Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1863-01-08

Hlul VI Illutp bpiitlh lhl W NV ufuHl
practice, have reduced to writing all /
intend to say upon this occasion. Lend
me, therefore, your patient attention.
On the 18th Of August last at | 0 o clock
at.night, my house was forcibly entered
by three Government ruilians, who with
violence seized my person, and holding n
revolver at my head, demanding my sur
render
During the time they were making such
repeated and violent efforts to burst open
my door, they gave me no intimation
that they were Government officers, or
that they had any Government authority
for my arrest. They came like assassins
and robbers, they Behaved like assassins
and robbers; and had not been inform.
ed by JoaStings OF certain Republicans
that afIidavits designed to cause my ar.
res. had been Forwarded 20 the War De.
paatmcnt, should have most undoubt-
edly have taken these Government ruff
fans for midnight robbers
When after my capture, | demanded
to know by what authority they had thus
seized my person, they very grumbingly
informed me that they were acting under
authority of the War Department. l
then demanded to be shown their war.
rant. They informed me that l had no
right to make any such demand-that
! the order was for their protection, and not
for my qualification. They however per-
mitted me to see it.
The document was signed by the Assis-
tant Secretary Of War-was dated at
Washington City, August %, 1862 1t
was directed to II. w. Scott, and com.
missioned him to take with him one as.
sstant, and to proceed to Lancaster,
Ohio, and arrest Edison B. Olds, and to
convey him to New York and deliver him
to the commanding officer of Fort Lafay.
etc. and that if he was resisted in the ex
ecution of the order, he was directed to
call upon Governor Tod, Of Ohio, for such
assistance as might be necessary.
The order contained no intimation OF
the "lhe nature of the cause" Of the accu.
saton against me; indeed it charged me
with the commission Of no offence what
ever; and l demanded Of my captors tc
know what were the charges against me
they replied that they "did not know"
! have no doubt but what the ruffians
had called upon Gov. Tod for assistance
before they proceed to Lancaster to
execute their order, as they had with them
a big double, listed bully from Columbus,
who informed me that his name was Bliss,
and that hc had once belonged to the
Democratic party, and that he had met
me in Democratic Conventions at Coium.
bus.
These Government rullians were direc
ted to "peoceaJly" arrest me. Yet will
violence they burst open the door Of my
room, and with revolver at my heat
they arrested me. They came at the
usual hour selected by robbers and assas.
sins to break into mems houses and com
nit deeds of violence; and had | beer
armed | should have shot them down a,
robbers and assassins. | have reflected
much on the manner Of my arrest, and
have come calmal Y and deliberately tc
the conclusion that | would have beer
justified both by God and man, had
have killed these rullians whilst breaking
into my room, as most assuredly woul,
have done had been armed, anil as
most cc,Ioialy srorIR elo, lad tile act TO D
done agaja. 1t would have Taught Mr.
Lincoln and his minions that when they
set aside the laws and the Constitution
the rifle, the revolver and the bowie knit,
at once become the supreme law of thC
land
Thus, my friends, was dragged from
a sick bed, for | was at that time, an,
for any long AMI weary days and night
afterwards seriously afflicted with an at
tack of the bloody tlux. In this condi
ton | was hurried into carriage an
during the remainder of the night drive
t to Columbus, and just at daylight place
upon the cars and taken in my sick an
! exhausted condition, without moment
delay, to Fort Lafayette.
The order of my arrest charged m
with the commission of no crime know
to any law of my country. Nay more
it charged me with no crime whatever
You may well imagine then my surpris
and Indignation, when on arriving a
Fort Lafayette, | was ordered to stri
myself that ! might be searched. Il
make, if possible, such an insult create
to free born American citizen, wa
taken into a side room where around m
lay in heaps manacles, chains and hand
cuffs. With such surroundings l wa
l stripped and searched, and my watch, m
t money, my spectacles, my shaving apar
s atus, and even my medicines were all ia
4 ken from me. was not permitted to re
tain even an old newspaper of any kind
t After this degrading operation ha
n been performed and, before conductin
J me from the commandant's room to m
e dungeon, all the other prisoners abou
/ the Fort were locked into their room
| that l might not be seen and recognized
n lest peradventure information might b
il given to the world, and my friends mad
S known Of my whereabouts, and the cru
S elites about to be practiced upon mo On
Q of the prisoners having learned few day
Il afterwards, through the medium Of tn
n newspapers, who the mysterious strange
e was, wrote to friend of his, "that Dl
II Olds, of Ohio, had been brought to Fol
n Lafayette and placed in solitary confnc
ment." His letter was returne6,to hir
!, by the commandant, requiring him t
: strike ont SO much Of it as referred to tn
= case of DR.. Olds.
j My dungeon was on the ground with
/; brick pavement or floor over about til
Q one.halt of it; and so great was tn