Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1864-06-11
The Forged Proclamation,

The criminal fraud just practiced on the
New York press by the fabrication of the
spurious Presidential proclamation does
not rise to the dignity oil the famous "moou
hoax" Of Mr.. Locke, but is about as in
genious as the pretended annual message
Of President Ven Buren to Congress in
1887, though not as innocent as was that
amusing invention. This fraud Of We'd
Desday morning on the press Of New York
caused great sensation in that excitablo
city until the deception was discovered,
and then the trick itself was the great top
lc of the day. 1t has not been traced to
its authors, although it would seem t, have
originated in New York, and 'he detect
ives have been on the alert.
The spurious document, it appears, was
carried to the different printing offices in
manifold writing in the semblance of tel
egraph news, but at so late an hour that il
obtained admission in but two or three
journals, The others having gone to press.
Even the proprietors Of those papers which
gave currency 10 the forgery had left their
Offices, and the employees who inserted it
had no suspicion that it was not genuine
telegraphic news. The publication of the
document, however, was followed by Sc,
, rious consequences to the proprietors of
the journals thus imposed upon.
, We learn from the New York papers re
ccived last night that Gen. Dix, by direc-
f ton of the Secretary of War, had on
, Wednesday suppressed the two newspa-
, pers which gave publicity to the spurious
proclamation--the Journal of Commerce
and the Woild-and ordered the editors
Q of those papers to be imprisoned in Fort
= Lafayette. Crh latter part OF the order
, it appears, was subsequently suspended.
b This seems to US, we must say, a very
, harsh proceeding-to inAict a severe pun.
S ishment on citizens of honor and charac
If ter for being the victims Of an infamou:
# fraud. 1t was punishment enough, WI
!. should think, to be made the innocent in
n struments of villainous imposition, tt
l. which all men are liable, without th,
q penalty of damage to their propert,
. and incarceration of their PERSONS
Il They have published, at New York
d a protest against the severity of this pro
Il ceeding, in which the facts OF the case ar
fully stated, and which, in Justice to them
we place before our readers.-NMiona
h MteiRgcnser.
e Protest Of the EHto,s Of the WoyM an.
a and Journa Of Commerce.
Will you obige US by publishing il
your columns the following statement O
the proceedings of the Government thi
W evening towards the World ana Journa
l. Of Commerce, regarding tae publication
"a in our mornings issue Of the forged proc
lamation. purporting to be signed by Pres
dent Lincoln, appointing day of fastin.
o and prayer, and calling into the miili
ir service four hundred thousand men.
,r The document in question was writer
lS Oi ''o |" P"PStl ouSi a. 10 uoou ~
all the dispatches sent to the several news
papers of our association, and had every
l. external appearance and mark to ideptif
ID it as genuine despatch arriving in tn
j. regular course of business.
>. 1t was delivered at our Office late a
night, at the time Of the receipt of ou
latest news--too late of course ior edito
Is rial supervision, but, as it happened, no
st before our printing Offices were closed.
.e 1t was delved at all or neary all Of tn
~ newspaper Offices, and published in par
;. of the morning editions Of the Journal 0
10 Commerce and the World, and, as We al,
u informed, in a part of the editions of on
,p or more of our contemporaries,
rs Early this morning the fact that tn
al despatch had not been sent by the Agen
of the Associated Press became known t.
e US, and its fraudulent character was a
at once announced upon our bulletin boards
ID and reward of five hundred dollars of
- fered by US Ior the discovery of the forgcr
The Executive Committee of the Associa
ted Press also offered similar reward O
az one thousand dollars. as the fraud ha
b. been attempted to be petrated upon all th
le journals composing our association.
We took pains in the afternoon to ap
prise Gen. Dix Of the facts of the case
and gave him such information in regar
to the circumstances of the forgery a
might assist him in the discovery of it
of author. The Governmen. was at one
i'd put in possession of the case.
Nevertheless, this evening Gen. Dix
acting under peremptory orders from tn
90 Government, placed our Offices under
ed strong military guard and issued warrant
a for the editors snd proprietors of th
n World and Journal of Commerce, an
~ ~ their imprison ment in Fort Lafayette.
W vessel was wing at one Of the wharves
Oh convey us ththsr.