Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1862-08-30
From the Clsv. Herald.
Indictment OF Traitors.

Oou'to VI VnS " p ~ luulhnhI nave IuuiCteu
for treason number of the leading Knights Of
the Golden Circle in that State. The Jury
was 10 session three weeks, and near two hun
dred Witnesses we're sworn aud examined. Six
~ indictments were returned by the jury, 16
OF which were for treason.
There were also Is Indictments returned
against persons for conspiring to take and pos.
sess the property Of the U. s. and thirteen for
conspiracy to defeat the opera ton Of the laws
of the U. S. 10 their presentmeut the Grand
Jurors state that from the testimony it is prov.
ed that secret and oath. bound organization ex-
lists, numbering some $4,000 in Indiana, ,'us esti-
mated by members Of their ORDER commonly
known as knights Of the Golden Circle,
and even in the same localities by different
names. We quote rL af
Their lodges, or "Castles," as they de.
nominate them, are located in various parts
of the State,yet have common signs, gripes,
and words whereby the members are able
to distinguish each other, and passwords
10 enable the member to enter the castle in
which such member may choose to visit
They have signals by which they can com
muncate with each other in the day or the
night time, and above all, they have sig.
! nal or sign which may be recognized at
great distance from the person giving it.
This last signal, we roget to say way in
vented for The use of such members as should,
bV means of the draft, or OthertoiSe, be com.
PEELED 10 serre IN the ranks of Tie army In
such q case, members of the order serving
in opposing armies, receiving the sign are
reminded of their obligation not to injure
the member giving it, This signal is Civ.
en- in every instance upon the initiation OF
new member, and its observance is strictly
enjoiped upon every individual belonging to
the order BY the teachings of the organi-
cation it is the duty of its members engag
ed in the present war, although arrayed on
opposite Sides upon the signal being given
! if to shoot at all TO 'ShOOt Orer dh other" :"
Many members of the order examined be-
fore US admit the binding force of the obli
cation, and pretend to justify it as correct
as possible.
From the evidence it appears that the
Order has had its origin 10 some of the
Southern States, and was introduced into
Indiana from Kentucky. The primary OBJ
ject when it originated, was to organize
the friends of slavery in the U. S: for the
purpose of acquiring territory in Mexico
and the Central American States, and also
for the acquisition of Cuba. 1t was intro
duced into INDIANA and other Northern
States last winter, and the Jury make this
startling assertion ...
Since that time it has made alarming
progress in our midst with entirely new
features attached TO il in view of the unnat-
ural conflict now desolating our country.
Not only are the loyal soldiers in the army
to be treacherously betrayed in the bloody
hour of battle, by the signals before referred
to, but said Grand Jury have abundant
evidence of the membership binding them.
selves 10 resist the payment of the Federal
tax and prevent enlistmentS in the armies
Of the U. S.
1t is fact worthy of note, and concu.
sively shown, that in localities where this
organization extensively prevails, there has
been failure TO furnish a fair proportion
of volunteers. Said Grand Jury, after
thorough examination on that point, have
been unable to find any instance where o
member of the said organization had volun.
| teered to fight for the Union under the late
requisiion for volunteers.
The meetings of the Order referred to
are holden in by-places, sometimes in the
woods, and at other times in deserted hou-
ses. Its members frequently attend with
arms in their hands, and in almost every
instance armed sentnels are posted to keep
off inlruders. Youths not more than six
teen years OF age arc in many cases intro,
duced and initiated into its mysteries. The
credulous and unwary are often allured in
to the fold of the Order, upon the pretext
that it was instituted for no other purpose
than the better organization of their
party. I.. HEe III
Since said grand Jury began said iuves-
tigation, it has been discovered that the or
der exists among the prisoners of war now
in Camp Morton, who refused to testify up
on the ground that IL may implicate the
members of heir ordsr in Indiana, and
thereby injure the cause of Southern Con
federacy. - aa .. .r
Such is the evidence Of the existence Of
the rankest treason in Indiana, and to an
extent known only to the gHilty parties.
The Knights of the Golden Circle have
plans to prevent enlistments, to avoid or
defeat legal proceedings against them they
are sworn to resist the collection of Federal
taxes, aud go armed to their secret meeting.
The Indianapolis Journal states that on this
latter point, that during the late Democratic
State Convention no less than Eve hundred
reVolvers were sold
Do not similar rami6cation oEtreason ex'
list in Ohio Is it not full time that The
testimony should be looked up That u
S. attorneys, marShals and juries should be
on the alert
FOREIGN COMMERCE OF New YoRK. K.-The
New York World publishes statistics OF the
foreign commerce of N. Y. for the month
of July, and for several months of the cal