St. Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1845-1863, 1861-08-22

denounce it willie the privilege Of free
speech is still left me.
You have already informed your readers
of the fact that three of thu Police Com
missi0uers OF Baltimore are u0v close
pri-on-rs ut Fort Lafayette One Of them
is my father. and on their behalf I desire
IN law hcfarr this community briei
state If the circumstances under which
they were arrest j and are NOW c'Dtined
Tits for the pe.spl.. If New York I" en-
dnr>e the ~rlntrsry prs1csdl"gs OF the
/ Government and To refuse their sympathy
/ +. It's victims, it they 81 plcase-it is my
duty u see that the po>i,rm Of those for
whom | speak is not misunderstood or
nisrcpresented.
/ On the Is, day Of July, at 3 o'clock in
the morning, the houses Of the Police
Commissioners in Baltimore were sur
rounded by large LoGies If tro"ps, ami
without warrant or form of law those citi-
were arrested and Carried to Fort Me-
Henry There they ryulainei until the
10Th day of July. During all that period
they endeavored, in vain. to discover the
precise nature of the charges which they
supposed the Federal Government design
ed to prefer against them. General
Banks, who had ordered their arrest. had
nothing to allege in palliariou of that act
but tho fact they declined to recognize his
right to displace and appoint. ut pleasure,
liLc officers of the police force OF Baltimore.
Save this frivolous accusation none has
teen brought against them, aud nouc can
be suggested or sustained.
The Grand jury of the United States
Court, wh.,se members had been selected
by Marshal of Lincoh,'s own appoint
nIcnt, was il. session ut aud some weeks
subsequent to the time. The Commits
sioncrs awaited its action but onl y to learn
that the Grand Jury had adjourned with
out bciag able to find any prctcxt upon
which to indict them. Congress was sit
ting in Washington. aud they sent it Il
memorial, setting forth in respectful Ian
gnagc the outrage perpetrated upon them
and asking AN Investigation; but Congress
treated the application with contempt.
The Government grew weary, apparently,
of these persistent and open demands for
justice, and on the 29:l of July it order
ed all those against whom it could not
prepare indictments to be transferred t"
Fort Lafayette. There they are now
lying. uncontrolled aud unaccuscd
1t has been their mif,rtune 10 differ
with Mr.. Lincoln in regard t. the policy
l.c is pursuing, aud this Constitutes their
crime They. together with Il large por-
ton Of the pcuple oil this section Of the
nation, constitute the minority which is
opposing, in all lawful ways, the prosccu-
ton of war which they believe to be ne
cessarily destructive Of our institutions
and ruinous to the country. AMI for this
olFcnsc they are punished. Any assertion
that they have committed or cpnnivcI ID,
any act which, BY any constitution Of the
laws, could DC regarded AS illegal and still
less as reasonable, is utterly aud palpab.y
false.
Since they have been confined in Fort
Lafayette, they have been druicd privi-
lcgcs which are usually chccrtully accord
ed to the most abandoned fclons in the
Tombs. have in vain solicited from the
War Department aud from General Scott
permission to visit my father. He aud the
six of his unfortunate companions are
compelled to live together in one small,
damp cascn,ate. They are not allowed to
correspond with their wives and children.
unless the commanding officer, at Fort
Hamilton inspccts aud approves the let
tiers Of both parties; nor are they even suf-
fered to receive the daily papers. De-
prived of the society of their friends, and
cut of from all the familiar intercourse
with their families, and from such cnm-
muuication with the outer world
as newspaper would afford them, they
lahguish i'll Government fortress in this
harbor, in Il situation precisely similar to
that Of the hapless captives Of some
Oriental de>pot.
Such are the main facts of the case,
which | deem i, my duty to l,y before The
people vi this city. Ii they believe that
the Constitution and the laws have suiii-
GENTLY provided for the punishment of
those who violate them. and that it can
never be necessary or justifable to set up
a military Dictatorship to uphold the one
or to enforce the other; if thy hold that
under any system Of government, or un-
der any circumstances whatever, it is AN
a'rocious thing to Cypress men for their
opinions. or punish citz.ns because they
are suspected, then ey will trust accord
to the prisoners i'll Fu.t Lafayette their
cordial symra,h Y, and such aid as it may
yet be i'll their power to render them.
For this these sufferers think they have
right to look. Redress they cannot OBJ
tain. They Can only continue to assert
their ri ghts, and to dsuounce the wrongs
which have been done them. Having
venturcd thus inad,quately to do this in
their behalf, leave the issue with their
countrymen.
F. X. HOWARD.
NEW YORK, August Ii. 1861.