Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1861-07-05
THM Law o1c rREaAsoN IN viRG1N1A.

Constitution OF their country, and their
determination to uphold the Govern
ment of the Union, we publish the Vir-
ginia law Of treason. It is in these
words:
"Treason shall consist only in ieyying
war against the State, or adhering to It's
enemies, giving them aid and comfort
or establishing, without authority ot' tie
Legislature, any government within its
limits, separate from the existing GOV
ernment, Or holding or executing, in
such usurpel soycrnment, any Office
protesting allegiance or &de'jty to it, OF
resisting the execution Of the laws, un-
der coior Of It's authority; and such
treason, if proved by the testimony of
two Witnesses to the same overt act, or
by confession in court, shall be pua;shol
with death.
/ If a free person, knowing Of any such
treason, shall not, as soon as may be,
give information thereof 10 the governor,
or some conservator Of the peace, he
shall be punished by fae not exceeding
one thousand dollars, or by confinement
in the penitentiary not less than three
nor more than Eve years
Ii a free person attempt to establish
any such usurped government, and COM
nit any overt act therefor, or, by writ
ing Or speaking, cndeavor to insiigate
others to establish such governments, he
shall be confined in jail not exceeding
twelve months, and fined not exceeding
one thousand dollars.
/ If free person advise or conspire
with a slave to rebel or make insurrec
ton, or with any person to induce a
slave to rebel or make insurrection, he
shall be punished with death, whether
such rebellion or insurrection lie made
! or not.
1t will be seen that The acts are al
most iunumerab'e any one of which Will
constitute man traitor. Let US
enumerate some of them. First-''Leyy-
ing war against the State" Second
"Adhering to its enemies. Third
'.Giving them aid and comfort" Fourth
Establishing within the limits of the
State, any other than the existing Gov
ernment." Fifth-"Hoiaing or execu-
ting in such Government, any Office. -
Sixth Processing allegiance Or fdel-
! ity to such Governments" Seventh
Resisting the execution OF the laws un-
der color cf its autEiority.' Any viola
ton Of the above named acts subjects
the person to the penalty Of death.
| AS Virginia processes to have seeded
from the Union, her officers now
hold that any person who volunteers in
the United States forces, CT professes
allegiance to the Government Of the
Union, or in any way supports the Gov
ernment Of his country, is aiding the
enemies CT Virginia, and is consequently
guilty CT treason. Upon the law and its
construction, squad; Of bandits are
proving over Western Virginia, se;zing
and carrying off every man they can
kidnap, who is known to lie true to the
Union.
But under color of this law, the Union
men are now sufering:a special persecu-
ton. a convention of Union men was
recently held in Wheeling, with TIE
view of devising some peaceful and con
stitutioral means of saving their native
State from the utter ruin which must
follow an armed resistance to the au-
thority of the Constitution and Govern
ment Of the T. S. The Governor, and
State officials, who are STEPPED to their
eyes il open rebellion, hold every n.em-
Der Of the Wheeling Convention, and
all who sanction, its doings, to be trai-
tors to tie State, and are pursuing them
to the death. Many of the best men oi
tie West have been compelled to fy
for their lives, and unless Immediately
and strongly sustained By the General
Government, every Union man in West
ern Virginia will soon be, either an
exile, or in the clutches Of the Southern
conspirators.
Every consideration Of patriotism
fraternity, humanity, religion, and even
self-interest, imperatiyely calls upon the
authe rites Of the Federal Government
as we'll as the citizens of Ohio, to pro-
tect and defend these true and loyal men
who are risking life and property in the
cause of the Constitution and the Union
The Wrong MAN.
The war as carried Oh by the rebels
in Virginia would disgrace a tribe Of
savages. Squads Of lurking assassins
prowl through the country, and from Sc