, and
General Nelson were standing near the desk in the
Galt House, when
General Davis approached and requested
Gov. Morton to witness a conversation between himself and
Gen. Nelson.
He demanded of
Nelson an apology for the rude treatment he had received last week.
Nelson, being a little deaf, asked him to speak louder.
Davis again demanded an apology.
Nelson denounced him and slapped him in the face.
Davis stepped back, clenched his fist, and again demanded an apology.
Nelson slapped him in the face, and again denounced him as a coward.
Davis turned away, procured a pistol from a friend, and followed
Nelson, who was going up stairs.
Davis told
Nelson to defend himself, immediately thereon firing.
The ball penetrated his left breast, and
General Nelson died in about twenty minutes.
Gen. Nelson requested to see his old friend,
Rev. Mr. Talbot, rector of Cavalry Episcopal Church, who was then at the
Galt House,
Mr. Talbot administered the sacrament according to the forms of his church.
The General repeated the service after the minister and refused to talk on any other subject; he regretted that he had not long ago turned his attention to religion.
’
Another account says:
‘
A few minutes before 9 o'clock
Gen. Jefferson C. Davis, of
Indiana, met
Gen. Nelson in the hall of the
Galt House, and attempted to speak to him.
Gen. Nelson refused to listen, and turned away.--
Davis followed him to the other end of the hall, and again addressed him.
Nelson now turned to him, saying: ‘"Do you wish to insult me, you cowardly puppy?"’ and struck him at the same time on the head.
Davis did not retaliate on the spot, but made through the crowd of guests until he met an officer of his acquaintance, borrowed a pistol of him, and then pushed to the west door of the ball, where
Nelson was conversing with some gentlemen.
When within a few feet of him he cocked the revolver and fired instantly.
The ball entered
Nelson's left breast, inflicting a mortal wound.
He managed to walk up stairs to
Gen. Buell's room, where he fell on the floor.
Surgical attendance was immediately called, but the
General died about thirty minutes after he was shot.
He was conscious until three minutes before his death.
Among his last words were, ‘"I am murdered."’
’
The New York
World, noticing the affair, says:
‘
The deceased was a brave man and a good subordinate General, but he failed to pay any respect to those courtesies, not to say decencies of life, without which ability and bravery are useless in a military leader.
He was blasphemous, indecent, and abusive beyond all precedent in his conversation and deportment toward his equals and inferiors in rank.
If one-half that is reported of him is true, it is a marvel he was not shot months since.
Such a man, no matter what his claims, should not have been permitted to remain in the army a month.--He was perpetually violating that most essential of the army regulations which insists on ‘"conduct becoming a gentleman."’ Had he been displaced for this cause it would have been worth a victory to our armies in the warning it would have been to the mass of our officers, whose discipline in this respect is very defective.
’
The New York
Herald says:
‘
Major-General Nelson was a Kentuckian, and was formerly a Lieutenant in the navy.
He was one of the officers of the
Mississippi, which conveyed the suite of
Kossuth to our shores.
Upon the breaking out of the rebellion he espoused the cause of the
Union.
Brigadier-General Jeff. C. Davis hails from
Indiana, and was a Lieutenant at
Fort Sumter when it was bombarded and captured, and from his talents and gallantry was assigned a higher position in the army.
His conduct in the
Missouri campaign was brilliant, particularly at
Pea Ridge.
Gen. Nelson also distinguished himself on many a hard-fought field, but more particularly at
Shiloh, where he fought with great heroism.
He was recently wounded at the
battle of Richmond,
Ky., and had not wholly recovered when he was killed.
Both officers were admirable fighters and high-strung gentlemen.
’
Democratic meeting in New York — Lincoln's proclamation Denounced.
A meeting was held at the
Democratic headquarters, in New York, Monday night, at which about 1,000 persons were present.
Hon. James Brooks, of the New York
Express, first addressed the meeting.
After denouncing the emancipation proclamation:
‘
He then spoke of the second proclamation, saying to the people, if you agitate this subject you shall be put in Fort Lafayette.
（‘"Let them try it."’--Laughter.) It was a proper corollary to the first, The
provost marshal (hisses) of the
State or
city of New York is made the judge of our loyalty, and any personal enemy may obtain the incarceration of any one of us. There are two points in the proclamation.
The first is, the suspension of civil and the establishment of martial law, and the second is the suspension of the
habeas corpus.
That right which our English fathers have had since the dark ages is annulled by a proclamation, and citizens are arrested without knowing why or wherefore. (‘"Infamous. "’) Never, never did the revolutionary fathers, who struck bright and free the sparks of liberty, delegate such power to the
Executive.
Could they tell that for his speech he should not be in Fort Lafayette to-morrow. (‘"No.
no."’) If it was not a period of war we should have no hesitancy in saying, ‘"Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God. "’ (Tremendous applause.) The ballot-box is the remedy.
Form huge processions, bearing the red cap of liberty, and protest, beg, and implore a return of our liberties. (‘"You're right."’) Read the
Constitution of the United States, securing to every man freedom of speech, trial by jury, and protection in his person and property.
(Cheers.)
He did not propose ever to give up the
Constitution or surrender to the rebels (Applause.) But he proposed to carry on the war on a different principle, and taking a sword in the right hand and the
Constitution in the left, and save the country through the
Constitution.
(Cheers.) He would surround the rebels, and leave treason to sting itself to death.
This geographical idea of overrunning the
Southern territory with unacclimated Northern men is a theory that must fail.
He abhorred secession and abolition equally.
Jeff. Davis is a rebel only two years old;
Wendell Phillips is, by his own confession, a rebel twenty years old. (Applause). With the exception of the little Republic of
San Marino, on a peak of the Appenines, we are the only Republic now in existence, and we are working out the grand problem.
Tyrants in
Europe are using all their power to subvert our principles.
More than over now is it necessary to impress upon the
Northern mind that ‘"Liberty, liberty, liberty, and Union, now and forever, are one and inseparable."’ (Cheers.)
Mr. Schnable, who was imprisoned in Fort Lafayette, then addressed the meeting.
Mr. Lincoln, he said, will be supported by all when he acts constitutionally.
(Applause.) We have already buried 400,000 men, or more, and saddled the country with a debt nearly equal to
Great Britain's. There was a time when, if a few men had been treated for their attempts at destroying the labor and peace of this country, as loyal men have since been treated, by imprisonment, this might have been prevented, (Applause.) The claptrap knavery of the
Secretary of State is double tongued, like the serpent.
When he utters anything, he shapes it in such a way that, if the party he belongs to turns a back somerset to-morrow, he can swear as well by his interpretation as he can by the position of the party to-day.
When imprisoned in Fort Lafayette he was offered his freedom on condition of taking a certain oath, which closed as follows: ‘"And you do further swear that you will never, by writing or public speaking, throw any obstacle in the way of whatever measures this Administration may see fit to adopt."’ (Laughter and hisses.) He refused to take that oath.
(Great applause.)
The time is coming when he would revenge himself, (Cheers.) Remember that free speech will not be crushed. (‘"No, never."’) Imprisonment may begin again, but at last we will be triumphant.
Men must depend upon public orators and the public press, and they must judge how near they are right.
God Almighty himself, when amid the darkness of chaos He laid the stagnant waters in order, said, ‘"Let there be light."’ (Applause.)--And now, amidst the moral, and civil, and political chaos of our country, let the battle-cry of the Democracy be, ‘"Let there be light."’ (Cheers.) If the free Northern white man is to lose his liberty in the atrocious effort to make the descendant of
Ham his equal, then it is high time that we begin to investigate whether the teachings of the party which is bringing about this damnable result are right or wrong.
The doctrine announced by
Simon Cameron, the great Winnebag plunderer, who has robbed the
Government coffers more than any criminal that ever disgraced the annals of a court of Justice, as the only plan by which he could save his ill-gotten gains, was the obliteration of State lines and the elevation of a man of perpetual power, like the arbitrary
Louis Napoleon, or some one backed up by the Abolitionists, like that monstrous jackass,
John Charles Fremont.
(Laughter and applause.) The experience of history teaches us that whenever, from generation to generation, you bend the knee of the laboring classes of a country to a power beyond their reach, in a little while the child, following the paternal example, adopts the genuflection, and submits until at length the chains are bound upon it without any chance of breaking.
It is almost the history of poor
Ireland.
It is the natural effect of the operations of tyranny.
Mr. McMasters made a few remarks at the close, and the audience separated quietly.
At the next meeting
Richard O'Gorman will speak.
’
Affairs in the West--the attack on Augusta, Ky.
A letter to the Cincinnati
Gazette from
Augusta, Ky., dated the 28th, gives further particulars of the capture of that town by the
Confederates.
It says:
‘
This place was attacked by six hundred and forty mounted rebels, with two cannon, under the command of a brother of the guerrilla
John Morgan.
The Union forces, under
Col. Bradford, numbering one hundred and twenty men, took refuge in houses and fired from windows, killing and wounding ninety of the rebels, Among the killed were three
Captains, one of them a younger brother of
John Morgan.
Among the mortally wounded was
Lieutenant-Colonel Prentice, a son of
George D. Prentice, editor and proprietor of the Louisville
Journal.
The rebels were so exasperated at their loss that they set fire to the houses in the place, and two squares of the town were burned.
Our loss was nine killed and fifteen wounded. The balance of our forces were taken prisoners.
Subsequently, a Union force from
Mayville intercepted and attacked the rebels, when they fled in a perfect panic.
The result of the pursuit has not yet been learned.
’
New York money Market.
The New York
Herald, of the 30th, says:
‘
Yesterday was another very active and exciting day in Wall street. The speculative fever seems to be decidedly on the increase among the public.
The brokers' offices are thronged with operators — The advance of the day was equal to 2½a3 per cent.
on the leading speculative railways, and 3a5 per cent.
on the cheaper classes of bonds.
Gold rose to 123 ½, demand notes to 119½, and bills on
London to 135.
Money was active at 4a5 per cent.
The bank statement shows a decrease of $270,485 in specie, and an increase of $4,611,399 in deposits, and $1,861,758 in loans.
Everybody is buying gold in order to insure against the depreciation of the currency.
If a man who is worth $50,000 is afraid that by the depreciation of the paper money now afloat he may find himself only worth in reality $25,000 at the end of the war, he can protect himself by buying $50,000 in gold, taking it to the Sub-Treasury, depositing it at four per cent., and, if he needs the money, borrowing on the Sub-Treasurer's certificate of deposit.
This is the secret of the recent enormous purchases of gold.
’
Miscellaneous.
Major John J. Key has been dismissed from the
United States service for uttering disloyal sentiments.
Brigadier-General Quincy A. Gilmore has been assigned to the command in
Western Virginia--his headquarters to be at
Point Pleasant, Mason co.
Austin A. Blair has been nominated by the Republicans of
Michigan for Governor.
Brigadier General Harney, U. S. A., is in
Washington.
