Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1865-04-05
THE OLEARFIELD COUNTY CASES
BEFORE THE MILITARY COMMISSION Al
HARRISBURG, Pa
Case of George Rousher, Charles Keller,
Benjamin Boyer and Henry Yoas.

Brady township, were called up for trial on
the 7th March last The Commission was
the same, as in the other cases.
| The charges and specifications, were for
cibly rescuing two deserters from the custo-
| dy of Government officers.
The accused We're defended by WILLIAM
P. JENKs, ESQ, of Brookville After they
had been formally arraigned, and seyerally
plead mot guilty, the case proceeded as
follows:
\ JOSEPH MILLER, sworn.-I know the
prisoners by sight. | am Special Agent
of the Government, for the 10Th District,
appointed by Capt. Campbell, Provost Mar
| shal, Tor the purpose of arTeSting deserters.
| Here Is my written warrant: Paper pro-
duced. | started from Brookville, about
the l4th December last, about dark, for the
purpose of arresting two deserters named
| John Hamm and John Frantz | went to
the house of John T. Murdoch, and request
ed him to go along and show me the roads,
as | was not acquainted with them. We
rode all night. We arrested Hamm at his
own house, about daylight in the morning.
| We took him with Us as a prisoner. We
came to Stump Greek. Two other drafted
men lived up this creek about a mile. l
! told Murdock to 90 and see if he could ar
rest Erantz, and | would take Hamm, and
| see If | could arrest the two men up the
creek, and we would meet at a point near
Troutville | went up the creek to the
| houses of the drafted men, but did not find
them. | then started to the point where we
had agreed to meet. On my way there, |
met George Rousher, one of the accused in
company with three other men. When [
| IL L i Il
! soldiers are in Clearfeld, let us go right
down" lspurred up my horse and said
John can't go with you. He answered
'W hat the hell is it your business p | re-
! piled Il am a Government officer, and have
! him under my arrest, and he cannot 90 with
| you. Rousher then fell back and talked
with the other men. | continued to 90 on
with my prisoner. ROusher seemed to be
pointing in different directions, as though
/ he wanted the men to go somewhere. At
| ter talking with them short time, he came
after us, and called out to John Hamm to
stop. The other men went in the direction
Rousher had pointed. He came up to me
with pretty good sized stick i'll his hand
when | told him to keep back, supposing he
intended to strike. He passed on, and tried
to get past my horse. to where Hamm was
! | then drew my pistol and ordered him to
! keep back, and not inter fere with me or my
prisoner. He said Don shoot, and fell
| back III tLeTear but still followed US until
we came to the Luthersburg Pike. Here /
turned to the right, Rousher turned TO the
| left, and after he got out Of shooting dis
/ tance ne turned round and shook his club at
! me, crying God damn you, | can get some
! thing to shoot with too 1t was now about
| ten and half O'Clock in the forenoon [
/ went on to the house Of Mr.. Anthony,
where | found Murdock with John Frantz
in custody. After we left Anthony's, and
! had got about a quarter OF mile on our
road, We met a party OF men, | should judge
| about fifteen of them One was on horse
| back, number were in a sled, and some
were on foot behind the sled. They were
| comsng very fast hallooing and yelling like
as many Indians. They were armed, most
! OF them with rifles. As we approached
them, | heard one of, them say There
come the God damned sons of bitches
| who have got our men. When they
got within about fifty yards of US, about
| half Of them jumped out of the sled, and
some OF the Others rose up, and pulled their
| guns up to their shoulders. as If they in
tened 10 shoot. They still continued to ad
vance towards US, crying out John come
over on our side we'll protect you The
| prisoners then broke and run over to them.
They were about 40 yards off. | attempted
| to shoot at the prisoners when they were
running but my pistol would not go off, 1t
was very poor pistol. As soon as the pris-
oners ran over to them, the whole party ad
| vanced towards us We concluded there
was no use IN staying any longer, and wheel
| ed our horses and rode away. The party
jumped into the sled, and gave us chase
| We managed, however, to keep out of their
way. After we had got some distance.. we
| stopped and looked back. They had stop
| ped and seemed to be holding sort of ju-
bilee over their success
As [ did not know any of the men in the
party, but Rousher, [ got Mr. Anthony to
go back and procure me their names, which
he did.
| l had conversation since with Henry
| Y oas. He told me he was there and that
the sled was his. He said their object was
| to release the men.
[ told Rousher, distinctly on the road,
that Hamm was drafted man, and was in
my custody, as an officer, and that he must
not interfere. | had list of the deserters
from the draft furnished me by Capt
Campbell The names of Hamm and Frantz
were on IT.
Cross Ecamiaed-I informed brother
of Frantz, and another man, both of whom
were in the party, that | was a Government
officer, and had the men in custody as such.
| l did not hear what Rousher said to the
two men in the road. He made motions
with his stick, and pointed with his finger
There were houses near where | met the
party. | think the party were as near to us
as 40 yards. | think Rousher did not have
gun. The rest were all armed, as near as
| can tell. They raised their guns to shoot.
They talked and swore in Dutch and Eng
llsh, SO that it was hard to tell what they
Ea frin |