Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-07-03
[From the Cincinnati Enquirer.l.
Military Arrests in Dayton.

mulIdfy htiooto ~ DnytVus
DAYTON, June &c.
l. ItyianoW nearly a week since Montgomery
county wag relieved of martial law by orde
Of General Bnrnsda.- but The re ief 10, as, ye.
merely nominsl. Major Keith. who still re-
tains command here, assumes aud exercises th,
same powers as when the county was under NIL
ilary arthority,s 10 fact, II there has been sny
change at all /, la forthe worse. Men are daily
arrested and taken before :" His Highness, az
he.e,ofure, for civil offenses. He has almost
entirely mDnopolized the duties andfunctions OF
the city and county authorities, and holds des-
potic sway by the power of the bayonet. The
facts in regard to certain arbitrary and Disgrace
ful acts perpetrated by order of Keith, recently
ysntiIated through the columns of your Journal,
are eclinsed by others since perpetratsd. msl
On Thursday of last week Democratic
piclic was held 10 a. grove ahou! three miles
from the city, and was largely 1attendedicby
the iOemecssdc ladies and gentemea OF this
city q Mgjor Keith took it upon himself to
order q tquad Of armed s6idiefs 81 the ground
3, watch sover the proceedings just 90 though
Democrats were unable to take care OF them
selves" The conduct Of the private soldiers,
with few exceptions. Was gentlemsnly. But a
''valiant" Lieutenant took occasion to die play
bis proves by an assault upon q lady Sne
wore avery handsome bdttefnut breaespin, To-
laid and ornameuted with gold. whldh attract
ed the eye Of the chivalrous Lieutensut. His
ineulted patriotism was aroused, and he sp-
preached her and ineuttfngly demanded her to
take 1t of. She, politely reiused TO comply
With his command, Some words passed between
them, resulting in bis being sold BY the lady
that he was not gentlemaa. At this he grew
furious, drew bis Hevolver, presented 1t ut her
breast. and, with hoisteFous threats and i'm
precautions, demandei her to retIaos. The lady,
apparently n1tin the least frightened or intim
idated, refused 90 take bSck her assertion. B,
this time ao excited crowd had ga.bered around
the parties, ,rend the LleutenaDt ordered out his
.quad OF meu to drive back the crowd. The
soldiers, knowing be was in the wrong, obeyed
thersrdef very reluctantly. The Lieutenant,
falling to frighten the lady, or compel her to
remove her "opjectioDsble" ornament, Hretired
10 good order" remrking, as be left, that be
would "attend to her when he got 60 town.
he doubtless changed hs notion after he got in,
as hs'hss uot yet .'a,tended 60 her,"
Bu this, bad as IL is, was not the most infa-
nous and disgraeelul act of the military tina.
dsyi,s 10 the evening, an omnibus load OF p,a-
sengers from The picnic, re,u, n ng to the city,
passed by the eold,era, barracks, on J.ffereon
street. There were about iortyr' passengers
IN the "bus," mostly women and ohildfep, AS
they passed the barracks, o numper Of them
stoited for "Vsllandlgham aud Pagh. =, ss they
had done along the rad from she grounds. -
On heatjng this, anu for DO otn,r cause, q sol
der ran into the street, picked up stone aud
hurled It through gindowiof toe crowded We.
hicie, striking a lady on tho cheek, Juato belos
the eye, lIAicsiDga piiniul wound, and kuock-,
iDg pieces Of glsss Ito the faces Of several oth .
u passeggefs7 The bd "sa, stopped, aud .a.
po, icgms5 who hsppened % De on board, wen,
o. ck to arrest the PEI rpe'rator OF this most das
tsrd y sct,,, he Was met py. the solditrs with
sns mbsE ~ h.ilous abuse and denuncisl lion.
ind hls suyhv,ity defed. rhe N after was then
Had oeiole "A J ,Kelb, AMI the soldier vent
uupunished, he mAy possibly be promoted.
i4ioDg wi,h the vsioious Lieutenans, y for
l'gsilHnt aud meri ohoue csuduct'hso r.alt
Thsre has e,atceiy been a day eince martiel
Law VAS removed that some oae has not been
arrested IN Vhe city Or county simply for hur-
fauiDg for Vallandighan. OI Saturday a
young man, who hse perhsps .sin5 niged" o liz
sie ,cy freely, passed lMsjoI Keish oa tue street.
aud remarked lhAt he .thouehs YilieSai and ar
btsafy ssreses were,ebout p,syed Gus" Koith
imsglsed himself insuited, and ordered this ar.
tess, < Abrother Of the youag man went 70 she
Majos' ofioe To- learn the resuitlof the trial,
asa while 'the,e, was .uDguarded" enough 10
ifquIre BY what authority nis bfoshef had nssn
a,,ested, s,the. cityyW.s 20 notunaer marsial lsN
Again tbs ,Msjsf imagined his dignity lnsuited
by the INQUIRY vFdefsdr this young man under
arrest, competed HIM to take the i,vountary''
ossh, and lnsn rele leased hun. Toe bfothee fifst
arrested Was discharged Internationally ."---
These are plain, nnvarnished facs. Aud, fur
ther, Major Kti.h has usurped the powers aad
duties Of the. City Marshal and police. His
soldiers arrest persons Tor ell civil offenees,
drunkeaness, dsorderly conduct, etc, and IN
ssead OF lutning them over to the civil authors
ties, has them brought before himself, and dis
poses OF them TO suls the whims, malice or pleas
ure Of his would be Royal Highness, .s ~
We write this IN no spirit OF malice or ha-
tired, but in the hope that it may reach the
knowledge OF Gen. Burnside, that We may know
whe. her OF Lo: he approves Of and indorses the
in ,amous outrsges pracucsd upon our citizens
nv, Major Keith, without, ae We believe, the
least shadow OF authority. II we are, indeed,
relieved from martial law, let IL not be In name
only, but praonce. We care not how, many of
fcers and men the Administration IN ay choose
20 keep here 10 idleness and on pay, while their
services are needed 70 fepei the invading foe, 60
that they confiae diemselyea ~ the stsict exer-
cise Of their rig3tful authority. We Of the Dom.
ocfatic party have as much intereat 10 presrrv-.
lug the peace and quiet of our city ss tnose po-,
lIucaily opposed 70 us can possibly have
Our homes, family, propsrty, are, here. In
she exsIcse Of any legal auth6fity they
will receive the approval and iuppors OF