Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1865-01-07

from custody on the 22nd OF November.
l returned home on the 23d after all i'm
prisonment Of 81 [e3] days, including the
whole period from the lime Of my arrest.
My health was not coed during my i'm.
prsonment, aud yet feel the serious
effects of confinement. When | left tho
Fort, John Raptz was upwell; also Geo.
Huffman. r. Willis Davis and Benjamin
Colley we're in the Hospital. Joseph ,
Vansickle had become insane and was
also in the Hospital. My three sons were
discharged Oh parole about the middle Of
October, along with 3 others at the Fort.
They were never informed what the char
ges were against them. Altogether, Of
the prisoners originally arrested, about
90 have been discharged, beside myself,
and ono is dead.
Statement by William Apple
man, with reference to the
Chacges against him before the
Military Commission, at Har.
risburg.
The charges as illustrated aud defined
by the evidence for the prosecution and
by the finding of the Commission, consist
of two points which may be considered as
distinct from each other, and upon each
of which pr pose to make full state
ment accompanied by evidence to sustain
it
The frs, point is, participation in
meeting held at the house of John Rantz,
August l4th 1864.
The second pcins is, membership in a
secret political society or Club, in the
Spring OF 1863.
Erst: will begin by stating what
was actually done and said by me on ths
day of the Rantz meeting with some ac-
count of the proceeding at his house
The first knew of the Rantz meeting
was OH the day II was held saw per
.ors ing by my house down there,
Rlntzs house is 80 or 100 rods from mine
| said to my boys that would 60 dow
and see what was going on. Upon start
lug told them that if they came dowl
: they should not bring their guns. l hat
= noticed that some of the men passing ha'
; guns. When | got to The Rantz barn
i Mr.: Hulme was s;isit$ in the door, aut
talking with those who were there, IL
was discouraging the holding of meeting
y and urged them TO leave. lie asked m
= my opinion before them and | told him
= thought it the best thing they could do t
y 90 away. There were about halt doz
= en- conscripted men there, and about q
~ many otbels. 1t was said that soldier
u were coming up and they were to deS'ro
- the people and property Of the neighboi
~ hood and also than the Harveyviilc fellow
- were coming over to burn out Joe Hess
80 John Keller and Aaron Smith These me
=" were all Citizens, and not eonscripts. N
regular meeting was organized. NJ
" Hulme went away before long, but can
y back subsequently. also went hon
y aud returned short time before Dime
:. Additional persons came in, at interval
- and finally before dinner, word can
:, that the Jackson Township men we
- coming over. About noon they cam
soma Is or 20 in number. They we
/. met by per.ons Of the meeting walking o
-. towards them, bu: not as IN orgsnz
~ ~ company. A few men were there fro
/. F'ishingcreek township. Up to this til
~ nothing had been done and no meeti
-. organized. l went home for dinner, a
'' was gone cue or two hours. After dim
was over, Edward McHenry came up
'"' my house and got something to eat,
y" met him at the gate coming in as |
na' going out TO the orchard. He was into
''n Gated and had gun on his shoulder
ven said to him, "This is bad business, ci
OF rying a gun about on the Sabbath.
seu said, II know it s." II sat his gun do
ner by the gate and went into the house,
ing did not say to him, ut must be so nov
'''' nor anything to tha, effect. Mauh
&c McHenry and Ephraim McIIenry w
'"' with me and went along into the
"gS ehard Nothing more passed between
10 ward McHenry and myself, at or near
'''N house.
IL. went again to Raa'z's at two o'cl
-. or aft r, and remained there a couple
nd hours, until the people dispersed, |
-. there aud took no part in what was d
,,no till near the last, when l interlerea il
,h manner to be presently stated A 6
deal of conversation was carried on in
k to gard to the reports of threats made
enes Harveyville, aud Of the various rep
was in regard to danger to the inhabitants
, Of their property by reason OF the sold