From what experience I have had in the secret service, I am of the opinion that the Government has been entirely too lenient with that class of men. Nothing but the severest penalty of the law will ever stop them from their depredations. They will continue to give trouble in the South so long as they are allowed to run at large. They are possessed of none of the finer feelings of humanity that can be reached by moral persuasion, and nothing but physical restraint can control them. Sympathy for those that have erred is a fine and commendable element in the human heart, but when carried to extremes is productive of disastrous results. I think the entire secession element of the South has received, and is now receiving, more favor at the hands of the Government than is consistent for the safety of our republican institutions. People who have committed crime should be made to feel that they have done so by inflicting upon them the proper penalty. Let rebels prove themselves "prodigal sons" before being embraced in the arms of our good Uncle Samuel. On the 2d day of December, 1865, I received an order from General Grant to proceed to Columbus, Ohio, for discharge. On my arrival there, I reported to the Provost-marshal, who refused to discharge me, because I had no copy of the orders under which I had reported from one commanding officer to another. My business had been such that it was not safe for me to carry them, and, for the same reason, my orders were generally given orally. I went to General Leggett and told him my difficulty, who at once wrote me a statement to Captain Barber, Provost-marshal, setting forth his knowledge of my services, and why I had not preserved my orders of detail. General Wiles also gave me a similar statement, of which the following are copies: "ZANESVILLE, O., February 15, 1866. "_Captain Barber, Provost-marshal_: "DEAR SIR--Corporal Lorain Ruggles, Co. H, 20th O.V.V.I., reports to me that he has difficulty in obtaining a discharge from the service. Corporal Ruggles was used, during the whole war, as a scout and spy. I first assigned him to that service early in the summer of 1862. His great success made him a favorite with all general officers having charge of secret service. He was, at different times, under the immediate direction of Generals Force, Ross, Logan, McPherson, Blair, Grant, and others, generally remaining, when not on active duty, at my head-quarters. The nature of his services were such that he could not carry details, passes, or orders, and, details could not be waited for by officers when he was needed, and, in fact, were very seldom made in such cases. "Corporal Ruggles was regarded as one of the most successful and reliable spies in the United States service, and was always called upon for desperate service where others would fail, and was equal to the undertaking.