Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-04-05
lFrom tho clncanaA Enquirer Of April ilh.l
The Rebellion In Noble County, Ohio
The TestimOnv.

The Testimony. W
The testimony before Me-. Commissioner
Halliday, In the case OF certain cltlzens charged
With resisting the execution Of the proceHs Of the
United States District Court for the Southern
District Of Ohio, now nearly completed, enables
us to Judge with considerable accuracy Of the
magnitude Of the event which has, In the news.
papers, been dignifed by the startling title OF
"The Rebellion In Noble County" Pending
the decialon of the Commissioners, II would,
perhaps, beout Of place TO speak OF the case of
the parties that have been arrested or 10 pro-
nounoe dogmatically upon the weight Of the
testimony In proving the guilt or innocence of
the offense for which they are arraigned; but
az use has been literally made of the zeal, or
rather of the imaginary circumstances of the
transaction, to arouse feelings of party preju--
dice, It woald be less than fair II we were not
permitted to allude to the facts as they are
proven, to show how the public ear has been
abused by fabricstions which bear, at least, but
q remote resemblance to the truth.
There was an assemblage Of men, some Of
them in arms, to the number OF about one hum
dred, in the village of Haskinsville, Noble
county, on the l2ih of March. Deputy Mar
shal Colby, Of this city, with four private sold.
iers, did go to Haskinsvile, the Deputy Mar
shal charged with writ for the arrest OF one
j. w. Brown, charged with the crime of entIc-
ing q soldier to desert, and one Of the soldiers
holding an order for the arrest of deserfer
The men in arms confronted the Deputy Mar.
shal and his soldiers, ,but neither used violence
nor attempted constrsint. The Deputy Mar
shal and his soldiers looked at the men In arms
and came away, not attempting to execute the
processes they held, nor even informing the
crowd that they we're officially deputed, or that
they held writs or orders for any purpose.
This is, according to the testimony Of the prin.
cipal witnesses on the part of the United States,
the whole of the far-iamed rebellion In Noble
county"
For people to assemble is contrary to no law
| or constitution. In order to constitute crime,
there must be on act against the law. If there
has been rebellion in Noble county-if the
people Of Noble county have rebeled-it Ia in
the commission of some breach of the peace,
or of some crime prohibited by tho statute. In
order to constitute the crime specifed-resist,
ance OF an officer in an attempt to execute
warrant--these must be, frat, warrant; sec
ond, au attempt to execute 1t; and, third, resist
ance BY force of the officer seeking to execute
knowing him to be an officer protesting to &C
under warrant from legal authority.
i Had Deputy Marshal Colby attempted to ex
ecute his writ, and the people had interposet
force to prevent him, they would have beer
guilty under the law. Had he even exhibited
his wArrsn., and called upon the assembly Il
assist, the refusal of the bystanders to ODE,
the requlstion might have been subject to
construction adverse to their loyalty. This Il
what, as faithful and skillful officer, 1t wal
his duty to do; but he either did not under
stand his duty, or his discretion so far got tbs
better Of his valor that he became, for the tim,
being, incapable or, encouraged by similar
proceedings in other places, he chose rather t.
I be the finder of rebellion than q auccessfu
Deputy Marshal. We have dozen constablel
In the city, who, sent up to Noble county
single.hauded and alone, would have executet
the same process, without incurring the least
danger or exciting the least disturbance.
The conduct of the Deputy Marshal-and BIZ
troupe was well calculated to excite suspicion
and create alarm, and to spread these ieeling
widely and rapidly. Neglec.iDg to tell thei
bnsinesss, they gave an air OF mystery to tn,
affair, more tbsn anything else likely to dray
the people of rural district together, az vel
from motives of curiosity ss OF apprehension
We do not believe there was really premedl
tsted disposition 10 get up disturbance; bu
had such disposition existed, the parties coult
not have managed matters more adroitly to se
cure success. But badly slandered ss they havt
been, the people OF Noble county will be win
dcated BY this examination. Whatever maj
be the decision of the Commissioner, the testi
mony s before the public; and before the fac,
of the facts, the rebellion 10 Noble county viii
spec dily shrink TO its true dimensions.