Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-05-26
AN Inramous rorrerv.

receipt OF the bogus proclamation"
and meets our view Of what ought to
be done with men who resort to such
villainous means to deceive the people
and destroy their confidence in the
Government, that we publish it instead
of writing anything on the subject:
Yesterday, at II o'clock, there was issued
in the first edition of the Times, dis
patch sent from New York by the Associa-
ted Press containing proclaim alton pub.
lished in the New York World of yesterday
morning, said to have been issued by the
President, announcing that the condition Of
affairs was dscouraging; appointing day
of humiliation aud prayer, and making an
additional call for four hundred thousand
men, which, in order that thi, vil'ainous trans
action may be the better comprehendcd, we
reproduce:
EXECUTIVE MANSION, May II.
Fello,o Citi=ens of the United States: In
all seasons OF exigencies it becomes q ma
ton carefully to scrutnize its line OF con.
duet, humbly to approach the throne of
g'ace, and mockly implore forgiveness, wis.
dom and guidance. For reasons known on
ly to him, it has been decreed that this
country should be the scene Of unparalleled
outrage, aud this nation the monumental
sufferer Of the nineteenth century. With
heavy heart, but undiminished confidence
inou cause, approach the performance of
q duty rendered imperative by my sense Of
weakness before the Almighty, and Of JUS
tice to the people.
1t is not necessary should tell you that
the first Virginia campaign, under Lieut.
Gen. Grant in whom | have every conf
donce, and whose courage and fidelity the
people do well to honor, is virtually closed.
He has conducted his great enterprise with
upon the enemy; he has crippled their
strength and defeated their plans. Tn view,
however, of the situation in Virginia and
the disaster at Red river, the delay at
Charleston, and the general state OF the
country, /, Abraham lincoln, do hereby
recommend that Thursday, the 26th day of
May, 1854 be solemnly set apart through
out the United States as day Of fasting,
humiliation and prayer.
Docming, Furthermore, that the present
condition ofaffairs presents an extraordinary
occasion, aud in view of the power vested in
me by tho Constitution and laws, Ihave
thought fit to call forth, and hereby do call
forth, citizens Of the United States, between
the ages of lS and As, to the aggregate
number Of 400, 600, in order to suppress the
existing rebellious combinations, and cause
due execution of tho laws; and furthermore,
in case any State or number of States shall
fail to furnish by the 18th of June next their
assigned quotas, it is hereby ordered that
the same be raised by immediate and per-
emptory draft.
The details of this object will be commu-
nicated to the State authorities through the
War Department. appeal to all loyal cit
izsns to favor, facilitate and aid this effort
to maintain the honor and integrity and ex-
istence Of our National Union, and the per-
petuity Of popular government.
In witness whereofI have hereunto set
my hand, and caused the seal of the United
States to be fixed. Done at Washington
this l7th day Of May, in the year of our
Lord 1854, aud of the Independence of the
United States, SSth.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
WV. III il. isr'SI%si sgwARo, Secretary of State.
The publication of this document caused
great excitement throughout the city, and
loyal people who did not stop to consider
the probability Of it's being forgery, were
the more depressed and exercised from the
fact that all reports thus far had been fa.
,yorablo. The Copperheads, on the other
hand, were jublant They swarmcd in the
vicinity Of the Third street coffee houses
out from their hiding places to sun them.
selves. They shook each others hands, in
accordance with the grips aud signs of the
K. G. C.'s, and liquor, in copious streams,
flowed down the throats of traitors. Thus
these Northern men; these professed Dem
ocrats; these American citizens, exuted
over the supposed intelligence that our ar
mics had been defeated; that our friends,
our sons, and our brothers had been slaught.
cred in vain, and that the destruction Of
our Government was in greater danger than
ever. Humiliating as it is to admit that
that such men live in Cincinnati, and that
many of them have grown rich from con-
tracts. given by the Government, the de-
struction of which they desire, yet it ia use.
less TO attempt to conceal the fact.
But happily their hour of,rejoicing was Q
brief one. Their own friends had deceived
them. About one o'clock the following dis
patch was received by the Associated Press
NEW YoRK, May 1s.
The World announces on its bulletin board
that the proclamation published by it, sign
ed Abraham Lincoln, is u hoax and fraud
The Associated Press has received dis
patch from the Secretary of State. saynl
that the paper purporting to be the Presi
dents Proclamation, is an absolute forgery
No such has been issued or proposed to b,
issued.
Having already taken liberties with thu
mud turtle, in order to illustrate the con
duct Of the Copperheads, for which we bel
their (tho turtles) pardon. we will infringe
again upon their rights for the purpose o.
another illustration. A gentleman was
squirrel hunting on fine day in tho latter
part of May. Passing along the bank of a
creek, he saw before him score of mud
turtles that had come out of the W, ter to
sun themselves. Being somewhat impa.
tient for a shot, hs fred into the bunch Of
turtles. Imagine the suddenness with
which those drt-eating creatures splashed
into their hiding places amid the stones 10
tho stagnaut pool, aud you have fair illus
tration OF the manner in which the dispatch
exposing the forgery and the fraud scatter
cd the knots Of ofcopperheads and drove them
into their subterranean holes on Third
street, from which with boated faces elon.