The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1863-06-16
WILMINGTON, N. c., April I'd, 1868.

scene which transpired in st. Pauls church,
Alexandria, Va, on the 9th February, 1862, but
at your request will describe it to the best OF
my ability.
The service had progressed as far as the second
suffrage of the Litany; Rev. George Smith was
kneeling at one end of the altar, and [ was con-
Quoting the services, at the other end, when con-
.fdential agent of Sec'y Seward named Morton,
arose in the front of the Chancel, and demanded
that I should pray for the President of the U. ).
At the same time Captain of the 9Th Illinois
Cavalry named Farnsworth began to repeat, from
front pew, the prayer for the President. Find
ing that paid no regard to his demand, but pro-
cceded in the Litany, Morton gave sign to Farms:
worth, and the officers and soldiers who had &C
companied him into the Church, Immediately
surrounded the Chancel, and a sergeant was
ordered to seize that man." The Sergeant
sprang over the Chancel railing, and made several
motions as if he would lay hold upon me, but, in,
asmuch as I still continued the Litany, he hesta
ted, and the order was given to take the Prayer
book from me; thereupon the book was violently
wrested from my hand and thrown upon the floor
The order to seize me was DOW repeated; [ was
about using the suffrages "from all evil and mis-
chief; from the crafts and assaults of the Devil
from envy, hatred and nalice;-Gcod Lord de-
liver u.s. when [ felt the officers hand upon my
shoulder, as / knelt at the altar But just at that
moment, gentleman of the congregation seized
the officer and threw him out of the Chantel.
Thereupon the officers and soldiers drew their
sabres and revolvers and there was great noise
and .confusion;> women were struggling to hold
: their husbands, others screaming, others crying
for shame" and amidst it all l heard the voice of
Lieut.. -, saying "don't fire." | Immediately
arose, and facing the Captain (Farnsworth) said
something, in reply to which he said 81 arrest
you as a rebel and traitor, in the name and by
the authority of the President of the United
States" / replied, "and I summon you to ap-
pear before the bar of the Lord Of Lords and
King of Kings, to answer upon the charge of
inerrupting His Ambassador, by armed violence,
while in the act Of presenting the petition of His
people, at His altar" He then ordered me to
take off the ISurplicc. This | refused to do, OBJ
serving, "you have entered the Church of God,
and dragged Religion from its altar, and the vest
ment from me. No, you must take me as | am"
Two scrgeants then seized me in the chancel,
and with great violence, holding a revolver at my
breast, they forced me out of the Church, and
through the streets, with the surplice on, each of
them grasping it upon the shoulder tightly as
leave upon it the marks of their hands. At the
same time my daughter, having left the choir,
where she had been engaged in singing, and ap-
preaching a Lieutenant, said "You are not going
to arrest my father" "Yes, and you too," re-
piled the officer, who rudey seized her by the arm,
and forced her through the streets to be shut up
in the guard room of the 9Th Illinois cavalry.
About the time of greatest confusion, an armed
company, who had been placed in reserve at a
short distance from the Church broke in, and
begged their officer to " let them fire upon these
damned secession women and children"
While in the guard room, being surround ed by
many officers who sought to reproach me for
violation of canon law and rubrics, first replied,
that if was under the jurisdiction of the bishop
Of Virginia, l had violated no law; but if not
under his authority, then [ was as Independent
and free as the Presbyterian OR Baptist, and no
rubric could bind me. But being vexcd by con-
tinued discussions, 1observed that there limits
to their power, and that they could not hurt the
hair of my head without my Masters permission,
but that if He wed it so, yet even at peril of death
in five minutes, would not allow military power to
enter the Church and dictate prayers to the Min
lister of God. Gen. Montgomery now came in and
rebuked the officers for violating the sauctity of
the Lords day and Church; and for going in
Church armed with weapons of death. He told,
them that I was a resident of the city, and could
have been arrested on week day. and that he
had himself reported to the Government the
omission of the prayer and had no instructions to
arrest me; that he regarded their action assam in
trusion upon his own province; he also said that
had violated no civil military law; and that
there were Church tribunals to which | should be
amenable, if guilty of ecclesiastical rresularity
He then asked me to 60 with him to his own
quarters, where l remained until he obtained au-
thority to act in the matter, when he at once re-
leased me- When he at first offered me parole,
/ declined it, on the ground that would accept
nothing but an unconditional release. When he
urged me to settle the whole difficulty by praying
for the President, [ assured him that though it
might, as intimated, "make my fortune" vet |
should not do it; and that l regarded it as un-
manly In his Government to make use of women
and children, and timid clergymen, to brow beat
and crush out the liberties of the South; that we
were non eombatants aud should be at least tolera
ted Gen. Montgomery thought that his Govern
ment would disayow the whole matter But he
was mistaken. He was ultimately removed from
his command, and all the Episcopal Churches
closed-sonc of them being shockingly desecrated
Every indignity was bestowed upon me that the
press and the mob could invent; Union flag was
fastened upon my house, and eventually had to
seek, in exile from my family, that safety which
even the Turk affords ministers of religion, and
the privilege of worshipping God according to the
dictates of my conscience.
p6r Post Of6ce robberies have become quite
frequent. A few days since large number of
letters were found concealed in an out building
this city, supposed to have been distracted from
bome post-ofice.
f One day this week the Post master at Salem, in
\ his State, detected party In the act of taking
quantity of letters from the Office Upon search.
il large number Of letters were found hidden in
yarious places, many of them directed to the
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