Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1864-05-27
THE LAST GREAT HOAK.
The Prseidnet's PROCLAMATION Fraud.
Protest of the Editors of the ssWorIdn and
journal of Commerce..
"a az Edilor q the Herald =

TO the Editor Of the Herald -
VIII you oblige us by publishing in your col
umns the following statement of the proceedings
OF the Government this evening toward the World
and the journal of Commerce regarding the pub
lication in our morning issue of the forged proc
lamatlon purporting to be signed by President
Lincoln, appointing day of fasting and prayer,
and calling into military service 400, 600 men.
The document question was written on their
manifold paper, such as is used for all the de-
spatches sent to several newspapers Of our asso-
cation, and had every external appearance and
mark to indentify it as genuine despatch arriving
In the regular course of business
1t was delivered at our Office late at night at the
time of the receipt CT our latest news too late, of
course, for editorial supervision, but, as it hap
pened, not before printing Offices were closed
1t was delivered at all, or nearly all of the news
paper offices, and published in part of the NOR
Ming editions of the journal Of Commerce and
World, and, as we are informed in a part of the
editions of one or more Of our contemporaries
Early this morning the fact that the despatch
had not been sent by the Agent of the Associated
Press became known tous, andits fraudulent char
acter was at once announced upon our bnllatin
boards, and reward of FIVE thousand dollars of
fered by US for the discovery of the forger. The
Executive Committee Of the Associated Press al
40 offereda similar reward of one thousand dol
lars, as the fraud had been attempted to be perpe
trated upon all the journals comprising our asso-
ciation.
We took pains in the afternoon to anprise Gen
eral Dix of the facts in the case, and gave him
such information in regard TO the circumstances
OF the forgery as might assist him in the discoy-
cry of Its author The Government was at once
put in possession of the facts in the case Never
theless, this evening General Dix, acting under
peremtory orders from the Government placed
eur officers under strong military guard and
issued warrents for the arrest of the editors and
proprletors Of the World and Journal Of Com
naerce and their imprisonment in Fort Lafayette.
A vessel was lying, under steam, at one Of the
wharves to convey us thither.
CHANGING to meet one of the officers Of General
Dix staff, charged with the execution of this or
der we proceeded in his company to the head
quarters Of the Department of the East, and
were informed by General Dix that the order for
our arrest had been suspended, but that the order
for the suppression of the publication Of the
World and Journal of Commerce had not been
rcscinded, and that we could not be permitted to
enter our offices, which continue under the charge
of the military guard
We protest against this proceedings We pro-
test against the assumption of our completely
with this shameless forgery, implied in the order
for our arrest. We protest against the suppression
of our journal for the misfortune of being deceiv-
ed by foagery not less ingenious nor plausible
than the forged report of the Confederate Secre-
tary Of War, which Secretary Seward makes the
basis of diplomatic action.
PRIME, STONE, HALE, q HALLecK
Journal Of Commerce
MANToN MARBLE, World
New York, may Is, 1864.