American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-04-06
Arrest of a DESERVING C0ascript
in Canaia---HOw the Thing
was Bone.

was Done.
A young man named John II. force,
who, previous to the rebellion, had filled
one of the most lucrative offices in the gift
of the people of Luzerne county, was
among the first to offer his services, and
by duplicity he managed to get commits
sion as first Lieutenant. While in Har-
risburg he hourished immensely in Cop
perhead circles, but his calibre was soon
measured, and he. was discharged-not
that he was deserving of an honorable DIS
charge, but solely to get rid of him. Re-
turning to Wilkesbaue, he found special
pleasure in denouncing the Government
and melting resistance to the draft. This
was in 1868, and in the conscription then
being made, Force was drafted. lmme-
diately he then set to work to render the
draft odious, by issuing all sorts OF print
ed appeals to the people drafted, urging
them to resist the officers or fly to Canada,
where they would be out Of the reach of
% the Lincoln despotism." Having Great
ed all the mischief possible, Force him
self left Luzerne county, going direct to
Canada.
Detective Franklin, by order of the
Provost Marshall at Harrisburg, started
to Canada, on the delicate business of
finding Force, and enticing him back to
the land he had disgraced, that he might
receive the punishment due to traitors.
Learning that large numbers of deserters
from the American armies were rendez-
voused at st. Catharnes, Canada West,
officer franklin took the cars for that To-
calitv. He reached st. Catharines on the
Both of January, 1864. After securing
lodgings and announcing himself as de-
serter from the Federal army, he soon fell
in with Force. As their acquaintance
was ripened into sort of friendship, and
as mutual sympathy was created from what
appeared as like hafdships borne by each,
the confidence of Force in Franklin be-
came unbounded. Franklin stated that
he was the owner of valuable printing
Office in Ohio, which his wife was abont
to sell. and then he, his wife and her sis
ter, intended to proceed to Australia, where
they would be free from the tyrannies OF
the Yankee Government. All this time
Franklin was receiving letters which pur-
ported to come from his wife. These let
tiers were written by franklin himself and
dispatched to Buffalo and then rc-maled
as if they had come from the ideal wife
of the detective. AS Franklin received
these letters in Canada, he read them to
Force, breathing great affection, and en-
terng heartily into the plan Of removing
to Australia. Force was led to believe as
he read these letters, that Mrs, Frank
lin" was one Of the best of wives living
In the course Of the correspondence il
was made to transpEe that Mrs. franklin
had q sister, who became interested IN
what her brother-ih-law had written con-
cerniTg Lieut.. Force As the correspon.
dence went on, it was arranged that Force
should sccompsny Fran <lin to Australia,
while at the same time it was silly hinted
that the maiden in question might posi-
bly, become the wife Of Force. This was
Turing Force by hope in Hymen's joys
which he little deemed were so soon to be
destroyed All the while the traitor was
unbosoming himself to the detective. He
confessed how he had assisted in forging
naturalization papers to carry the election
in Pennsylvania-how he had aided draft
cd men to escape to Canada-how he had
written and printed scurriious handbills
| against the constitutional authorities, and
how he had done all he could to bring the
govegnmcnt to reproach and disgrace.
When the plans were all understood al
Buffalo-and. when Franklin had gotten
possession of all the papers and correspon,
dence of Force establishing his guilt, il
was arranged to start for New York, and
there to meet Mrs. Franklin and her sis.
ter, and thence Immediately to start fol
Australia. Franklin had arranged a sig
nal.wth the Provost Marshal at Buffalo
so that on the arrival of the party in that
city, the Provost Marshal was on hand
prepared to act Frapklin and Force
were on their way to the depot to take the
cars for New York. In the depot Frank
lin gave the signal and at once both he
and Force were seized and handcuffed
| The reader can imagine the CONSERVATION
of Force. 1t is also necessary here to
state that the detectives did not know
Franklin, nor were any of the officers ex-
cept the Provost Marshal acquainted with
the merits of the case. After being ta-
ken to the Marshal's office, Franklin in
sisted that he was an officer in the army,
but no deserter, and warned the Marshal
how he proceeded Franklin also advised
the Marshal to be careful how he treated
Force Finally, Force was ordered to
close confinement for further hearing,
and only after the knaye and renegade
had left the room, did the Provost Mar
shal Of Buffalo announce to his associate
officers that franklin was neither n de-
serter nor criminal but a vigilant, faith
full and valuable officer like themselves.
Ofsourse the surprise was great. The
officers congratulated detective Franklin
on his course, while the Marshal paid him
the highest compliments.
The Harrisburg TetegrdWt from which
we condense the above statement, says
that letters were found on Force, written
l.by his copperhead friends in Scranton
and Wilkesbare, the publication of which
will remove the veil from several Dem
ocratic" hypocrits in that seetion.-EE.
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