Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1862-01-15

given 10 understand that the pcrusal Of il
Wa Hul without visible effect upon that
impcrsouation OF all human villRiny The
tvitchings Of the muscles, and his agita
ted manner betrayed not, perhaps any
cOmpunction, hut sense uC personal in,
security at the hands Of the ayengng
Nemesis.
This letter is the most graphic sketch
yet given to tho world Of the cruel and
daStardly tyranny which the Yankee Gov.
ernment has established ut Washington,
Russell, in one of his letters to the Lon
don Y,acs, mentions the eXpedieut Of car.
rest by telegraph which has been intro
ducqd 10y Seward, as something new and
appalling, and outstripprg all the inge'
nious contrivances Of all the despotisms
that ever existed. But the incarceration
and torture Of helpless women, and the
outraGes heapcd upon them, as detailed in
thisletter, will more shock manly natures,
and stamp the Lincoln dynasty every
where with undying inIamy. The letter
tells its own tale. and may be relied on as
true copy Of the original, in the hands
Of William II. Seward:
WASHINGTON, Nov. II, 1861,
398 Sixteenth street.
To the Hon Vim. H. Se,yarR, ,SCc'yQfSt -
Sir-For nearly three months | have
been confined, a close prisoner, shut out
from air and exercise, aud denied all com.
munion with family and friends.
Patience is said to be great virtue, and
! have practiced it to my utmost capacity
of endurance.
am told sir, that upon your ipse diri!
the fate of citizens depends, and that the
sign manuel of the ministers Of LOUIS the
Fourteenth and Fifteenth was not more
potential in their day than that Of the
Secretary Of State of 1861.
| therefore, most respectfully submit
that on Friday, August %, without war.
rant or other show OF authority, was ars
rested by the detective police, and my
house taken in charge by them and all
my private letters and papers of a lifetime
were read and examined by them; that
every law of decency was violated in the
search Of my house and person, and by the
surveillance over me.
We read IN history, that the poor Ma.
RIA ANToINBTTE had paper torn from her
bosom by lawless hands, and that even
change of linen had to be effected in sight
o? her brutal captors. Ii is my sad expe.
RACES than that, for during the first days
ot my Imprisonment, whenever necessity
forced me to seek my chamber, detec'
tive stood sentinel at the open door. And
thus for period Of seven days, |, with
any little child was placed absolutely at
the mercy of men without character or
responsibility that during the first even
lng, portion of these men became bru-
tally drunk, and boasted in my hearing of
the mice times" they expected to have
with the iamale prisoners and that rude
violence was used towards colored SER
want girl during that evening, the extent
OF which | have rot been able to learn
For any show Of decorum afterwards prac.
tiGed toward ne, was indebted TO the
detective called Captain Dennis.
In the careful analysis of my papers
deny the existence of line had not per.
feet right to have written, Or to have re.
ceived. Freedom Of speech and of opin.
ion is the birthright Of Americans, guar.
antied to US by our charter of liberty-the
Constitution Of the United States. have
exercised my prerogatiye and have OPEN
Iy Nvowed my sentiments. During the
political struggle, | opposed your Repub-
lican party with every instinct Of self
preservation. ! believed your succuss a
virtual notification of the Constitution,
and that it would entail upon US all the
direful consequences which lave ensued.
These sentiments have doubtless been
found lecordcd among my papers, and !
hold them as rather proud record of my
sagaclty.
i must be permitted to quote from a let
ter OF yours, in regard to Russell, of the
London Times, which you conclude with
these admirable words -" Individual er-
roTs of opinion may be tolerated so long
as good sense is left 10 combat them. -
BY way OF illustrating theory and prac.
tice-here am, prisoner in sight of the
Executive mansion, in sight of the Capt.
tol. where the proGG statesmen of our
land have sung their p@ns to the bless
inIs OF our free institutions. Comment is
id'o. Freedom of speech. freedom of
thought, every right pertaining to the cit
i2'a has been Suspended by what, sup
pose the President calls a military ne
ccsSity," blow has been struck, by this
total disregard of all civil rights, against
the present system Of Government, far
grraterin It's effects than the severance of
the southern States.
Our people have been taught to con-
tenn the supremacy Of the law, to which
all nave hitherto bowed, and to look to
the military power for protection against
its DEGREES. A military spirit has been
developed, which will only be subord dnate
to a military dictatorship. Read history
and YOU will find that the eau ses which
bring about a revolution rarely predomi-
mates at its close, and no people have ev-
er returned to the point from which they
started. Even should the Southern State
be subdued and forced back into the Un-
ion (which regard as impossible, with n
full knowledge of their resources a diff
ferent form of government will be found
needful to meet the new developments
of national character. There Is no class
of society, no branch of industry, which
this change has not reached, and the dull,
plodding, methodical habits of the poor
can never be resumed.
You have held me sir, to mans ac'
oountability, and | therefore claim the