Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-12-23
THE DAILY PRESS.
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tFrom the New York Evening Post, Republican,
A curious Letter from a Female Sc
cession1st.


A Curious Letter from a Female Sc
WHAT MRS GREENHow SAYS OF HER MPRrsoN-
MENT.
The Richmond Whig publishes a letter from
Mrs Grssnbow, the Washington secsssiOnist,
who was recently arrested for completely with
the traitors. The letter is dated at Washing
ton, November IL, and is addressed TO secre'
tary Seward. 1t opens thus:
SIR; Fer nearly three months have been
confined a close prisoner, shut out from air and
exercise, and denied all communication with
family ard friends.
Patience is iaid to be a greqt virtue, aud
have praeticed it to my utmost capacity of
endurance.
am tcld, sir, that upon your ipse dirh the
fate Of citizens depends, and that the sign
manual Of the ministers of Louis XIV and
XIV was not more potential in their day thau
that Of the Secretary of State in 1851.
l therefore most respectfully submit thai on
Friday, August 90, without warrant or other
show Of authority, l was arrested by the
detective police, and my house taken in charge
by them; thatal my private letters and papers
Of lifetime we're read and examined by them;
that eveTgslaw Of deceney was violated 10 the
search of NY house and person, and by the sur
Veillance over me.
She then Darrates her grievances:
We read in history that the poor Marie An
toinette had a paper torn from her bosom by
Iawitss hands, and tia, even change Of linen
had TO be Effected in sight of her brutal captors
Il is my sad experience TO record even more
revolving outrages than that, for during the
first days of my imprison mbnt, whenever lie
ctssity forced me to Eesk my chamber, dete:t-
i've stood seniinel Al the open door. A2d thus,
for a period Of seven days, I, with my little
child, was placed absolutely at the mercy Of
men without character or responsibility; that
durirg z the first evening, portion of these
men became brutally drunk, and boasted in
NY besiipg Of the 'fpice times" they expected
to have with the female prisoners; and thai
rude violence was used toward colored serV
ant girl during that evening, the extent of
which have not been able to learn. For any
show of decoIum afterward practiosd toward
me, was indebted to the detective called
Captain Dennis.
In the careful analysis of my papers I deny
the existence Of line had not perfect right
to have written, or to have received. Freedom
Of speech and of opinion is the birthright OF
Americans, guaranteed to us by our char Ter
of Iiberty-the Constitution of the United
States. I have exercised my prerogative, aud
have openly avoHed my sentiments. Daring
the political Struggle opposed your Republican
party with every instinct Of self preservation.
l believed your success virtual nullidcation
of the Constitution, and that il would entail
have ensued. These sentiments have doubt
less been found recorded among my papers,
and hold them as rather proud record of my
ssgaciiy.
IDasmuch as she is "held to man g account
ability" Mrs. Greenhow demands mans
privilege:
must be permitted to quote from letter Of
yours in regard to Russell, of the London
Times, which you conclude with these admira-
bic words: "Individual errors of opinion may
he tolerated, so long as good sense is left to
combat them" By way Of illustrating theory
ard prac ice-bere au I, prisoners in sight OF
the Executive mansion, in sight Of the Capitol
where the proud statesmen. of our land have
sung their pesns to the blessings of our free
Institutions. Comment is idle. Freedom OF
speech, freedom of thought, every right per-
tanning to the citizen, has been suspended by
what suppose the President calls "miitary
necessity. A blow has been struck, by this
total disregard of all civil rights, against the
present eystem of government, far greater in
its effects than the severance of the Southern
States. Our people have been taught to con.
tenn the supremacy Of the law, to which all
bave hitherto bowed, and to look to the mill
taIy power for protection against its decress.
A military spirit has been developed which will
only be subordinate to a military dicta-
torship. Read history, and you will find
that the causes which bring about a
revolution rarely predominate at its close,
and no people have ever returned to
the point from which they started. Even
should the Southern States be subdued and
forced back into the Union (Which 1 regard as
impossible, with full knowledge of their re.
sources,) a different form Of Government will
be found needful to meet the new develop
ments of national character. There is no class
of society, no branch of industry, which this
charge has not reached, and the dull, plod
cling, methodical habits of the poor can never
be resumed.
You have held me, sir, TO a mans accounta-
biity, and therefore claim the right to speak
on subjects usually considered beyond a wo-
mans ken, and which you may class as Ger
rors of opinion" I offer no excuse for this
long depression, as three months imprison-
ment, without formula Of law, gives me au
thority for occupying even the precious mo-
ments Of a Secretary of State.
Ny object is to call your attention to the fact
that during this long imprisonment 1 am yet
ignorant OF the causes Of my arrest; that my
house has been seizsd and converted into a
prison by the Government; that the valuable
furniture it contained has been abused and de-
stroyed; that during some period of my impris
onment I have Suffered greatly for want OF
proper and sufficient food. Also, have tc
complain that more recently woman OF bad
character, recognized as having been seen or
the strsets of Chicago as such by several of the
guard, calling herself Mrs. 0nderdonk, was
placed here in my house, il room adjoining
mite.
She concludes as follows:
The 'iron heel of DO Wer" may keep down
but it can not crush out the spirit Of resistane
Of people armed for the defense Of thei
rights, AID 1 tell you now, sir, that you ar
star ding over a crater whose smothered fire
in moment may burst forth.
II is your boast that thirty three bristlinJ
fortifcatIons now surround Washington. TIL
fortIfcs.ions of Paris did not protect Loui
Philippe when his hour had come
In conclusion, respectfully ask your stten
ticn TO this my protest, and have the honor Il
be, &C., ROSE o. N. GREENH0W.
Nav ENGLAND MANUFACTURING ISTEREsTs.
The Boston CONNER ciaL Bulletin says:
The woolen mills are all making mono,
rapidly from the army demand for their fabrics
Those Of cotton are working a raw msteriR
that cost from IL to is cents, but that will noJ
bring 80 "a "a cents in the ma,ket. Az manu-
faciuIe0 goods have advanced greatly. thsus
generally less than the raw material itself, tn
si1 month"; profits Of a cotton mill, run
ling full time, are really enormous Some o
the concerns, also, have made money b.
the sale Of portion of their raw COT
ton. Others have large Government contract
at prices red on very high figures for cotton
On the other band, many mills have been run
ming but one half TO two thirds time, and hav
much raw material vet on hand. Even thi