Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1863-01-08
NEW SERIES-VOL. 24-NO. Al.

. plDNialilch ny NIc Diesseu helcHinNF.
Permit me to refer to a few Of the more
striking passages which | was enabled to
cali to mind.
fancied heard the old Prophet Ia.
iah, when in his prophetic vision, he con.
tempted the happy condition Of a conn.
try having righteous ruIer---a nation
like the United States prior to the admin
istration Of Abraham Lincoln, he broke
out in Language like this "And they
shoH bcot Meir sVord8 into plo,D-2tarcs
anil their spears into prua,ng hooks : Va
lion shaH not IN MP sword ogqina nati3n,
neither shaH they learn uor ony more"
Then ! thought Of the birth Of our Sa-
vior, and how an angel appeared unto tho
Shepherds to declare unto them the glad
tidings "And sud3en'y there ,cos ,gah
tie angei a nuH'tude of tie heorcn1y hosts,
proisjng God, and saying, Glory 10 God
in tie kighcSt, md on egyM peace and gooa
wjU 10 men," Luke, 2l chapt. 18th and
14,h verses. And thought to myself.
that had this have happened in Ohio, in
the year 1862, old Abe and Dave Tol
would have issued "IcHres de cacLet"
against the old Prophet and all the hoav-
enly host, and have had them in solitary
confinement in Fort Lafayette for discour-
aging the prosecution Of the war
Again, in Christ's Sermon upon the
Mount, Matthew, 9th chapt. 0,h verse
"BieSsea are tie peace-molers, FAR Hey
shaH be calted tile chHlren If God."
1t was well thought for the blessed
Saviour, that he fell into the hands Of
Pontius PLATE instead Of Abraham Lin.
coin and David Tod.
But the most remarkable Of all the
teachings Of the blessed Saviour, yor will
fnd in the gospel according to St. Mat
thew, in 2Gth chapter and j1st and j2i
verses "And behold one Of them uhich
,caS W'M Jesus, stretched ont lis hond, and
drew lis sword, and struck serran Of
tie high Priest, and smote of lis ear
THen said Jesus unto him, PIT MP tie
sword into its p'ace, for he Hat tokeh lie
sword shall perish By the sword."
Had old Abe and Dave Tod lived in
, the days Of our Saviour, the Chief Priest
and the Pharisees would not have been
, compelled to hunt the purlieus Of Jeru-
, salem to find false witnesses against the
Lord OF Glory they would have nailed
him to the cross for discouragins enlist
fnents.
Again, in Christ's sermon on the
Mount, Matthew, 9th chapter, and last
clause of 33l verse "Thou shGU not
toreswear hy5e!f, Jm shall perform unto
tie Lord thine ooth."
When this most solemn and impress
sive injunction Of our Lord came to my
mind, | fancied that | saw Abraham
Lincoln as he stood upon the eastern
portico of the Capitol, on the 4th day Of
March, 1861, where in tho presence OF
more than fifty thousand witnesses, anl
before high Heaven, with his hand upon
the Holy Bible he swore to support and
maintain the Constitution of the United
States,-I fanciel also that I saw David
Tod, as he stood in the presence of the
Ohio Legislature, AMI appealing to the
searcaer of all hearts, took an oath to
support both the Constitution Of the
, United States and the Constitution Of
, the State Of Ohio and felt that in vi
5 olation Of their solemn oath-.-in viola
ton of the most sacred and cherished
! provisions of both these Constitutions,
these high functionaries had caused me
to be consigned to my solitary prison
Then | fancied myself standing in the
. presence of Lincoln AMI Tod, holding in
my hand these sacred charts Of liLery,
/, and pointing with my finger to those
provisions which guarantee "the freedom
t Of speech and the press" ''the rights Of
the people to be secure in their persons,
t houses and effects, against unwarrantabie
= searches and seizures, that "no person
. shall be held to answer for capital OF
= otherwise infamous crime, unless upon a
+ prescntment or indictment of a grand
jury, that "no person shall be depriv-
e Ell Of liberty without due process Of law. ."
That Sin all criminal prosecutions the
. accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy
v anl public trial, by an impartial Jury ot
"a the State and district wherein the crime
4 shall have been committed" "No,
. shall cruel and unusual punishment be
p indicted. Then holding up before them
| Christ's sermon upon the Mount, | heard
= myself shouting in their ears, "thou shat
not t0reSwear MySeF! IhOu shut not
= TOf6SCeur WVSeH q. men rom aver
ted faces like the representation of
. Adam and Eve fleeing from the Garden
: of Eden, with conscious guilt upon their
souls, and the flaming sword of the an
: gel brandishiug behind them, heard the
voices of Lincoln and Tod coming back
to the commandant at Fort Lafayette,
Don't let him have a Bible Don't let
him have a Bible ~
After my release from solitary con-
fnement, was put into a easement with
eleven others, making twelve of us in q
r room measuring 81 by % feet. In this
room we slept, cooked and eat. In it were
I our beds, chairs, tables, trunks, cooking
$ utensils, table furniture, &c. We were
Z locked into our room at sundown, and
9 unlocked again at sunrise. Through the
i day we were permitted to stand or set il
y front of our cell inside the Fort. We haC
i morning and evening, what was called {
waking hour" This hour was some
times ten, and sometimes thirty minute
: long, Just as suited the caprice or whin
t of the sergeant. Our walking ground wa
o inside the Fort. We were permitted t.
@ walk backwards and forwards across tn
f, area of the Fort, which was perhaps
n little larger than your City Hall. w
l. were permitted, through the commanding
r officers, to supply and cook our own food
w , man, ,or,,nll.l IN II 50 rain water iOl