| From the Richmond Dispatch |
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| February 13, 1864 |
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| The case of Senator Toomes |
| There have been a variety of rumors about
the arrest of Col Robert Toombs, (now of the Georgia State troops,)
for "treasonable expressions," &c. Nothing of the sort
has occurred. The offence for which Col. Toombs was arrested, and is
now undergoing trial by Court-Martial in Savannah, is thus given by
the Republican, of that city: |
| Gen. Toombs was at Augusta, with a
regiment of State troops recently mustered into the Confederate
service for a limited term, and which he commanded. His command was
about to take the cars for Savannah {on the
Augusta & Savannah RR} on one of the cold days of the late
severe spell. They were to travel in box cars, and the soldiers, after
laying a place on the floor of the cars with brick and sand, built
fires thereon for the purpose of keeping themselves warm on the
journey. The agent of the road, Mr. Selkirk, seeing this, remonstrated
with the men, told them it was prohibited by the rules of the company,
and that when the train got in motion the fire would blow about and
the train be destroyed. He furthermore is said to have stated that the
train should not leave the depot until the fires were extinguished.
Gen. Toombs coming up in the midst of the altercation between the
agent and his men, declared that the fires should not be extinguished,
that the train should leave in spite of the agent, and after cursing
and using much bitter language towards the latter had him arrested and
kept in custody by a guard. He also threatened to have the agent cut
to pieces and thrown into the engine for fuel, together with other
direful calamities to his corporeal man. Whether the fires were put
out or not we did not learn, but the agent, being outnumbered, offered
no further resistance, and the train with the troops left for
Savannah. The agent reported the case to the railroad
company, and on their complaint to the military authorities Gen.
Toombs was arrested and carried before a Court-Martial. |
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