North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1863-04-15
EXCITEMENT AT READING.


Db;,odsphia papers of yesterday contain re-
ln ,hs examination before United States Com
P.;,Der HeazGtt, of the persons arrested at Read
n- D. from which we compile the following. 1t
~s ,ot he forgotten that the accounts, being TAX
'nV Republican papers, are not free from par
m. The information upon which the arrest was
uA',! u.s the subjoined deposition Of Detective
Lyon
,..0,Dally appeared before the subscriber, COM
.'..or anpointed by the Circuit Court United
ms =, for the Eastern District Pennsylvania, Will
" LYON, Of the city of Reading, who, being du-
: ,roru, according to law, deposes and says. that a
lain Phillip Huber, residing near the Black Horse
r.-.-D in Lancaster county, near the line OF Berks
.,nntv. Augustus F. Ilig, Gabriel Filbert, George
.,d Harrison Oxensider, have for some time past
-, 10 wit, since the first of February, 1868, and
now organizing and establishing in various parts
,rRArks county, certain seditious and treaSonatie
bpations lodges and societies, the object of which
:, n create disafection against the government Of
j.. United States to prevent and resist he execu
80, of the laws Of the Uni ted States and particular
lyth re
draft of soldiers. Said lodges meet at night; the
rrsmber pay an initiation fee and take oath, the
.ror of which, as deponent is informed ant believes
he able to prove, is to resist the laws OF The Unit
al States as above set forth. Members Of said lodg
srs have openly and repeatedly stae1 their Object to
bo as herein set FORTH and also that their societe:
extend throughout the South, and exist in the army
Il -. u,
with safety through the South that they are MI
lion strong and that they viii shortly proclaim tIer1
selves openly. Deponant is inIor:nsi of tue
and places of meetu, Oh my Of these lodges, oou
sisting of from thirty to fly, eighty ana one
hundred members each, AMI Scattered throughout
and rapidly increasing N tha various townships
throughout Berks county. DepuneDt has been fur
uished with authoatic lists Of the nan-es IT many
members of these lodges. \ meeting VAS bell 9n
Satu day evening, March Il. 1907, at Ihe house u
Jacob Zeler near StlouchshGrg, ndr!on township
Berks county, which addressed by s4i3 Huaer,
and eighty three members reported DIS initiated ~
T. Illig and Gabriel FilDert took Prominent part
Said Illig took the initiation fee. This lepoGent
expressly charges that said lodges are treasonabi
Huber is organizing the same. AMI that said Dr Au
gustus F. I.iig, Gabriel Filbert and Harrison Oxen
slider are members Of the same. AMI this deIonent
further says, that the said Phillip Huber Augustus
F. Illig, and Gabriel Filbert, Henry Siriel, Joseph
Muthart, George c. Reed and Harrison Oxensider
did, on or about the lst day Of February, 1868, in
the Eastern district of Pennsylvania AMI at times
thereto, conspe to oppose by orce the
authority of the government of the United States and
by force to prevent, hinder, and delay the execution
Of certain laws of the United States contrary to the
act of Congress of 10th of July, 1861, and against
the peace and dignity of the United States
W. Y. LYON.
On Wednesday afternoon Deputy Marshals Shar-
key and Schuyler and Government Detective VIM
Lyon arrived in this city from Realing having in
,harge Phillip Huber, DR.. Augustus Ill,r Gabriel
Filbcrt, and Harrison 0xenSIder, The first named
was arrested by Detective Lyon at the iron works of
the Reading Railroad Company at Reading and The
others at Starkstown Marion township Bucks county,
~ Detectives Sharkey and Schuyler. These parties
are charged with forming certain seditous and rea-
aonable combination lodges societies. the object of
Which is to create dissatisfaction against the govern
nent of the United States to resist and prevent the
'1scutiou of the laws of the United States aud par
cularly the act of Congress providing for conscrip
or draft for soldiers The said lodges meet at
aigat. The members pay an initiation fee and take
OATH the tenor OF which is to resist the lsvs of
he country These parties were first taken to Read
ng and confined in the jail there When an atteto
was made by a number of their comrades to release
hem.
These men were brought before United States Com
missioner Heazlitt yesterday afternoon at four o'clock
Tor bearing on the above charges, and after mum.
ber CT witnesses had been examined clear case was
made out against Huber, who was proved to lie
ingleader in the movement and was held bv the
commissioner in S4,010 bail for further hearing
The others were held in their own recognzan,es in
ne sum of 600 to appear if required ts do So the
evidence at present not bearing directly against them
Mr., Coey appeared for the government, and J. Clan
icy Jones, Esq, and John P. O'Neill, Esq, for the
THE EXCITEMENT AT READING
The following letter in the Inquirer gives an Ar
count of the scenes in Reading, immediately after
he arrests became known:
READING, Berks Co., April g.
IL mas been currently report ed for some weeks hat
secret societies to resist the draft we're in existence
n herks, Montgem cry, Lancaster, Lebunon, and
oner counties, and within three days past four ar
ress nave been made Of alledged leaders ali OF whom
we're sent to Philadelphia on Wednesday, and had a
nearing before the nited States authorities These
arrests u became known in BerEs and Lebanon onu
M NeS Oh Wednesday evening, and created the great
sst excitement The associates ofthe guilty. parties
Immediately ca led meetings OF the iodgSs, and NJ
'eese neetlngs held on Wednesday night il was de-
cded lhat delegation Of the members o the s..ret
'. ''Veles should proceed early On Thursday morning
70 Reading the object being to dfsrav the :or,e q
.ne associations end to take su, a measures n,,bt
~ ~ Oeeined necessary to res Gc the four who had
arrested, VINO were supposed to DO still il prison
Accordingly, about o'clock on THURSDAY morning
TWO hnadred and eighty farmers residing ifb
~ Ten miles of Reading, assembled or the :nr1,.s
Auu w marehed 10 the city When they arrived with,
@ Dae mile they halted and waited for the coumireo
"uen tney SAID had promised 20 20 from Reading 10
sueet a ,nem No committee came and they Laotcicd
" nV headlng IN procession four abreast, ani nalte
y ront OF the courthouse, on Sixth street about II
= eiocH' lhe procession was healed by one man
S,l nuSe name Is unknown An immense crowd assem-
Dleu, ana the confusion n,reasad M,ry oc ~.