Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1862-12-18
ID. Steward, ESQ.

Mr.. STEWARD, editor of the Constitu-
ton and Union, published at Fairfield,
Iowa, was arrested by some pimps of
King Abraham's, and imprisoned at
Washington City from August to No
vember, and then "honerably discharg-
ed" His paper of the 4th inst. contains
the following on his arrest and release ::
"The Abolition Republican leaders
and their blowers and strikers in this
portion of Iowa, failing in their efforts
by threats against our person and prop
erty to drive us from the position we had
taken in defense of the Constitution and
the laws and in favor of the Union, and
for the soldiers in the field against the
thieves and contractors who despoil them
whenever opportunity offers, they, COW.
ards and poltroons that they are, concoc-
ted scheme at their secret meetings to.
secure our arrest and Imprisonment, that
we might be put out Of the way at least
till alter the election, and rod of terror
held over the heads of other Democrats
to prevent, if possible, their voting.
Marsha HoXie, fighting tool for
such creatures, was called to their assis.
tance. lie came, but few days too soon,
the Democratic Congressional Conven.
tion lad not yet been held, and the con
spirators postponed the carrying ont OF
their scheme one week. On Sunday, the
18th OF August, due notice having been
given to Hoxic at Burlington by mess
engcr on the Saturday evening train, that
funeral was to take place at certain
hour, he arrived at Fairfield with spe-
cial train and with his pimps proceeded
to make the arrest. Having accomplish
ed it without the shedding of blood, the
conspirators became jubilant, and for
getting the soemnites Of the occasion
while yet at the house of mourning, and
even around the grave, we are informed.
they greeted each other with, "Sheward' S
arrested !" "Sheward's arrested !! Yes,
we were arrested, arbitrarily and illegal
ly, at the instigation OF towards, spies,
pimps and inlormers, who cared nothing
Tor the rights and privileges of a free,
white American citizen, but onl y saw and
feared his presence and influence in the
coming election. No writ of habyas
corpus in this case. No hurrying to and
fro of ardent Abolition patriot lawyers
and County Judges to rescue us from the
hand of tyrannical master by the strong
arm of the civil law, with a writ of ha6eas
corpus in the hands Of the high sheriff o
the county, acting in the name of the
State OF Iowa. No technicali,ies pleaded
by the Governor to prevent our Icing
taken from the State arbitrarily and lille
gally. None of this-we were not of the
"loya" black-nor were we one
of old John Browns right hand men
unfortunately. or rather fortunately, we
were a Democrat, and had no right, in
the estimation of the black hearted Abo'
lition conspirators, that they were bound
to respect, and hence were hurried off tC
Military Bastie, located in the city Of
Washington, within a stones throw oI
the Capitol, whose dome is soon to be
surmounted by the Goddess of Liberty,
and there kept three months without
knowing, or being allowed to know, the
charges against us. The building in
which we were confined was once the
capitol of a proud, free and happy peo'
pie. Within its walls was often heard in
former days the eloquent, burning words
of patriots but its walls now echo to
the curses, loud and deep, of innocen'
men who are there imprisoned and made
to suffer illegally and without cause
Deep and damning is this plot which now
stains the escutcheon of this Administra'
ton. The Temple of Liberty turned in'
to a Military Bastile-think OF it, Amer
lean citizens Blush for the deeds'of the
men who thus desecrate the memories o.
the illustrious dead.
Day after day and day after day, by
our own efforts and through counsel out
side, we sought to ascertain the charge:
against us and obtain hearing, but
without avail At last, on the 10th day
OF November, 1862, when there was only
four political or estate prisoners" re-