Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1863-07-29
Presentment by the United States
Grand JurS-An Important Docu-

Presentment by the United States
Grand JurS-An Important Docu-
ment.
The following important presentment
was read by the U. s Grand Jury pre-
vious to their discharge on Friday morn
ing. 1t is a document which should COM
mand marked attention at the present
time:
To the Honorable the Circuit Court of the
United States for the Northern Dis
trict of Ohio at the May term 1868:
The present term began on the 5th day
of May and the Grand Jury was organ
lied at the same time, and has continued
till now with some changes of its mem
berS and several recesses of its sessions
equivalent to about one-third of its whole
duration. This protracted continuance is
attributable to the extraordinary condi-
ton of public affairs, growing Oat of the
existing rebellion against the Government
of our Union and to the great number of
offences created, extended ormoditied by
recent legislation of Congress made nee
essary by the rebellion.
Not more than the usual number of
complaints have been made for offences
Of a general nature, and unfortunately
always occurring; such as the making and
passing of spurious coin, depredations on
the mails. and the like, on which we have
presented nineteen bills of indictment.
For minor offences under late statutes,
we have presented ten bills, and for 9TH
ers of higher grades three for resisting en-
rolling officers-one of them against four
parties, another against five, and third
against six-twelve for treason and for
conspiring to resist and in part actually
resisting Government officers, various bills
embracing seventy two persons.
We have endeavored to be especially
careful to ignore all cases in which the
testimony was thought to be sufficient or
from witnesses not entitled to our full
confidence. We have been much delay
ed in one class of cases by the absence.
at remote points of witnesses now in the
army, whose attendance We could not
procure and some parties have, as a result
perhaps, escaped action for the time.
With these explanations of our doings
and to account for the length of our ses-
sion, we avail ourselves of the suggestion
of the Court at the commencement of I
lllE lcIUl ~ shNAl rs SlS w /
might deem appropriate at the termina- |
ton of our investigations.
PRIVATE PLUNDERIYG.
Laws of Congress prohibit all plunder-
ing of an enemy's property by our troops. I
Seizures may be made for good cause for |
public use by authority Of the command /
ing officer, but subordinate officers and I
private soldiers become mere marauders .
by taking and applying to their own use
property of value belonging to a public .
enemy. No captor acquires individual I
rights, the law declaring that all seizures
shall enure to the benefit of the Govern
ment. 4 case of this kind has been sub
mitted for the action of the Court.
ARMY ACCOUNTS
Testimony has been furnished to us
showing that officers charged with duties
involving the expenditure of public mon
ey for army purposes have rendered ao-
counts for disbursement, which if not ut
terly or mainly groundless, are so grossly
obscure in details that frauds might be
with little fear of detection
In the particular cases brought to our no.
tice, the accounting officers, both State
and Federal, rejected the claims; but that
loes not divest the original design of its
criminal intent.
ARREST OF DESERTERS.
Gross outrages have been committed by
men in military garb, false
Y claiming to have special authority, by
lrresting deserters or men assumed to
,e such by their captors, and then rob
,ing them of their money-in one case
wo hundred dollars-and driving them
he country under threats of personal vi
,lence in case they should not leave or
hould return. If these men were in fact
leserters. and their captors, like other
,itizens, had the general right to arrest
hem-they certainly had none to release
hem for pecuniary or any other con-
liberation.
SECRETING DESERTERS.
Information has been given us of cases
where private citizens have concealed de-
erters and men subject to draft, acts near
V as injurious in their results as desertion
tSelf and deserving almost as severe pun
shment. We have learned, too, that
many individuals in this and adjacent ju-
licial districts have made it systematic