The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-06-29
A BIT OF INDIANA HISTORY
Reasonable Organizations That Once
Made Trouble for Governor Morton.
Something About the Celebrated "Sons Of
Liberty" and the Summary Way In Which
the War Governor suppressed the Order.

In the Atlantic Monthly for July Hon.
w. u. Forlke tells in very clsar and con-
else style the story of the reasonable order
known as the "Sons of Liberty" and of the
part taken IN it's suppression by Governor
Morton. He says:
The absurdities of expiring knight
errantry, as laid bare IN the satire of Ger
vantes, were not more out OF keeping with
the spirit of his time than were the manu-
featured solemnity of the Knights OF the
Golden Circle and Sons of Liberty, their
mystic conclsves. foolish ritual. and blood
curdling Oaths out OF keeping with
and institutions. Rozlnante. Mambri-
nos helmet. the windmills and the island
Of Sancho Panza were essentially no inter
sui jects for satire than the midnight Until
atoms in Indiauapo and in the woods of
Martin county, the battle of POgue's run.
the storming of Fort Dodd. the warlike
Sunday school literature for the CONVEX
sion of HOOsiers and the proposed estab-
lshment of q Northwestern Confederacy
under the leadership of men who bad
neither the ability to organize nor the cour-
age To fight. But their conspiracy was
planned at time when the national unity
was trembling between life and death;
when a formidable foe. animated by genius
and courage, hung upon the borders of In
diana and invaded its soil. Ii was time
when a straw could turn the balance, and
that which at other periods would have
been q su bject of scornful jest became dan
gerous, and demanded additional energy
from those who had performed the tasks or
Hercules in the effort to subdue the Con-
federacys
Fortunately at this time there was at the
head of affairs man whose resources were
equal to every emergency. WHO embodied
in his own person the whole energy OF the
State, whose autocrasic will supplied, even
under republican institutions and In con-
q In xgVr IN
disaffected Legislature ana an unwilling
judiciary: man who furnished. wlthout
aid from any other branch of the govern
ment, the means of carrying on tue bus.-
ness of the State as we'll as the s;news
of costly war; q man who could hold
q conspiracy like this, though 1t aimed
at his own life, as q play thing in his hands,
and even coerce 1t into his service. NO one
can read the history of these secret frater-
mites and not feel that, widespread as they
were, there was not an instant IN which
they were not held securely within the grip
of the War Governor OF Indiana.
MORTON AND THE PLoTTERs.
In the history of this conspiracy, as 1t
was given to the public by the press and in
the testimony at the treason trials Nor
toms name does not often appear. It was
through the agency of others that each
step was taken in the suppression of this
revolt. 1t ls only those who can look be-
hind the appearance OF things who know
that the agents employed In the detection
of these plots were the emissaries and con-
fdants of one hose name Is seldom men
toned in their reports: that they were
men who had been his old clients and
familiars men whom he had employed sep
arately to attend the cOnclaves of the con-
spirators. each having no KNOWLEDGE of the
others agency; men whom he met by out-of-
the-way appOintments.a at different places In
Indianapolis. and whose reports cofrobo-
Asaw x-a1 nnls nth IN W.
those who have examined the secret re-
ports furnished to him as each step In the
development of the plot who can fully
understand how completely these Organi.
cations were at ell times under the control
of Governor Morton; how he played with
them as q cat with mouse; how, In many
instances. he permitted them even to grow
and develop. that he might hasten eonvlc.
ton the more securely upon them and over:
throw them utterly when the time should
be ripe for the disclosure.
The history of the conspiracies in Indl-
ana has never been so snccintly told as In
the words of Morton himself In the United
States Senate on May4, 1876
Mr.. Foulke quotes from this speech. and
develops the history of the conspiracies.
He traces the origin of the reasonable
associations further back than has
been done in the ordinary records of those
times. According to his account. one
Charles c. Buckley. native of Indiana.
residing In the South. organized the
Knights of the Golden Circle in 1866. Its
purpose was to aid in establishing slave
empire, to include Cuba. Mexico and Mica
ragua. Their plans had matured
so far that they were to cross the
Rio Grande in 1861, but by that time other
matters took mp their attention, and the
organization rapidly extended. it's object
being to secure Southern rights. In the
border States the Initiat0ry steps were
more gradual than in the extreme South.
and. if possible, to raise companies of Mill
tia. t. be turned over TO the confederate
service. This effort was not successful.
One DrOng0ole, of Martin county. Indiana,
wrote to Jefferson Davis. declaring his
ability TO muster SIX reglments DAVIS
answered. commencing his noble and
patriotic endeavors'; but the letter was
intercepted. and Drongoole was roughly
handled and sent South. The enthusiasm
for the Union was then at red heat and
little could be done. Still there were q
number OF organizations scattered over In
diana.
GROWTH OF THE SOCIETY.
The idea of q Northwestern Confederacy
gained ground and found favor at several
points in Indiana French Lick Syringe
was one of these places. Here lived De. w.
A. Bowles. a man of considerable wealth.
who had served in the Mexican war as
colonel of the Second Indiana Regiment.
w q
He had married Southern wife. He was
q member of the Knights of the Golden
Circle. HIS house was q rendezvous for
those who sympathized with secession. He
wrote TO his wife that when fighting began
he would probably go South. but when
that time came he decided to remain and
assist the Confederacy from the North
AS the war went on, and the armies OF
| the North suffered defeat. these little GEN.
| tiers of Southern sympathy became more
numerous, and the voices of the disaffect ed
holder and louder. The knights of the
Golden Circle now spread their organiZa-
| ton over the State. and Governor Morton
was confronted with treason at home. In
| May. 1862 the grand jury of the United
| States District Court reported that the
knights numbered some fifteen Thousand,
as estimated by members of the order; that
| lodges were instituted in various parts of
| the STATE; that among the signals was one
| invented for the use of such members
! Is should be drafted into the army.
| thereby reminded of their obligation not
TO Injure the person giving these signals.
| ana it became their mutual duty to shoot
over each other. The member of this fra
| ternity bound themselves to resist the pay
| ment of the federal tax. and to prevent en-
| listments In the army.
The election of 1862 resulted dIsastrously
| to the Republicans. There were Demo-
| cratic majorities both houses of the
| LEGISLATURE, and at that time. IN Indiana.
| the Democratic party represented violent
| opposition TO the administration. An at
| tempt w as made IL this Legislature TO iu-
vestIgste these secret orders. but the prop
ositIon to investigate was laid upon the