Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1863-10-29
The Beauties OF the Suspension
OF the Writ Of gnnoceBcc---A
Man Who was Never fn the
Army Arrested as "a Descrter.

The beauties Of tho Lincoln Admins
tration. in the suspension of the the writ
Of the protection Of innocence is we'll ex
hibited in the following letter from
Washington City to the Chicago Times.
"The President has suspended the vri
Of hoJeos corpus. Well that can't make
matters much worse than they were be-
fore. Personal liberty has long since
become triaiDg matter. Let me cite
an instance. Two years ago. when
things were very different from what they
are now, and patriotic citizens were eve
rywhere rushing to arms. citizen OF
New York. named Moses Colby. enlist
ed in the 10lst New York regiment fot
three years or the war. About a yeal
ago Moses got tired Of his service and
mysteriously disappeared. In fact he
deserted. Now, any body catching Mo-
ses Colby and returning him to his regi-
ment, will be entitled to ten dollars, and
will richly earn it.
" At the corner of Jefferson and Van
Barren streets, in the city Of Chicago,
resides man named Moses Colby. This
Moses Colby is a married man, having a
vile and two children dependent on him
for support. He also supports his aged
mother and young brother, all Of whom
are members Of one family. Colby S
occupation is a boatman. He was last
employed Oh tue canal boat Constitution
as steersman, on a trip to St. Loui,
and return. He arrived at Chicago OF
ha % IS 1aal IL
his family--in fact, as soon as the boat
made landing--was arrested and thrown
into the Court House Jail as deserter
1t made no difference ;hat he told the Of
fcers who arrested him that he had new.
er been in the army, and could not there
fore be deserter; it made no difference
that he called up his companions on the
boat to identify him and establish his
assertion; he was deserter, and mus
Immediately accompany the officers. The
Captain of the boat ran and informed
CoIby's family Of the case; and his moth
er hastened to the Court House to see
her son, but admittance was denied her
She assured the jailor that her son had
never been in the army; but this had no
effect.
"a provost marshal called soon afte
his arrest, to whom Colby repeated hi
statement, that ne was not, and haC
never been a soldier, and offered tt
prove what he stated. But no attention
was given to his statement. Early il
, the evening a pair of handouts were pu
upon him, and he was taken to the cor
y ner of Stark and Randolph streets, an
q forced to pay his fare in a Street car t
. Camp Douglas. Here he remained
!, few hours when he was again ironed an,
brought back to the city, again bein!
compelled to pay his own fare. All thi
was doubtless for the purpose of keeping
him out Of the way of writ Of AaJea'
corpus.
"At eight O'Clock the same night h
was put on the cars of the Cincinnati
and Chicago Air Line Railroad, ant
| transported to Cincinnati, the manacle
a remaining on his wrists all the way. A
Cincinnati he was thrown into misera
Bile military prison on Second Street
Here he was kept one day, and then sen
to prison ship anchored in the river
opposite the city. On this ship he wa
confined for six days. Then he wa
I transported, with other prisoners, chain
ed as deserters, to Baltimore, and throw
into Fort McHenry, where he was KEEP
at hard labor for ten or twelve days. Th
, commonest comforts of lie were her
denied him. He was forced to find hi
! only repose on the hard ground, with
! out even a blanket to cover him. Frou
Fort McHenry he was sent 20 Cam
, Distribution, near Alexandria, Virginia
where he remained nearly another week
when he was sent forward to the army.