Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1864-08-18


The Case of 4UcssrS. Bdker and Long, Of
the Wheeling Register = Hunter Using
lis Poccr to Personal Eads- Offences
against his Dignity Pmished By hnpris-
onneat and DeaM-The Tools lie Uses.
Correspondence of the Ohio statesman.l
WHEELING, w. ", August 4, 1864.
EDITORS ONO S74i TESlL1N:
We of West Virginia, and especially of
Wheeling have become Injured to every
species of petty despotism, espionage, out
rage, abuse and oppression: but it was left
to Major General David Hunter to infict
the full measure Of tyrannical oppression
upon u.s. He has exceeded all precedent in
the arbitrary injustice, wickedness, cruelty
and criminality of his acts, and he has fair
ly earned the inexorablc hatred and undy-
ing contempt which is universally felt for
him. In this all parties and factions agree.
All have suffered from his cruelty, rapacity
and brutality, and there is no dissenting
voice in the execration which will follow
him from this Department to his unhonored
grave. When | recall the main character
istics of the man and his career, it seems in
credible that Huter is an American, and l
sometimes fancy it is only dream growing
out of the perusal Of the history of Some
hOIiltll utSlOl VI Ilclltll SttHS tHtOttt, vi
Italian cut-throat But unfortunately the
truth is too palpable and manifest; there is
no fancy or dream about it.
| have had the very best opportunities OF
learning all the facts in relation to affairs in
this Department, which if published to the
world would bring blush to the check OF
every honest American, and in ordinary
times would create an universal cry for the
summary cXccetiOn of the chief actor and
his pimps in these Outrages. For the pres
ent, however, will content myself by re-
laiing the facts of single case which came
under my own observation, and in which |
know you to be interested. lallude to the
tyranncc suppression OF The Wheeling
Register, and the arrest and Imprisonment
of its editors, Messers Lewis Baker and O..
S. Long These gentlemen have been for
more than month buried alive in the
"Atheneum," the flthiest dungeon in Nir-
ginia; no one has been able to communicate
with them; no one, not even their wives,
have been allowed to see them; and we have
only the authority of another person recent.
ly released for asserting that they are alive.
The facts in the plain, unyarnished state
ment am about to give, were gathered
from the released man and my own knowl
edge of the transaction.
On the afternoon of the 9th of July, TIN
| Daily Register newspaper office of this city
was entered by two military officers, Captain
| Ewall Over, commandant of the post, anC
Lieut.. Henry Knapp, Provost Marshal, ac
companied by squad of soldiers bearing
muskets with fixed bayonets. Accosting
one of the editors Of the paper, Capt. Over
said he had an order for his arrest and the
suppression Of the paper The other editor
entering soon after, the same statement was
made to him. Lieut. Knapp then read the
order which seemed to be II telegram ad
dressed to Capt Over, and signed by Brig
Gen. b. +. Kelly, by order Of Maj. Gen
Hunter, commanding the Department OF
West Virginia. The order was in these
words:
''You will Immediately arrest Messers
Baker and long, Editors and Proprietors OF
Tile Wheeling Daily Register, and confint
them in the military prison until further or
ders. You are also ordered to suppress thu
further publication of The Daily Register
place a guard ove.' the Office and keep th'
same safely until further orders.
'By command Of
MAI. GEN. HUNTER.
The two editors were then escorted to th
"Atheneum" prison by Lieut.. Knapp an,
the guard, and there confined. Unconsciou
of having committed and crime know
either to civil or military law, the amaze
ment of these gentlemen may be imagine
at this summary proceeding The officer
of the prison refused to inform them Of tn
cause of their arrest or the result sought t
be obtained by their imprisonment, and {,
this day they have received no official mott
ficcation of the charges, if any there be
against them. | learn that they have writ
ten once to Gen. Hunter and once to Gen
Crook (undor the supposition that he ha
superseded Hunter, to learn what charge
he had against them. Up to this time n
reply has been vouchsafed to them. Th
only intimation they or any have hao
of the cause of the arrest, is cleaned troi
The Wheeling htelligencer, the Republica
t paper of this city, which, in recounting tn
circumstances of the case, attributed tn
5 arrest to the sarcasm with which The Rex
,, lister had commented upon the stea
, ing of the statue of Washington from til
/ town of Lexington, Va. by General Hun
ter during his recent raid. Anothe
circumstances which tended to throw
ray of light upon the aninus of the arres
was the suppression of The .Parkersbur
Gazette and the Imprisonment of its editor
Mr.. Wharton. The Gazette is Republica
paper of the darkest hue but on the re
turn of Hunters troops to Parkersbure
published an editorial commenting upo
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