Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1865-03-22


county. The Board of Enrolment trans
ferred its Head Quarters to Brookville in
order to accommodate these drafted men.
They were to report on the Doth October
Less than three hundred men reported out
of the whole number drafted. Most of those
who did report, were such as We're certain of
exemption. The men who were held to SER
vice, were allowed furlough of ten days,
at the expiration of which they were TO re-
port at Waterford. A large number of them
never came back, and have not yet reported
When the Board left Brookyihe, We deter
mined to send detectives into the county to
| arrest deserters. Col Cyrus Butler and
| George Van Vliet, were accordingly sent on
the 2Sth October, 1864, and on the 31st
| October we received information that Col
! Cyrus Butler had been killed while attempt
ing to arrest a deserter named Lausberry.
! Requisition was then made for troops. A
detachment Of the 10th Regt v r. G. was
| sent up, numbering 800 or 400 men. We
arrested | think. nearly three hundred men.
! We found a great many deSerters from the
army, as well as a large number of delin-
| quents from the Draft. In one house nine
| teen men n-were arrested, fourteen of whom
were dcserters. After the troops came, the
men began to report. The supplementary
draft was made for 1S4 men, and they near
| ly all reported.
JACOB RINEHART, sworn.-I know Sam
uel Lansberry. [ was at meeting, held at
| Polk School House, on the evening before
| the State election, last fall. There We're 20
| or % men there. Jacob Wilhelm was Pres
| ident, Amos Huber Vice President, and
| Patrick Curley Secretary VIM Wilhelm
| Henry Huber, Hesekiah Lansberry, Daniel
| Curley, Samuel Lansberry, John A. Green,
John Mcdowell, Geo. W. Hall, w. r.
| Green and others were present. Patrick
| Curley stated the object of the meeting
| He said it was Democratic meeting, and
| he wanted none but Democrats in-that any
drafted men who wanted to report could do
! 50, but that those who did not want to do so
| could join. There was an oath administered
| We were sworn TO stick together-keep the
secrets-assist one anotber-and not go to
| the army. Patrick Curley administered the
| oath. | don't think Samuel Lansberry was
present when [ was sworn. think Lans-
berry did not come in until we were all sworn
in. | DO not remember that any save draft
ed men were sworn in. | am not certain
who called the meeting Samuel LanSberry
asked me to go. He served a notice on me
that | was drafted the night of this meeting,
after was sworn. He came to my house
on the day of the meeting-I was in the
| garden. He told me about the meeting and
asked me If | was coming, | told him | did
not know He allowed [ had better come
and join the meeting and get my draft no.
| tice. | told him if he had notice for me
| | would like to have it. He allowed [ had
| better come to the meeting and get it, and
said he would give it to me there. He then
| asked me if | was going to the green woods.
told him | could not afford it, that l had
to work for my living. He replied we
10, / l-,l H.
| he took the notices to serve? He said he
| thought he could give US a better chance to
stay at home. We were all in the house
| when he served the notices on us. When
| he gave me mine, he laid the others down
on table, and told Mr. Wilhelm to read
| them of. Lansberry said we had better
not report, but all stick together. | did not
| hear him advise any others. He said NJ
Kielnan, the Deputy Marshal, had employ
| ed him to serve the notices.
| attended meeting at Jacob Huber 5
| house. | saw Lansberry there. 1t was a
bout two weeks after the one at the School
| house. [ believe the same men were pres
ent. 1t was also a secret meeting. There
were probably % or 80 there. There were
| drafted men IN the party-several of them.
| The meeting was nearly over when | got
| there. | was taken into Il small room and
sworn. | was there shown the signs, and
| passwords, &c, sworn TO stick to the party
| and not vote for any one outside, TO keep
| the secrets, &c. 1t was different from the
| oath at the School House. 1t was called
the Democratic Castle. | cannot reccol-
! leet whether anything was said about the
| draft. | was only there about half an hour
or so. | think this meeting was after the
| time We were ordered to report. | did not
| hear Lansberry say anything while | was
| there concerning the meeting.
| Question: you expect to receive any
assistance from the members Of this meet
| ing in the event of your being arrested?
| Objected to by Defendant counsel. Court
! cleared, and objection not sustained.
| Answer.-Yes sir, | did | expected to
get assistance by using the signs. One sign is
to draw the right hand across the mouth,
and the answer was to draw the left hand
across the forehead If | meet man who
did not understand the signs | would know
he did not belong to the party, and | could
shun him if necessary.
| Cross Eranaiped- i think Lansberry was
not presenC when Curley stated the object of
! the meeting. | did not hear Lansberry say
anything to any body else when he served
the notices on them | think when he came
to my house, he had been threshing buck
wheat at his sons | think that he said
witch Ht was tUcTe, ILttb ut Hdu not GIc no
tees with him, and would give it to me at
the meeting. My wife complained about
me being drafted Lansberry was not in
the room when | was sworn at the second
meeting. The drafted men who were present
were Henry Huber, Ellis Evans. James
Lucas, David Crowell, William Wilhelm
Hesekiah Lansberry, Henry Evans, and
others | do not now remember John j.
Kyler taught us the signs. do not know