Maryland free press., 1862-12-05
Release OF the Political Prisoners from
a,.. Maryland.

in Fort Warren, including those from Mar,
land, were asnconai ifs;onduy released-release
after long months of confinement, without eve
having been brought to trial, or any chare
having been made against them, other tina
their tinwillingness to countenance the wicke
Administration of Abraham Lincoln. The
were in truth political prisoners-prisoner
because they dared to entertain and expires
an opinion at variance with that of the part
in power. The following is the order direct
ing their release:
Colonel j. Dmmick, o. s. A., Fort Warren
Boston, Mass.
+ The Secretary of War directs that you re
lease all the Maryland State prisoners also
any other State prisoners that may be in you
custody, and report to this office.
e. d. TOWNSEND, Asst. Adj. Gen'l:
True copy.
J. DIMMIcK, Col. LIST Art'y, CONG Fort
Fort Warren, November 81, 1862.
>All the released prisoners are from Balti.
more, except Charles Magill, who is from Ha-
gerstown, Md, VIM. FL. Winder, from Phila-
delpha, and b. L, Cutter, from CHarlestown,
Mass. Samuel Lyon, of Bellvue, has also
been released, having been exchanged for
Captain Schley. Fort Warren is said to be
now clear Of State prisoners. ..
The Boston Courier, in publishing the order
for the release Of the prisoners, remarks:
The phraseology of the order will strike
some persons as little promiscuous. The
names specified appear only in the certificate
of release furnished by Col. Dimmick, while
the order Of the department only mentions in
general terms call the Maryland State prison.
ers"-and, so that none may be overlooked In
this act of amnesty, any other State prisoners
in the custody of the commandant. We infer
from this that as these gentlemen were arrested
without warrant, and have been Held in pris-
on without.law, so no record of their names
even, much. less any specification of their i'm
puted offenses, has been kept at the War De-
P"' - NJ" must say that this seems to us
a very irresponsible way OF uoifis r.--------,.
ness; and none the less so that among the
gentlemen released are persons of not little
social distinction and public constellation
for instance the late Mayor of Baltimore, and
the various members of the Maryland Legisla-
ture, who were seized and incarcerated when
that body was broken up by the violent action
of the administration, more than ayear ago.
We have understood that the arrest in qies-
tion was then made by order of one of MIR.
T H., bo Eno IN
of the others, or of the President; and also
that at UlIe 'v. t;ran rnnorts were in prepara-
ton by COMMITTEES of both branches oil Ele
Legislature, showing the unconstitutionality of
secession, which would undoubtedly have been
accepted by the Legislature, had no such ex-
traordinaFy interference been had with that
assembly.
In consequence of that action, however,
these gentlemen have now been imprisoned
during this long period and at last their pris-
on doors are thrown open, and they are per-
mitted to 60 at large without any condition, it
being well known that they steadily declined
placing themselves ih the awkward and not
very honorable position of thus acknowledging
themselves guilty Of charges which had never
been exhibited against them. They have had
the personal Inconvenience of this confine-
ment but it is plain that instead of victims,
they thus come out triumphant; and that only
the natural indignation with which they and
their friends will look back upon this useless
persecution, remains. Let us trust that we
have had the last example of such unwarrant-
able and unjustifabe exercise of brief author
ity:
The New York Express, of Saturday after
noon, says: -.
The proposed serenade to the released pris-
oners of State, which was announced to come
of last evening at the New York Hotel, drew
together quite large concourse of people, de-
sirous to witness the compliment thus sought
to be bestowed on men who for opinions sake
had suffered long months of incarceration in
the government bastile. Several of the ward
clubs on their return from the mass meeting
at the Cooper Institute, honored them with a
halt and tune, but elected no response. Ma
ny questions were put as to the probable
cause Of the bdstponcnent of the serenade. 1t
was learned that the gentlemen themselves
had made an earnest request that they might
be allowed to remain quiet and unmolested
during their temporary sojourn in the city,
and therefore politely refused to accept any
serenade. Mr.. Winder occupies room in the
New York Hotel, but Hon. Pierre Soule, on
account of the crowded state of the house, has
a room in the Hotel Julian. He looks very
we'll! Marshall Kane is also stopping at the
New York Hotel, together with DIR. Magill
both of them are tall and well developed
They have already been waited on by some
prominent citizens, but they maintain stfict
silence and avoid all public notoriety Mayo,
Brown, OF Baltimore, was also in the city
but positively repused to accept of any public
demonstration, though rendered by large
body of citizens. 1t is not known how long
they will remain in the city-and it is said
Mr.. Soulc is going to France, or some Other
nart of Eurone