Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1866-01-05

the Commanding General, naturally
supposing that we were to lave some
sort Of examination We were ,old that
he was out of town. We then asked for
the Provost Marshal He, too, was out.
l We next inquired for what cause we had
been brought there. To this the official,
Vwho seemed to be in charge, replied,
4" He did not know, unless it was for
this" holding up copy of our paper
and pointing to a few stanzas there
printed We were about to state that
the piece of obnoxious poetry referred to
was not original with US, but had been
copied from the columns of The Press,
the paper of j. w. Forney, then, and
now Secretary Of the United States
Senate, and high in favor with the
dominant party. We were rudely in
terrupted by the acting official, and told
that it was no use to talk, as his orders
were peremptory to conine US until
night, and send us by the night train
out of the city and beyond the outer lines
of the Federal army. A guard was i'm
modiately called, and we were all three
thrust into the cell of negro Jail, with
strict orders not to allow any one to SEQ
or speak to us, nor permit us to speak to
any one. Ia this negro Jail we were
kept without food, or even pitcher of
water, until half-past eight at night. At
that hour we were brought out by
strong military guard, marched to the
Camden street depot, put into a car,
surrounded by armed soldiers, trans
ported to Harper's Ferry, and there con-
fined in the bleak dilapidated old engine
house were John Brown commenced his
murderous raid against the people of
Virginia. We had no trial, no eTami-
nation; were ntterlysignorant as TO any
violation of law or propriety, or of any
such charge against us. And thus, by
the wanton and unfeeing tyranny of this
man Schenck, were three unoflending
citizens torn from their homes and
banished from their country for an inde-
finite period, their property and business
destroyed, and the peace of their families
ruined.
The papers of the next day announce
ed that the Baltimore Republican had
been suppressed, and its editors and pro-
priotors banished during the continuance
of the war. on pain of being treated as
traitors should they return before that
period Our Office was kept possession
Of for months, during which time our
files were mutilated, and cur private p,o-
perty destroyed or carried off, causing us
the loss of many thousand Of dollars, the
earnings of our past life. But the re-
cord of wrong and outrage is not yet
completed. After having been kept at
Harper's Ferry some three days, we were
sent under guard to Charlestown, then'the
outermost post of the Federal army. At
this point We were put on the road out
side the picket lines and left to find our
way through a strange country as best
we could After some weeks Of wander
ing among the ruined homes Of the once
beautiful Valley Of the Shenandoah, we
reached Richmond, where ] remained
few days, and then resumed my journey
further South. My son and Mr. Joice
remained for some time in Richmond,
and finally determined to return to their
homes. They believed that, upon fair
statement of the facts pertaining to their
case, it would be seen that they had
been guilty of no offence, and they would
be permitted to remain at home and re-
sumo their business Acting on this be-
lief, they returned to New York on their
way to their homes, and were there re-
arrested and consigned TO that horrible
prison, Fort Delaware In this bastile
(the grave Of many noble spirit) they
remained incarceratcd for over a year,
no charge ever having been preferred
against them, except the unmeaning one
Of disloyalty to the government, made
by the Black Republican press. For
myself, | remained in Punishment until
the close of the war, greatly preferring
the hardships of exile to the tender mer
cies Of the prison keepers, to whose GUS
tody my son had been committed. This
is brief and true account Of the man
ner in which law has been trnmpled up
on and private rights and liberty des-
troyed Is there to be no redress for
these outrages? Is Gen. Schenck, who
has shown himself so regardless of law
and right, to be allowed to luxuriate in
office and aid 10 making laws to further
insult and outrage those be asoppress-
ed and ruined2 These are questions
which the people have right to ask,
and which will have to be answered at
some future time. For that time We
calmly wait. believing, as we do, that
:" truth is omnipotcnt and public justice
certain" Il. II. RICHARDSON,
Late editor and proprietor Of the Bal
timore Republican.
"Thou rain'st in this BOSOM" as the
chap said when a basin of water was
thrown over him by the lady he was Sc
Il think our church will last good