Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-08-13

the Arkansas by the euemys leetof the arrangement
Of her machinery, and of ner commander haVl4g oo"h
her up. This accident is al that saved the Yankees
Captain Brown was not on her at the ume.
Political Organization ia Indiana.
From the indianapolis Journal, August 4th-
We need not ask the attention of the reader
to the astounding revelation made by the Uni
ted States grand Jury for this district, which ap-
pears in another column, for it will compel at
tention. Nothing SO seriously affecting the
safety of the government has been developed
since the outbreak Of the rebellion Nothing so
alarming has occurred since the first defeat OF
our army before Washington. A secret associa
ton in Indiana of 1900 men, sworn to resist
Federal taxation and enlistments, prepared by
signs to recognize and assist each other, and to
recognize end protect members of similar trganl-
cations even in the rebel army, meeting with
arms in their hands and under the protection OF
armed sentinels, so connected with the rebel
prisoners in this State that the latter refuse
to testify before the jury against them, ana
armed with precautions against legal proceed
ing5 or convictions, is a fact to startle the ma
tion. So gigantic conspiracy Is second only
to the rebellion of which it is an Ot1-sho0t Bat
startling as it is, the fact OF Its discovery Is
protection against the peril The people will
take care Of such an association, when once
known to exist. Secret political societies can
not live in this country in time OF peace, much
less in time of war, when secrecy necessarily
becomes treason.
We have long known, and tried to warn the
public. of the existence of this band of traitors,
and their dsluded associates, but the fact seemed
too monstroUs for belief, and though some local
excitement was created by the revelation and
by OuI appeals TO the pnDhc to put down the
evil thing, the evidence of its reality seemed too
slight to excite the alarm necessary to an effect
r,rnof wa nepdp6
dence that could not be put aside by an incred-
ulous snser, something that would make men
think That we now have. The Grand Jury
of the United States court, at the present term,
have taken the matter up, and made thorough
investigation of it. They have sent to the places
where Castles of the order were believed to
exist, and brought to this city the men suspected
of belonging TO it, put them on oath, and forced
out of them, word by word, the reluc ant con-
LESSONS which are embodied IN the revelation
now made. The members themselves arc the loh-
neSses. The traitors themselves, under the ter
roTs of the Jail and the Judge, reveal the exist-
ence aud purposes of the order Theig testi-
mony cannot be sneered away or disregarded.
Nearly tlro hundred Of them, brought from vari-
GUS portions of the State, were examined.
A great majority admitted their connection
with the order. and more or less fully revealed,
under compulsion, its secrets. Many, not fully
initiated, expressed deep regret on the discovery
of its reasonable character, and earnestly prom
ised to return home and assist III its suppress
sion. No doubt majority Of the members are
loyal, well meaning men, misled as TO Its pur-
poses. who will at once abandon it when they
see this exposure. Others, however, justified
the order, aud refused to reveal anything OF in
portance. Rebel prisoners from Camp Morton
were examined, but they refused to testify be-
cause their evidence would impicate their friends
in this State, and iniure the cause of the Con-
fedsracy." The testimony is full, direct and
overwhelming, not only as to the existence OF
the conspiracy, but as to It's reasonable charac-
ter. OF the correctness Of the revelations OF
SIGNS, griDs aud passwords made by the
witnesses, some Of the grand jury satisfied them
selves by experiment. They mixed with the
crowd az the convention, on last Wednesday,
and the signs they had learned were recognized
and returned by about one hundred persons.
The leading features Of this exposition are:
Ist That the order numbers, according to the
estimates of the witnesses, abOut l5,OUO men,
bers in this State. This, we think, is probably
above the mark; but whether it is or not, it is
certain that very many of the members are but
partially initiated, have no idea of its treasona-
bic purposes, and will have nothing to do with
any action that may interfere with the laws or
their duty to their government.
ID. The existsnce of the order here is known
to the rebels, and its members are instructed to
avoid iniuring rebels in case they should be COM
peed to enter the army. BY sign the mem
bers South can make themselves known to those
of the North, and both are sworn to fire over the
heads of each other in case they meet on oppo-
site sides in battle.
81. The conspiratOrs have devised plan to
avoid OF defeat legal proceedings ainst them.
By changes of venue to counties where the
judges are members, or by getting members on
iuries, they propose TO keep clear of the clutches
of the law. This is by no means an unsafe
reliance when it is remembered that single
iuryman can prevent conviction, and there is
no possible way Of preventing members Of the
order from getting on jurie5 where they are not
known.
4th. The members are sworn to secrecy, and
to the resistance to the collection Of Federal
taxes, and to enlistments.
5th The meetings are frequently guarded by
armed sentinels, and the members generally
come to them armed. In this connection We
may state fact which is not without signi6-
canoe. On the day the anti-war Democratic
Convention was held in this city, five hundred
revolvers were sold, no doubt to members of
this order.
In these features, brought out by the persever-
ing examination of two hundred witnesses, we
see enough to warn the people to be prompt and
earnest in putting down this infamous associa-
ton Their duty is plain, and the crisis immi-
sent. These bands of traitors must be dispersed.
The grand Jury has done its duty by indicting
sixty of the members, but the main work must
rest with the loyal people. Let them put stop
to the meetings in their neighborhoods; but,
above all, put the ban of outlawry, of exclusion
from society, of dark and stern determination on
every man who has any part in the consplfscy.
sIxirmish at Orange COuTt House.
Two or three companies Of Yankee cavalry
made dash into Orange Court House, between
/ eight and nine o'clock on Saturday morning, for
the avowed purpose of capturing the train,
which was then at that place. Two companies
of Confederate cavalry, stationed there quickly
perceived the design of the enemy, and en-
gagged hi in a spirited skirmish lasting for
some time, which resulted in the complete rout
of the enemy, with a loss to him, in killed
wounded and prisoners, of twenty-five. OuI
loss, all told, is set down at from fifteen to
twenty. During the engagement, the conductor
watched his opportunity, and escaped safely
with his train.
Gen. EweIls command moved up and Oecu'
pied the place on Saturday nght.