Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1863-01-24
DEg. EESON Ii. OLDS.
HISTORY or HIS sHAMELE IS ARREST AMI
IMPRISONMENT.

The, following is statement of DR.
J Olds, member elect of the Ohio Legis-
=, lature, to a welcome of his friends, on hi.
arrival home, after his infamous treatment
in Fort Lafayette.
, thank all this vast multitude of my
friends and fellow citizens, for this most
cordial reception upon my return from i'm
prisonment.
| do not misunderstood the Joy that now
warns your hearts and beams upon your
cou ntenances. 1t is not merely that fell
low citizen is returning to the society OF his
friends and the bosom of his family. 1t
is something deeper and broader than all
this. 1t is because in my restoration to
liberty, you hat6a quas, guarantee that
the reign Of terror in this country is com
ing to an end, and the keys of the Amer
lean Bastlles are being, by the omnipotent
voice of the pee pie, wrested from the hands
Of the Jacobins now in power, and held
up to the gaze of the Dantoons, Murats,
and Rebespierrs ofthis Administration as a
warning to them of their approaching
doom.
You rejoice, because in my restoration
you have made an advance toward the re-
establishment of constitutional liberty -
\ GU rejoice, because in my release you feel
renewed confidence in your own freedom !;
you rejoice, because you feel once more
secure in your persons, your houses and
your property, you rejoice, because in my
release you have q guarantee that you,
yourselvor, will no longer be subjected to
the worse than star chamber despotism of
Charles |, Of England.
That lmay not b. misrepresented by
the Republicans as have hereto ore shown
such willingness to falsify any remark of
mine, l have reduced to writing all | in
tend to say on this occasion.
On the 18th of August last, after ten
o'clock at night, my house was iorsibly en-.
tered by three Government ruffans, who
with violence seized my person, and hold
ing revolver at my head demanded my
| surrender.
During the time they were making vio-
lent efforts 10 burst open my door, they
gave me no intimation that they were gov.
ernmcnt officers, or that they had any
Government authority Of my arrest. They
came like ass aSsins and robbers, and had
not been informed by the boastiugs of
Republicans, | should most undoubtedly
have taken them as such.
| have no doubt but the rufians had
called upon Governor Todd for assistance
before proceeding to execute their order,
as they had with them big double .fsted
bully from Columbus, who informed me
that his name was Bliss
They burst open the door Of my room,
and, with revolver at my head, arrested
me. They came at the door usually Sc
lected by robbers and assassns to break
into mems houses and commit deeds of
violence and had been armed | should
have shot them down as ROBBERS and ass
assins. | have reflected much on the
manner of my arrest and have come
calmly and deliberately to the conclusion
that should have been justified, both by
the laws of God and man, had killed
these rufFans while breaking into my room,
as most asSuredly would have done had
been armed, and as I most certainly
would do, had the act to be done over
again.
Thus, my friend, was l dragged from a
sick bed. In this condition | was hurried
into Il carriage, and during the remainder
Of the night driven to Columbus, and just
at daylight placed upon the cars and taken
in my sick and exhausted condition, with
out a moments delay TO Fort Lafayette.
The order fer my arrest charged me
with the commission of no crime known to
any law OF my country. Nay more; ii
charged me with no crime whatever. You
may well imagine, then, my surprise and
indignation when on arriving at Fort La
fayctte, was ordered to strip myself, that
might bo searched. To make if possible
such an insult greater to tree-born
American citizens, was taken into a side
room where around me lay, heaps ofman
acles, chains and handouts. With sucl
surroundings was stripped and searched
and my watch, my money, my speetacles
my shaving apparatus, and even my media
cines, were all taken from me. | was
not permitted to retain even an old news
paper or a bit of waste paper of any kind
After the degrading operation had beel