The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-06-09
A Complete Back Down.

During the war Madison Y. John
som and David Sheehan, of Galena,
Illinois the home of Grant and Wash
burne, were arrested and thrown into
prison on the charge of Copperheadism,
in denoancing the war as unneces-
sary, and for exercising the freedom
Of speech, in reference to the admins
Htration of Mr.. Lincoln, and of that
gentleman individually. Upon their re-
lease Mr.. johnson brought suit for
damages against those who arrested
him, for trespass and false imprison-
ment. He has pursued his persecu-
tors from Court to Court, in every in
stance before Republican Judges, un-
til at last he has driven them to the
extremity Of placing upon record the
acknowledgement of the injustice done
him, and their admitted violation of
the law of the land for the protection
of the persons of its citizens The fol-
lowing is the final entry made in the
case, copied from New York Demo
crat, by which it will be seen that
Ei,:hu B. Washburne, our present
Minister to France, and J. Russell
Jones, our present Minister to Bel
GUM, are co-de-fendants of those
who, upon their knees, beg for mercy,
in the most humiliating manner. This
is the record:
State of Illinois. 10 Davies Ccun-
ty, SIS. In the Circuit Court of 10
Daviess County, May Term, 1868.
Madison Y. johnson IS. J. Russell
Jones, John G. Hawkins, Oliver P.
Hopkins, Elihu b. Washburne, and
Bradner Smith, Trespass for false i'm
p:isonment.
And now comes the said defendants
Jones, Hawkin and Hopkins, &c,
and admit that the said pleas hereto
fore filed by them in said case, and the
matters and things therein set forth
against said plaintiff, untrue in sub
stance and in fact, and the defendants
ask leave of the Court to withdraw
the same. which is granted by the
Court. And the said defendants fur
Their confess the wrongful trespass and
imprisonment set forth in said declar-
alton, and that the said defendants are
guilty in manner and form IS therein
stated and set forth, and that said
plaintiff has sust tined great damages
thereby as is alleged in said declare
ton ; and said defendants further con-
fess that the said seizure and imprison-
ment of said plaintiff was wrongful, ur-
iustiiable and without cause, and the
said plaintiff was innocent of the viola
ton of any law or of doing any act
inimical to the government of the
United States, and that said plaintiff
did no act used no expression, or ex
ercised no influence to the knowledge
of said defendants that was not in sup
port of the Government of the United
States its constitution and its laws.
And inasmuch as said suit was
brought by said plaintiff Madison Y.
Johnson) for the personal v~indication
of his character and conduct, he re-
leases the said damages, except as to
the sum of one thousand dollars as the
costs and expenses incurred by the
said plaintiff on account ofsaid wrong
full imprisonment.
1t is %thereupon considered by the
Court that the said plaintiff have and
of the said defendants, Jones,
Hawkins and Hopkins, the said sun
of one thousand dollars and costs OF
suit, and the execution be issued
therefore.
Filed and entered of record May "a,
1869.
The depth of degradation to which
the the defendants in this Ease have
sunk themselves, to save a few thou
sand dollars, is seen by the fact they
admit that their arasaoer, made aadsr