The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1863-06-15
Proclamation by the Governor.


resting deserters from the army, in which
| blood has been shed and murder commit
ted;
-4nd schereaS, These acts of resistance
! to the Government are high crimes, and
fraught with great danger to the public
peace, and to the honor of the State; I
deem it my duty to solen,s.ly acara all
persons against resistance to the Govern
ment in any form, or hindering, or OBJ
structing any officer thereof in the per-
formance of his duties. And, for the
better information of such as have not
convenient access to the Penal Statutes,
enacted by the Federal and State Gov
ernments, and now in force, I herein set
forth certain sections contained in said
! Statutes.
An act of Congress, passed July 81,
1861, reads as follows:
! AN ACT TO DEFINE AND PUNISH CERTAIN
CoNSPIRACIES.
Be 1T enacted By the Senate and House
of Representatives of the United States
IF America, an Congress assembled,
; That if two or more persons, within any
State or Territory of the United States,
shall conspire together to overthrow, or
to put down, or to destroy by force, the
Government of the United States, or to
levy war against the United States, or
to oppose by force the authority of the
! Government of the United States, or by
force to prevent, hinder, or delay, the ex-
ecution of any law of the United States;
or by force to seize, take, or possess any
property of the United States against the
will, or contrary to the authority of the
United States; or by any force, or intim-
idation, or threat, to prevent any person
from accepting or holding any office, or
trust, or place of confidence, under the
United States each aad every person so
offending shall be guilty of high crime,
and upon conviction thereof in any Dis
trict or Circuit Court of the United
States, having jurisdiction thereof, or
District or Supreme Court of any Terri.
tory of the United States, having iuris-
diction thereof, shall be punished by a
fine, not less than fvo hundred dollars
and not more than five thousand dollars;
or by Imprisonment with or without hard
labor as the court. shall determine, for
period not less than six months nor
7 ,
Gne and imprisonment"
Any combination, agreement, or un-
derstanding foreibly to prevent. hinder
delay, the execution of any law of the
United States, is by this law made pc
nal offence, althoug gh such combination,
agreement, or understanding had not
been carried into execution, and clearly
covers the case of disloyal societies,
which are known to exist in several parts
of the State.
The 24th and 25th sections of the Con-
scription Act, approved March Sd, 1868,
read as follows:
SECTION "a And be IL further enact
ed, That every person not subject to the
rules and articles of war, who shall pro-
cure or entice or attempt to procure or
entice q soldier in the service of the
! United States to desert; or who shall har-
Dor, conceal, or give employment to a
deserter, or carry him away, or aid in
carrying him away, knowing him to be
such; or who shall purchase from any
soldier his arms, equipments, ammuni-
ton, uniform, clothing, or any part there
of; and any captain or commanding Off
Ger of any ship or vessel, or any super
intendent or conductor of any railroad,
or any other public conveyance, carry
rying away any such soldier as one of
his crew or otherwise, knowing him to
have deserted, or shall refuse to deliver
him up to the orders of his commanding
officer, shall, upon legal conviction, be
fined, at the discretion of any conrt hav-
ing cognizance of the same, in any sum
not exceeding FIVE hundred dollars, and
he shall be imprisoned not exceeding two
years nor less than six months.
"SEcT1oN25. And be 1t further enac
ted. That if any person shall resist any
draft of men under this act into the ser
vice of the United States, or shall coun-
sci or aid persons to resist any such draft
or in performance ofany such service in
relation thereto, or shall counsel any per-
son to assault or obstruct any officer, or
shall counsel any drafted men not to ap.
pear at the rendezvous, or willfully dis
suade them from the performance ofmil
itary duty as required by law, such per
sons shall be subject to summary arrest
by the provost marshal, and shall be forth
with delivered to the civil authorities
and upon conviction thereof, be punished
t by fine not exceeding five hundred dol
| lars, or by Imprisonment not exceeding
two years, or by both imprisonments an(
= fine"
These sections are very broad and Gov
: er every form of opposition to the arres
of deserters and the enforcement of tn
: Conscription law.
By the 25th section it is made higl
+ penal offence to counsel or aid any pei
n son to resist the draft; to counsel an
s person to assault, obstruct, or hinder an
officer engaged in making the draft; t
counsel any drafted man not to appear a
the place of rendezvous, or willfully dis
s suade him from the performance of mil
Y tary duty, as required by law. To brin
" a case within this section, it is not nee
essary that there should be conspirac
e or combination.
e If one man shall give another the coul
e sci or advice prohibited in the section
n he is subject to the punishment it pr
scribes. Nor is it material how he sha
e give this counsel or advice, whether /
IS public speaking, publishing in pamphle
n or newspapers, or by private convers
n ton. Nor is it material that such coul
:. sci or advice shall be direct, and in term
~ The law holds man responsible fl
u o.l To-