The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-03-16
afheeliug gegister.
Arbitrary Arrests.

were part of the policy Of LINCOLN
SEWARD, STANTON & Co, Colonel SAM
uEL NORTH, LEVI COIN and MoRyIN N
JONES were arrested at Washington ani
placed in Old Capitol prison, charged
with "defranding soldiers of theil
votes.r These gentlemen were Agents
for the State of New York, whose duty
il was to look after the interests of vol
unteers from their State, whether in the
field, on detail or in the hospital. The
arrests were planned by the leaders of
the Republican party and effected by
their tools, and were designed to infiu-
ence The elections of "a, by securing
the destruction of such. votes as had
been placed in the hands of these agents
by soldiers, t0 he cast for General Nc
GILLIAN.
OF the treatment which these parties
received after their arrest, it is said
that "it would have disgraced the most
dcspotic. government on the face Of the
globe The Commissioners appointed
by the Governor Of New York to look
into the case reported that "they learn
ell that Messrs. North and COhn had
been confined together in one room and
had not beea permitted to leave it for a
moment, during the four days they had
been prisoners, for the purpose OF ans
L., Of They had
been supplied with meagre and coarse
prison rations, to be eaten In their room
where they constantly breathed the foul
atmosphere arising from the standing
odor They had no vessel out of which
10 drink water, except the one used for
urination. They had but one chair, and
had slept three of the nights of their
confinement upon sack of straw on
the floor. They had not been per
mitted TO see newspaper, and
were ignorant of the cause Of
their arrest. All communication be-
tween them and the outer world has
been denied them. The undersigned
complained to the acting superintend-
ent, who seemed humanely disposed,
hut justified his course by the prison
rules and the instructions of his superb
Ors The undersigned afterwards COM
planned Of the treatment of these per-
sons 10 the Judge Advocate, and also to
the Secretary of War and Assistant Sec
retary, and were happy TO learn at sub
sequent visits to the prisoners that the
severities were relaxed, and their con-
dition made more tolerable. But at
neither Of these visits made to the pris-
oners by tue undersigned, were they
permitted to see them without special
permit, and also in the presence of an
officer of the prison.
During the progress Of the trial.
which lasted forty days, sixteen several
adjournments were had on motion Of
the prosecution to enable them to hunt
up or manufacture testimony to sustain
the allegations, but all without success.
The administration, whose illustrious
head had not yet been deified, resorted
10 q most villainous alternative to
shield itself from merited contempt.
Mr. Conn was sent for by "the late
lamented" who proposed to try on him
the experiment of "my plan Says an
exchange:
An interview was had at the Presi-
Dental Mansion, in the presence of c.
A. Dana, Assistant Secretary of War;
J. 4. Foster, Judge Advocate of the
Military Commission and Wood, the
keeper of the prison, when COhn was
first given TO understand that If he
would frankly state "all that he knew
about the illegal transactions Of Colo
mel North, Mr.. Jones, and others, in
connection with the soldiers votes, no
harm would come to him." and 1t was
intimated that he might the sooner be
in the enjoyment of his own liberty
liberty which long imprisonment and
hard fare had rendered doubly precious
and desirable. He was also put through
a course of pumping" and alternative
coaxing and buliying-all designed to
elicit something which might convict
North and Jones and compromise Gov
srnor Seymour. But Cohn told the Presi-
dent that .'all he knew he had stated
and Mr.. Lincoln finally remarked that
"he did not see that anything ELECTED
tended to criminate Colonel North"
The exceedingly "honest' and char
acteristic ruse having failed so COM
pletely the trial proceeded, and the
most strenuous efforts were made to
procure some evidence upOn which Col
onel NORTH, at least, could be con-
victed. On the 9th of January, 1866,
the trial" was concluded, tut the re-
suit was kept q profound secret, as
STANTON positively forbade, any mem
her of the Commission to make any rev.
elations in advance Of his official an
nouncement. Mysterious rumors were
circulated throughout the country to the
effect that the prisoners had been found
guilty, but aftera lapse Of two years,
it now appears that a finding OF acqsf-
tai was rendered rs regards all the de-
PENDANTS. On the Goth of JANUARY,
las, nearly three weeks after a YER
dict of "not guilty" had been formally
rendered. Colonel NORTH was liberated
and furnished with official evidence of
his acquittal.
"Cohn and JONES' We learn, "were
held in strict confinement, suffering the
torments of suspense, and uncertain as
to their fate. Stanton alone could have
been guilty of originating such refined
cruelty, as he alone could have taken
the position he did in regard to the ex'
change. of our poor suffering prisoner
during the war. Holt may also come ir
for full share of the infamy attaching
to the cruelty practiced towards thes'
inno,ent parties and their friends, wht
were told, in answer to the anxious in
auiries of the latter, that "they wer'
convicted and sentenced to the Stat'
prison for lifew In the face Of thes'
inconsistencies, and the practice OF sucl
proscriptive intolerance, two weeks at
ter Colonel North's release, Jones ane
Cohn were set at liberty, the prison
doors were flung open and they wer,
told to "gow without bearing will
them anything in the form Of oflcis
discharge to show whist had been tn,
finding of the court or the reason o
xt..:. I;.charra