The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1869-01-14
Personal Liberty Unlawful Imprlson
ment


Personal Liberty u Unlawful Imprlson-
ment.
During the war, the President and his
subordinates incarcerated over one thous-
and persons in the most loathsome dun
geons of the country. They imprisoned
these men without authority of law and in
violation of the Constitution. The victims
have not been informed to this day of the
reason why they were imprisoned. They
were seized where the war was not raging,
in those States where the courts of justice
were fully organized and in the exercise of
their powers, and where every crime could
be punished by legal process of law, and
where every crime, duly prosecuted and
proved, would have been punished.
+. S. Schnabel was arrested in Litchfeld
county, in this State, and placed in Fort
Lafayette, where he remained for months,
sleeping along side Of old cannon swabs,
slush, and other offensive articles. He had
made a speech at Morris in favor of the
Constitution, and Sheriff Vessels, who ar
rested him, Informed us at the time that it
was one of the best speeches he ever heard.
He uttered no word against the govern
ment, its institutions, or the war. But he
asked that the servants of the people should
abide by the Constitution, which is the
government Without warrant, without
law, and without justice, Schnabel was
hurried off to the fort, as soon as he had
finished his speech to the great crowd of
people assembled to hear it. He was not
informed Of the offence for which he was
imprisoned-and never could learn it..
This was a blow at the life of the Republic,
more deadly than the bayonets of the rebels.
Senator Wall, Of New Jersey, was
dragged from his breakfast table one morn
ing 10y file of soldiers and imprisoned.
He had done nothing, said nothing, con-
templated nothing inconsistent with the i'll
stitutons of his country. Was he a
traitor? Certainly not, but he was patriot
who loved his country, and venerated the
principles of his government. Had he
committed no crime what was he arrested
for? Neither he nor his friends, nor the
public, have ever been permitted to know !
Here was another blow at the ''Nation' $
life," more deadly than the rebels sword.
And the little hump-back news boy, who
sold papers that were sent to him from the
news Office, who knew nothing of their
contents or of the subjects which they dis
cussed-a harmless, innocent invalid, poor
and struggling against physical infrmities
for bare subsistence-this helpless and
friendless citizen, was seized and imprison-
ed. Had the men who welded the sword
here had one object in view, and that only
to strange the liberties of the people, III
violation of every guarantee of the govern
ment, they could not have pursued more
effective course.
We allude TO these cases, only three of a
thousand similar ones--in which the parties
lawful act, and were not informed of the
reason of their Imprisonment.
And the some arbitrary military power,
unlawfully took possession of the World g,
and journal of Commerce newspaper Of
fees, and closed them, for the reason that
they had published Il bogus proclamation
which was received late at night, by tele-
graph--ihe publishers of the papers never
seeing it till it was printed, and themselves
being cheated.
Did the ''loyal" press condemn these out
RACES? These deadly assaults upon the
Liberties of the press and the rights of the
citizens? 0, no! They rather commend
ed it all as something excellent.
But now when Mr.. Bowles, of Spring
field, is arrested by legal process Of the
court, on a charge of libel, and the officers
serving the writ very meanly consent to
arrest him at night, when he could not for
ten hours get bail, the same journals cry
out against it, and declare that the liberty of
the press is assailed, and personal ri hits
violated, and ask how long our free institu-
tions can exist under such state of things.
Hartford Times.
The Indianapolis Sentinel says that Miss
Laura Reno, sister of the victims Of the vigi
lance committee at Seymour, Ind, is young
lady O. great beauty and accomplishments
possessing also the larger part of the brains
of the family, which united to an infexible will
| and an intense desire for revenge will sooner
or later bring ruin or death upon some of the
murderers of her brothers, and that all of then
will find that the oath of revenge she took ovel
the dead body of Frank Reno was no mere
empty threat, to be forgotten in an hour, but