~` oMtu .
Wellbteribir,srain.y 11,1885.
KiiP• 437 of our patrons having copies of the
*stud :secood trarnboni of Tin Ow 114 a orM confer
sigma isvor Ispon the publishers by sending them to this
colllee,, They 26 Wanted to complete Gay Elea. All our
caPins au • hind of those numbers, wer,A mme d by the
rebels.
THE REPOSITORY Will be furnished to
memberkof the legislature during the see-
Edon for sl•Per copy.
- WE give in taday's paper Gov. Curtin's
annual message. It is brief and practical
in its statements and suggestions. and
thoroughly loyal in its tone. It presents
a proud record for Pennsylvania in the
great work of defending our common lie,-
tionality, and places our great State and
• her taithfill heads of departments, first
among the foremost in the fulfilment of
every demand of Patriotism and Human
ity.
~Y.I: +:ii)iil'7i)hi:'of;7ayM~y: YYr.3,
Mr. B. F. Meyers, Editor of the Bedford
Gazette, was one of the Democratic candi
dates for Assembly at the late election in
the Somerset, Bedford and 'Fultoadistrict,
and nnforttmately for,him, his competitor
received the most votes by nearly 200.
Notwithstanding his defeat by the people,
.fr. Meyers concluded to take a seat in the
legislature nolenr volens, or, at least, come
lie nearly doing so as circumstances night
permit. Accordingly he had two district
return judges falsify their own return with
which-they were charged. and certify him
elected, upon which he presented himself
in the House of lleprestsitatives on Tues
day of last week and proposed to be sworn
as one of the legally chosen Representa
tives from his district. But the House
was obscure enough in its vision not to
see 41e propriety of putting a man in who
wasn't elected, and instead of performing
that kind office for Mr. Meyets, they most
ungraciously put him out, whereupon Mr.
Meyers rushes into the columns of the
Bedford Gazette, and records his discomi .
fiture in an article assuming to have been
written before the action of the House
was had, and foreshadowing his over
throw. AAa the House disposed of Mr.
Meyers on Tuesday and the Gazette was
• issued on the following Friday, it would
not take -much over an average fool to
guess that his prophecies were recorded
after their fulfillment had been realized.
We give the main point of his prophetic
lamentations as follows :
" We have no doubt of one thing, however, and
that is, that no matter how good a case Messrs.
Meyers and Findley may present, they will be
ruled out by the abolition majority. At first
many of the abolition members: talked very fairly
in regard to the matter, but they have all been
' whipped into the traces.' rhat arch-conspira
tor against every thing that is honest, A. K. Mc-
Clure, whose paper has been constantly employ
ed during the last few months in attacks upon Mr.
Bleyent,, has concluded that' it would not do' to
admit the editor of the Gazette to a seat in the
present House."
There ie not an essential statement in
the foregoing,e7.tract that approaches the
truth. There was no predetermination
on the part of any one to eject Mr. Mey
ers—on the contrary the Union members
An caucus, made careful inquiry into his
case, and without a dissenting voice re
solved that he, or some person or persons
for him, had suborned the return judges
to fisbiif . ) ( the veryreturns with whichpey
were" charged,- in order 'to perpetrate a
double frond upon the voters of his district
anti upon the House. & Whether the Union
members acted jtistly in the premises, let
the puhlic judge : -
1 The record evidence before the can
, cui, under seal- of the courts of Fulton
and. Bedford, certified to by Democratic
Prothonotaties, showed 'beyond all possi
bility of doubt that Mr. Meyets wasdefea
ted over 100 Totes by both the Union
Candidates, by the'vote as counted, certi
fied tnd returned by every Democratic
judge in the district!
2. Th order to defeat Gen. Koontz and
Judge King—the election of the lJnion
auelidates for Assembly being then con
ceded—the Democratic return judges of
Bedford, acting under the inspiration of
Mr. Meyers himself, rejected but 139 of the
army vote and counted the remainder,
something over 300. This part of the sol
dier vote they counted, certified as correct,
aid charged one of their number, who al-
so had isigneiLthe return, to meet the other
diskiet return judges to add np the whole
vote.for Assembly.
3. In Fulton county the Democratic re
turn judges rejected but 25 of the army
vote, and counted and, certified 26 as le
gal, and also - Charged one of their number
—who-had certified to the 26 army votes
lath the home vote—to meet the other
districtlndges.
4. By the vote so counted and certified
by
everyDemoeratic return judge in Bed
ord and Fulton,-Mr. Meyers was defeated
over 100 votes by each of his Union com
petitors, and it was the duty of the three
district judges from Somerset, Fulton and
Bedford so to state.in their certificate and
return. Messrs. Boss and Armstrong as
chosen.
5. When the three return judges met
in Bedford to perform their:duty and coin
- puts the aggregate vote as certified by
the judges of the "severpl connt*s, Mr.
Meyers and his friends had resolved to im-
prove in the matter of the rejection of ar
my votes, and accordingly the two judges
from Fulton and Ridford were manipula
ted until they rejected the whole of the
• army vote in Bedford and Fulton—even
that part of it which they themselves had,
with all the other Demqpratic return
judges, counted and eertilred—and' thus
give Messrs. Meyers and "Findley an ap
parent majority.
6. This act was consummated by Mr.
'Meyers and his friends by compelling
sworn district judges, who had already
rejected every army vote they could And
a shadow of a pretext for throwing out,
to reject part of the very dote they had
accepted as correct, and which they were
charged by the unanimous action of them
selvol and their associates to compute and
cetify.
• '7. The return judge from Somerset did
not
_b ecome a party to this unblushing
fraud, but did certify the whole vote of
the district correctlyas it was returned to
the - several Prothonotoine, aild upon that
the Howe was compelled to decide who
was certifyingjru3tly and who fraudulently.
Was Mr. Meyers wrongedwhenthe House
declared, wha ; t his own judges had pre
viously declared, that he was clearly not
elected to a seat in the House
—Grievously does the Gazette err in de
claring that the Chief Editor of this journ
al has been employed "in attacks upon
Mr. Meyers." He has yet the first time to
make any personal assaults of any kind,
either publicly or privately, upon Mr.
Meyers. His columns are entirely free
from such warfare, while the columns of
the Gazette have at times descended to
the deepest .depth of personal defamation
in allusion to the writer hereof. " Such
warfare we neither resent or imitate, and
if the Editor of the Gazette will but glance
at his own columns for some months past,
he may conclude that our " attacks upon
Mr. Meyers" have their paternity in his
Well grounded conviction that he - lia.s
exhausted himself to merit them. We
have from the start denounced the action
of the return judges in violation of their
oaths and the law, and only when Mr.
Meyers attempted to avail himself of their
wrong, to take a seat to which he has not
the shadow of right, did we in any way
reflect upon him in our animadversions.—
Could we do less I
GEN. HANCOCK'S NEW CORPS
The legislature \of this State has made
provision at once generous and just for
the brave men who-volunteer to serve the
Nation in the field, and the Executive is
charged with the dispensation of the be
nefits awarded to our heroic sons. They
are visited in sickness by those who go
clothed with the authority of the Com
monwealth ; they are supplied with sur
geons when the hoarse thunders of battle
give their terrible harvest of ghastly
wounds ; the dead are called by the be
neficence of our laws to sleep with their
kindred; the orphans of our fallen heroes
have schools where they are the special
objects of the fostering care of the Com
monwealth ; the widowed by the desola
tion of this wanton war of treason, are not
forgotten in our bounties; but most of
these benefiti are by law restricted to
those recruits who are mustered into reg
ular military organizations raised in the
State, with officers commissioned by the
Executive in accordance with the act of
Congresi. Thousands of brave Pennsyl
vanians, misled into organizations outside
of the State, have families in our midst
who are denied the benefits of our laws
because- their husbands or fathers :were
mustered into foreign regiments and cred
ited to foreign districts.
Gov. Curtin, ever solicitous for the wel
fare of the brave sons of Pennsylvania,
very properly raised the question relative
to the enlisted. men in the new corps now
being raised by Gen, Hancock. He de
sires to know under : Whit-law the organi
zations are to be made, and what will be
the exact status of the soldiers who may
enter it from this State. The answer of
Gen. Hancock is frank as becomes a sol
dier, but it affords no solution to the dif
fieultysuggeated. by the Governor, where
upon Gov, Curtin 4efers the matter to the
legislature, as there must be material mod
ification of our State, laws to extend the
benefits of our various statutes to Penn
sylvanians mustered into Gen. Hancock's
corps.
No loyal man will dissent from the pro
position to raise a new corpsfor Gen. Han
cock. He ha well earned his laurels, and
was fitly selected to command a new organ
ization to be composed mainly or wholly
of veterans. It was wise to make the
movement, not only because men are
needed, but because veterans-are greatly
wanted in mu armies just now. Under
the pernicious system heretofore sanction - -
ed by the government of opening the
widest avenues for bounty-brokers, a very
large proportion :of the new recruits,
especially from the cities, have done more
to demoralize our own army than they
are ever likely to injure the enemy. A
new corps of veteran troops with. such an
experienced and heroic leader as Gen.
-Hancock, would be worth any two corps
now in the Arniy of the Potomac, and we
shall not fail to lend the effort a helping
hand whenever it is possible to do so.
But why must this corps be organized out
side of the law? Are the loyal States re
miss in their duty ? Are loyal Executives
unfitted to selectcommissioned officers?
If so, who is Competent to the discharge
of so delicate and important a duty. Cer
tainly not the Secretary of War, for the
multiplicity of his duties forbid the de
votion of his time to it. Gen. Hancock
can, better than any other perhaps, select
many of the more important subordinate
conimanders, and any , faithfal s Executive.
would doubtless pay great deference to,
his suggestions; but who can best select
the many line officers with that discretion
and skill which are ever necessary to give
success to the organization of troops? Not
even Geu. Hancock can discharge this duty
to the best advantage, and the whole plan
for the organization of the new corps is
therefore founded on a fundamental error
in point of policy, and a worse error in
point of law. If other States are sluggish,
Pennsylvania should be honorably except
ed. A State that has put 336,444 men in
the field in four years, and 91,700 within
the last year, in conformity with the laws,
needs no exercise of doubtful powers or
resort to doubtful policies to procure men.
If the National authorities want 5,000 or
more veterans from Pennsylvania for Gen.
Hancock, let them be called for in the
usual way, and if human agencies can pro
cure theta, they will be forthcoming; but
if the present plan is persisted in, we ap
prehend that the new corps will have a
,superabundance`of officers and a sad scar
city °frank and file.
—We have from the first strengthened
this call for Gen. Hancock's new corps in
every possible way, and now refer thus
frankly to the difficulties confronting . %
solely with the view of having them,oh:
viated and the highest measure of success
assured for the movement.. Let-the au
thorities consider the suggestions Of Gov.
Curtin in the same patriotic spirit he has
given them, and we doubt not that Gen.
Hancock's orders will be promptly modi
fied, and our veterans will be at once en
warned to enliSt ; with the - confident as
sarano that they will not thereby become
strangers to the beneficence of their re
vective States.
• TICE COLLECTION OF BOITNITI:S.
The act of the last legislatiie 'relative
to bounties authorized the collection of a
bounty finntrby taxation, not exceeding
$3OO for each recruit put into the service ;
but under theinficidal system of allowing
cr e dits to follow the highest prices pro
posed to recruits, every district that made
any effort to fill its quota, was compelled
to offer a local bounty of $5OO. In ordeito
meet this exorbitant necessity, prominent
men in each district were compelled to as
sume the payment of the additional $2OO
for each man s enlisted and 'credited, trust
ing to the justice of the present legislature
to make provision for reimbursing them.
Every district in . Franklin county that
filled its quota with volunteers has this
peculiar debt upon a portion of its more
patriotic citi7erts, and there is now some
agitation in several localities touching the
legislation necessary to collect the addi
tional bounty by, taxation. We have had
several committees to confer with us in
opposition to the proposed tax, and re
ceived a number of letters protesting
against the enactment of such a law. We
learn also that in two or three districts re
monstances are in circulation for signa
tures, which will of course reach the mem
bers from this county in due course of
time.
—We have frankly answered every in
quiry, protest and appeal on the subject
in the only possible way that a fair-min
ded legislator could answer on such a
question. The additional $2OO bounty
was a necessity. It had to be paid to
avoid a draft; and every man at all affec
ted by, the then pendipg draft. aawell as
all who felt a proper interest in the - prompt
filling up of our armies, sanctioned the
payment of the bounty. Having met the
popular demand by the payment of it,
how aie those who generously assumed
the debt and advanced the money to be
reimbursed l They did it, not solely for
their own sakes. for those who were able
to advance money could readily have fur
nished their own substitutes; but as a rule
they did it for the general welfare of
classes; of their fellow citizens, and the
debt they assumed was for a common good
and must be a common charge upon the
community. If it is not made collectable
by taxation, how can it be raised with any
degree of equity? Will the malignant
copperhead, who would rejoice to find
our armies depleted and unsuccessful,
voluntarily pay his share of this necessary
burtlen imposed upon our people by'trea
son t' Will the mercenary of any party ap
preciate their just responsibility in the
matter, and come forward to accept their
share of the tax in the absence of a law
imposing it upon them I No one will. pre
tend that either the disloyal or the miser
ly will do the& duty in the premises un
less the law defines their responsibility
and calls upon them to discharge it. This
being confessedly so. do not justice and
tak-draallitg, dem ripli that tutn mus , ry
shall be raised by judicious and discrimi
nating taxation ? oe must it fall with most
unequal...force upon the few who have vol
untarily interposed' their credit to save
all classes from conscription
We have never doubted that the present
legislature must meet this question by au
thorizing the additional bounty to be
levied as a judicious tax, and we cannot
without utter disregard of the claims of
patriotism and justice, fail to support such
a measure. True, such a law should be
most careful in its discriminations, and
even when made as much so as a general
Linz. can be made, it cannot well fail to op
eratitarshly in individual Cases; but the
common welfare nevertheless demands
that it be enacted. it Will doubtless be
most careful to exempt those wto' - have
already done their full share by the pay
ment of commutation or putting in substi
tutes,. and it should also impose something
like a just proportion of the burden upon
those whose tax would be but slight, but
who would gladly pay liberally to avoid
the rigor of the conscription. In just
what shape the law will pass, we cannot
pretend to say. EverY part-of the State
has the same interest in it, and a bill will be
framed after careful consultation between
the Representatives from differeut.sectiona
of the Commonwealth, and a general law
adopted. When enacted, it will probably
fail to meet the commendation of all, but
it will, we trust and believe, be so just in
its provisions as to deserve, and receive
the sanction of the great mass of the peo
ple.
UNDER ordinary circumstances We
should exclude from our cdiumns the let
ter of our Harrisburg correspondent, giv
ing the details of a criminal trial now
pending in the courts of Adams'co4My ;
bt as the case has already attained un
limitedpublicity by a fruitless trial in
court and an ecclesiastical inquiry, and is
about to come before the legislature in the
shape of
.an application for. a change of
venue, which will invoke the most latitu %
dinous discussion, we deem it not only
proper, but obviously just, to present the
facts to the public. idr..Gotwalt, the de
fendant In the prosecution, is a brother
of Rev. Luther A. Gotivalt, formerly of
Greencastle, Franklin county. If the
statement of facts as presented by our
correspondent shall berverified by the tes
timony before the judiciary committee,
we hazard little in assuming that the pro-
Posed change of venue will hwaiated.
THE Richmond Examiner, the official
organ of Jeff. Davis, recently published a
lengthy editorial reviewing the position'of
affairs in rebeldom. It states the exhaust
ed condition of the traitors with a degree,
oT frankness unusual in rebel journals, and
concludes by proposing to form an alliance
with Fradce and England to secure their
independence by abolishing Slavery The
article is attributed by the Richmond Sea
iine4to Jeff. Davis himself.t The follow
ing is the concluding paragraph of it :
Tf France and England will enter into a treaty
with these Confederate States, recognizing oar no ,
timaity and gnarante tg our independence upon
the abolition of slavery in all these States, rather
than continue the war we should be prepared to urge
tije ,Rent an teposit),ip, thc - Lm6.eilutg, ritL
the measure upon our readers. We believe sack
a' proposition maid be favorably received and
acted 'Vaal) , those nations, and it 'ought, to be
made to them.
HON• WM. PITT FESSENDEN, now -Sec
retary of the Treasury, has been re-elected
to the Senate by. the legislature of Maine,
arid he will therefore retire from the Cab
inet on the 4th of March next, when there
will probably be a re-organization of the
ministry.
HON'. JAco.M. HOWARD has been re
elected U. S. Senator by he legislature of
Michigan, for the full term of six years
from the 4th of March nest. He is one
of the ablest and Most useful members of
that body, and a devoted Union man.
Gov. YATES, of Illinois, has 'just been.
elected to the Senate by the legislature of
that State, to take the place of Richardson,
Democrat, oigtheAth of March next.
THE Bedford Patriot has been' merged in the
Inquirer—Mr. McNeil remaining as proprietor.
We doubt not that the Union cause will be ad
vanced by the change. In our advertising col
limns will found a card from Mr. McNeil, of
fering the pita, types and futures of the Patriot
for sale. They are nearly new, and would fit up
a good cOuntry office.
WE are indebted to Senatoqomerdy for valu
able public documents.
The Organization—The Speakers—The
Clerks—This Contest from the Bedford
District in the Home—Rosa and Ann.
strong Placed on the Bolt—Pro bable
Legislation Relative to Frauds ofiteturn
inftea—The Other Contested Seats—The
Committees—Adjournmeett.
Correspondence of the Franklin Repository.
HARmscrlic, Jan. 4, 1865.
the
Both branches of I islature organized 1
without difficulty yesterday HAL Wm. J. Tar-
tell, of Pennsylvania, wa# C BCC Speaker in the
'Senate, and 311.r.Ramer,sly of Philadelphia, Clerk
With Mr. Rodgers, Editor of the McKean Miser,
is Assistant. Mr. Turrell is a man of probably,.
fifty years of age, a lawyer by profession, and is
one of the most respected members of the body.
He did not vacate the chair until the new Sena
tors were sworn, thus acting on the principle. ha.'
tablished last winter that the Senate is ever)an
organized body. Mr. Clymerprotehted, but care?
fully guarded against the folly of any "evolution
ary proceedings. ' When the . Senate' decided
against him, he with his party Sowed decently to
the law.
Mr. Hamerily, the Clerk, is the most comics
tent officer in his line that has ever been in either
branch of the legislature. He .ommenced nas
sistant Clerk nearly thirty years ago, and Was
Clerk of the Senate as early as 1838. On the res
toration of the Whigs to power in 1847, he was,
again chosen, and continued to occupy the posi
tion nearly if not quite all the time the Whigs
were in the ascendency. , In 1&58 he was chosen
a member of the House, or he would doubtless
have been the Clerk again, and on the retirement
of Mr: Errett in 1862, he was again elected„and
has since been re-elected without a contest. With
his most intimate acquaintance with parliainenta
ry rules, he combines a most courteous and obli- -
grog disposition, and is indeed a most indispensi
ble element of a well regulated Senate. He i 8 in
fact the Speaker in every emergency of moment-
When a nice point of order is raised, iris seldom
that any Speaker decides it until he has the opin
ion of Mr. Hamersly, and backed by that -he
never errs. His administration of the office baa
been most acceptable; nett distinguished also
.tar
economy.
In the House Roo. Arthur G. Olmstead, Pot
ter, was chosen Speaker. The Position had been.
contested with some earnestness by Mr. Brown,
of Warren, until Saturday bfore the caucus met,
when he gracefully withdrew and gave a dear
field to Mr. Olmstead. Mr. Brown is one.ot,,the
-leading men• of thd House, and would probably
have been a more formidable competitor ;for the
place, had he not openly announced his purpose,
at the close of the extra fiesiion last summer, not
to return. Mr. Olmstead was then 'united upon
by very many of the old members whO expected
to be back, and the selection was a very proper
one. He has the ability, the character, and the
will to make a most successful administration of
the chair, rmilie will disappoint both aides if he
fails to do so. He was chosen without any com
plications whatever, and I venture to say that
the present House wilt be distinguished for or
der, decorum and method in the discharge of
its duties, Mr. Benedict, of iftnitingdon, maitre
elected Clerk without a contest He is an 'old
Editor—won distinction as such as early as 1838
when he conducted the Huntingdon Journal, the
Ritner organ in Gov. Porter's own which
he edited with remarkable ability and vigor
in that memorable struggle. He was Deputy
Secretary of the Commonwealth under Governor
Johnston, and was first chosen Clerk of the Renee
in 1855 when "Sam" made his triumphant ad
vent into our State politids, and retired the year
thereafter as the new-born political babe 'perished
in its huge swaddling clothes. He has now been
chosen the third time under the existing order of
politics. He is well qualified, and makes a most
acceptable officer.
An interesting debate sprang up the first day,
in the House. The Clerk submitted the return
from the Btdford, Fulton . and Somerset district
to the House for its decision as to which if the
claimants should be called." Messrs. Findley and
Meyers, Democrats, had a return signed by two
of the three district judges, cerfifyiug to their
election, and the other judge certifie'd that Messrs.
Ross and Armstrong, Union, were chosen. Every
member of the House, who knew anything at all
about the case, knew that Fiudley and Meyers
were not elected by' the vote cast and returned
by the return judges of the several counties: The
-return signed by all tke Democratic return jail;
gee id the three counties of the distriet,ltifter they
_ had rejected part of the army vote to defeat Gen.
Koontz, elected ROSH and Armstrong by over .100
each, 'but when the district judges met, two of
then did not compute the vote us certified by the
Democratic judges, but rejected ail the army vote,
and thus attempted
_to force Meffsis and Findley
into the House by a most palpable fraud. An an-
Mated discussion arose on the question, emidtte
, ted mainly by Mesprs. Sharpe and Pershing on
the Democratic side, and Brown and M'Clure on
the Union side. The former insisted that the
House must accept the majority return wit eat
inquiry, and „swear .Findley and Meyers, while
M'Clure argued that both certificates constitti
ted but one return, and that return being in
filet with itself on 'its face, the House was put
inquiry and most determine primarily as to the
right of claimants by what appeared to be the
1 the largest vote cast fur them. As it was not dis
puted that the largest vote was east forAnnstrong
and Ross, the House instructed the Clerk to place
their names on the roll. It is said that Meyers
.and Findley will contest,' and I hope that they
will do so. It is important that the trickery of
- return judges in your boider,districts should be
brought to light, and a contest will do it fully. If
they do not appear'aa:contestants, a. committee
will probably be raised to bring the facts fairly
'before the House, to enable the legislature to de
termine what amendments to the law are neces
sary to prevent similar frauds hereafter, and also
to punish`the authors of those already perpetra
ted. The propriety of passing a special bill
HARRISBURG
changing the venhe in the cite* ()calm - Alleged
to be guilty of grosa vlobition f thelaW, with,fke
intention to defeat the Clearly expressed wil(of
the People, is freely discussed, and may be' pass
ed ; and it is likely that a general law :will be en
acted vesting the right in the Attorney General to
conduct prosecutions in any part of the State.—
The return judges who committed the frauds in
your districts could .not be tried before Judge
King, as he has one of the men interested in the
contest, and the man who was to have been de
frauded out of his place by their villainy, and a
chango•of the trial to
_Huntingdon. or Dauphin is
probable.'
Mr. Manly, of Lycoming, contests thereat of
Wilson, Democrat, of the same county, and the
committee Was drawn to-day.. He alleges in his
petition that timilifary return received after the'
return judges met, gives him a majority of the
whole vote; and if he can show the vote VI be le
gal, he will of course obtain the place. But the
novel contest of the session wi7l be between See
,field, Democrat, and De Haven, Union, of Phila
delphia. De Haven was'elected broome? tour.or
five hundred over Scofield :-but he did not reside
in the district one *yeso preceding the election, as
required by the eonstitution,'andeofield 'insists
that be was therefore the only eligible candidate
before the people, and is 'legally elected. He
does not dispute the fact that a clear majority of
thkvoters of the district decided against him; but
he now claims the seat on the ground that his
competitor was not competent to be voted for,
and his vote is void. On the other hand it is al
leged thabMr. Scofield did not become a resident
of the district until one day after the time required
by the constitution, and if so, his own technical
plea against Db Haven may also cut his case up
•by the, roots. Theconstitution,is clear in requir
ing candidates for Assembly to have been resi
dents of the district one year immediately prece
ding the election, but it of argued .that the-dlstrist
was not one -year old—having been created in
March last—and therefore any resident of it at
the time of its creation was eligible. These ques
tions will all have to be determined in the case.
, The committees will. not be announced until
Tuesday next. It is understood, however; that
Mr, McClure has 'declined the chairmanship of
Ways and Means, and that Mr. Cochran, of Phil
adelphia, *ill take it. He in a young' man of ex
cellent qualifications for the place. Mr. Brown .
will doubtless remain at the head of the Judiciary,
and Mr. M'Clure head the Railroad committee—
the position he held for three years in the .*nate.
There is cm - addend:de struggle for positions en the
important committees. Mr. Sharpe will certainly
be'ou the Judiciary,
,and probably also on Ways
and Means.' The legislature adjourned to-day
Tuesdaynext. - HORACE.
An Interesting Case—lter. W. V. Gotwalt,
of Gettysburg, Asks a Change of 'Venue
—lntense Political Feeling, in a Crinii.
nai Oise in Adana' County—PrObable
Transfer of the Trial to Franklin or
' (timberland County—Singular Details
of the Case.
Correspondence of Therm:Win Repository.
HMIEUSBURG, January 7, 1865.
An application is about to be made to the leg.'
islatnre, when it meets on Tuesday next, for a
change of venue in a very remarkable case now
pending in the court of quarter sessions of Adams
county. It was once tried in Gettysburg, but the
jury failed to agree—being divided exactly as they
were divided politically, and - they were finally dis
charged. It is alleged that party feeling has be
come so completely interwoven.with the case that
an impartial trial and unbiased verdict in the case
is impossible; and hence the application for a trans
fer of the case to either Cuniberland or Franklin
•
county.
The facie of the case, as I have been able to
gather nein, are romantic in interest and alto
gether novel in the iistory of our criminal juris-
Dtaulmaao. Roe. NVlanhingtofa V. Gotwalt, of the
Lutimyan denomination, was formerly connected
with the College or Theological Seminary in Get
tysburg, and was widely known -and as widely
respected in that community. While there he
made the acquaintance of Miss Walter, a clear,
bright and -highly respected young lady... His ac- •
quaintance with her was not intimate or in any
way marked. Subsequently he was called to the
Lutheran eongregatiohs of 'Erinnittsburg and
Fairfield in Adams county, and continued to fulfill
the pastoral duties most acceptcbly and usefully
until he was involved in this difficulty. • He was
engaged to be married, so says rumor, to an esti
mable lady of his' charge. In October, 1863, ha
was surprised with the information, confidentially'
communicated to him by Miss Walter,-that she
had loved him " not wisely, but too well,7and
that she spust be sheltered from shame by an im
mediate marriage. Confounded with such 'a
charge, and bewildered at the effect of such an
accusation against one in his position, he denied
the 'soft impeachment, but, counseling with his
fears, he advised her to leave Gettysburg until the
threatened event shoUld transpire. A few days
fleetion, howtiver, satisfied him that it was his
duty to meet the charge manfully, and he prompt
ly went to Miss Walter and re-called his proposi:
tion and refused to recognize in any way the jus
tice of the charge. 'Up to this point the public
had no knowledge 'whatever of the case, and Mize
Walter for souse time thereafter manifested no
dispositio'n to move in the matter, although he
had notified his Church Council and Synod of the
accusation. Months elapsed, and, the child was
.born, but still no charge was preferred against
Mr. Gotwalt. In the mean time it liad become
generally known that she had - privately charged
the paternity of the child upon Mr. Gotwalt, and ,
in order to vindicate himself he detruinded an ec
eleoiastical investigation. Accordingly a com
mittee of the Synpd met at Gettysburg on the 15th
of June, 1864,10 investigate the case, and both
parties were duly notified to appear. Mr.Hot
wait did so with his - witnesSes, but she responded
by his arrest on the charge of, fornication and
bastardy-. -
As the case was then in tkposltion for a-Judi
cal investigation, the committee of Synod defer
ed theft inquiry, andit came up for trial in Get
tysburg ut the lat term of the'quarter sessions.
Prior to the trial, however, it seems that rui Miss
Walter and her nnmediate friends are Democrats,
while Mr. Gotwalt is an earnest Republican, po
litical feeling entered into the popular discussion
• of the case, and it is alleod that all the power of
party prejudice was brought tobear'againstMr.
'
Gnaw alt to effect his conviction. Her brother - is
Clerk to the Counnissiouers, and exercises con
siderable supervision over the selection of jurors,
-.a her, brother-in-law, also an active Democrat,
i 6 an - ex-Commissioner. It is alleged. that by
these influences every Democrat was prejudiced
against Mr. Gotwalt before trial, and that the list
if juroni Was manipulated to nit the purpesesi
of the proseeutrix. Be that as it may, it is-clear
that When the day of trial came, political feeling
ran almost as high relative to this trial as it did
at the last 'election. jury was called, compot
ed of nine Democrats and three Republicans, and
the prooecutriX positively fixed the date of the crime
"in the beginning of the week in which the 'col
lege session closed, in April, 1863," which must
have been on the 12th, Pith and 14th of the
Month, while the defence preyed 'with absolute
positiveness that Mr. Gotwaltwas in Centre county
from the &lite the'lith of the same month, and
went even so far as to prove beyond all reasona
ble anvil, that he was in Gettysburg bat oue even
ing during the entire month; and showed where
he wrie all of that evening and night, and also
where the prosecutrix was,—thus actually ac-.
aoduting for Mr. Gotwaltle whereabouts every day
and night of the Month, and establishing his in
nocence negatively- In 'spite of this volume of
testimony howeyer, , the jury stood nine for com
ration and three for acquittal-every Democrat
=I
!NMI
voting to convict and every—Republican voting to
anqiit. The-jury, were finally direharted, and
the case will be for trial again on the ad _Monday
of January - , unless the Ninne is eltargeti, -
. .
The commitfee .of the Synod appointed to in
.vestigate the ease, had a reporter attend thetrini,
and tke entire testimony taken down with the
charge of the court. - They met in Baltimore the
week alter, and unanimously declared:their convic
tion of Mr. Got Walt's innocence, and revommend
edthat he be restored to his minieterial charge;
11
but be asks a fair and ' partial hearing by a jury
of his countrymen, and eeling thitt it e.innot be
had in Adams now, be roposes that the trial be
transfered to Franklin, Cumberland.. or Dauphin.
Cumberland is as stron ly Democratic as Adams,
and has a Democratic Judge; but he is willing to
have it tried there. . .. . ,
It is clear from the feeling elicited in
,the case
in Adams that a fair trial cannot be had there.
There wai one Republican Commissioner in the,
county, last year; but now there is none; and with
a unanimous Board_ and the brother of the pros
-emitrix as clerk, there is only too much reason to
apprehend the exercise of extreme power to com
pass the -conviction of Mr. Gotwalt. There is
littlesionbt therefore that the venue will be chan.'
ged, and probably the good people of the "Green
Spot" will be assigned the duty if dispensing Jtut
tiee between these parties. _
The Governor and nearly all the members of
thOegislature are absent _ HORACE
FROM THE-SOUTHERN COAST
, 7 The North Atlantic Squadron—The Attack
on Fort Fisher—Explosion of the Pow
der Ship—Withdrawal of the Fleet.
Carrospendence of the Franklin Repository.
11: S. STEANEIt MINNESOCA.
OFF BEAtiFOII, N. C., Dee. )
You will have heard, ere the receipt of this,
that this grand fleet—the North Atlantic Squad
ron—sailed from Hampton Roads two weeks ago
last Tuesday. It was istiteautiful morning. The
majority had a pretty clear idea of their destina
tion, and relying updh the formidable appeaiance
of the fleet, the countenance of each one flushed
with-success. The voyage to our first place of
anchorage—Oß Cape Fear—was, indeed, a plea•l
sant one. Here we were obliged to remain three
days, awaiting the arrival of the Admiral, who;
by the Way; for some reason unknown to us, stop=
ped at Beaufort, though quite contrary to the
wishes of the sailors, for such delightful weather
as we Were then enjoying is seldom met With in
this clime and season. Intinedizitely after the ar
rival of Adiniral Porter, the fleet was nioved to a
position about two miles from Fort Fisher. Nov,
the weather became threatening, and the attack
was again delayed four days. In fact, quite a
gale, occurred, giving the officers and sailors colt
sideruble trouble, and initiating those unacquainted
with sea-siekness. yet no special damage was done
to any vessel. But Saturday; the `24th instant,
proved favorable, and early in the morning the
boat containing from two hundred and fifty to
'three hundred tons of powder was sent in and
exnloded—with what effect I am unable to say
-
positively, butto the - best of my _knowledge it was
a tptal failure- At daylight the fleet, consisting
"ofserae airy vessels; got under weigh add steini
ed towards the Fort, stopping only to form in
battle line. The new Iron-sides first, followed by.
the Monitors, took position about three quarters
of 'a mile from Fort Fisher, opening fire at the
satue.thise upon the Fort. The Minnesota, the
first of the wooden vessels, then took position one
mile from the Fort, and commenced playing with
her powerful batteries upon the strongly defended
place. The other vessels slowly got, into position
and joined in showering the shdt and shell, to the
no little annoyance of the "Johnnies." It was
abOut one o'clock, P. M., When the first gun was
fired, and -from that time till dusk the roar of the
cannon was terrine. Our fire was so incessant
guy) effective that it wag but seldom the enemy
could reply. Early in the action the Rebel *
was shot away, and several explosions took place
in :the Fort by our accurate aim. .
At night the vessels retired from position into
battle-line, and, about 10 o'clock AM. the next
day, the attack was renewed, each vessel taking
,its . respective position dearer the Fort, however,then the day previous. In the mean time, the
transporti moved in near the shore, and at 'nails
the troops began to land -under the cover of oar
gunboats. About 3P. M. their landing was of
and 'direetly afterwards they could be seen
adVancnig upon the Fort. .As they neared it, the
prospects became brighter, and the, tars Worked
with renewed vigor, being confident of success, by
the aid of the soldiers ; but night closed the cob
teat. . -Orders were given to cease firing and le
rez7e our ammunition for the assault. We wi'th
drew from, th 7 engagement, el - pecting an assault
to be made early in the morning; and that al
_though we did not receive a "Christmas gift," an
hobr or so in the morning would decide the day
in our favor. With the morning came rain and
fog, and the assault was abandoned. We, lay at
anchor near - the Fort until yesterday, anxiously
awaiting the order to again attack it,-but, instead,
the order was to proceed to Beaufort, N. C., thus
ending the bombardment of rwher, and extinguish
ing our hopes of its capture? Why, we know not;
it is only left us to conjecture.
lam happy to communicate that there were
few casualties inlhe fleet, yet some of the vessels
received many marks from the enemy's missiles,
the Minnesota not being slighted. She was the
find and fast of the wooden vessels in action both
days, and the Rebel prisoners captured by the
troops, testify that her fire was the most deiftruc
tive, in consequence of which they termed, her
the " Dare-Devil." Even our own fleet were as
tonished that she was not riddled. It is not the
fault of the officers or crew of the Minnesota that
Fort Fisher was not captured, for each and every
one did his'duty nobly. The cool valor displayed
by her commander, Commodore Joseph Lanmart,
while the shot were Jalliog thick - and fast," is
especially worthy of note. He was ever to be
found at his post, discharging his duties - with the
- utsisost care. Some one is to blame, however, and
time, no doubt, will, disclose who he is:
Close to Fort Fisher is a mound, upon- which
one or two heavy guns are mounted, still with all
its auxiliaries its capture is certainly tidt inspossil:
ble, with such a fleet as this, assisted by an equal
land force. Its eapture would be the death blow
to Rebellion, therefore no effort should be spared
to accomplish it. •
We may have done the Fort considerable dam-
age, as most of our shell appeared to tell, and
very likely rendered it an unpleasant Christmas to
its defenders, Yet a few days will repair the loss
I may furnish the reader:sof the FRANKLIN RE
ro.qTottx with a list of the officers of thii Frigate
Minnesota and may write morn of her doings at:
some convenient time.. She is a formidable yes.'
Bel and has acquired much renown. o. B.
WASHINGTON
Congress Reassembled Spirited Debates
--SeCretary Stanton Gone Sou th—.A►.
plicants for Position to Gen. Hancock g
Corps—Distnissal of Jintrny,
her at the White House—Deeeption at
the White Honse—Great Ktish-4ienator!
:McDougal Knocked Down—The 00 Fe.'
ver:
-
Correspondence of the Franklin RepOsitery.
WASIMGTON ern, Jan. 6th, 1865.
Since the return of members of Congress, our,
City presents a more lively appearance than it
has dune the last two weeks, and will likely eau. :
tinned so during the balance of this short session.
CongresS has a large amount of work before it, •
and' will require faster work than - has yet been
done to get through.
Today there was a very spirited debate in the
Senate, in which nearly all prominent Senators
took part, on the joint resolution dismissing unem
ployed geierala. 'neigh Gen. Gyint has ree-
i tA64.
ME=
commended this excellent Pieciol : :3Coiiki, the
general impression is that its-will notbe adopted.
The joint resolution proposing an arrannlintsit to,
the constitution of the 13nited8tates; !lathing
Slavery throughout the country' was called up in
the House and spirited debating also a:lmmo:iced
As nearly every member will have soinetbing to .
say on this question, it bide fair toshave a rug
through the entire session, and then its adoption.
by the present Congress quite unlikely.
The Secretary of war has gone to Peteriburg,
ITilton Head and Savannah to consult with Gener
als Grant, Foster and Sherman on important mat
ters relating to the service.
1300 applications have been received for OM
cers position in the new First Army Corps of ,
Gen Hancock. Comparatively few-of the appli
cations have as yet been accepted.
Thomas,Burns- 7 domestically called Edward=
publicly named Jimmy—who has been doorheep
er at the White Molise since the days of Andrew
Jackson, and who had a faculty for remembering
the countenance and name of every person of note
calling on the President—was on laid Saturday,
discharged by Mrs. Lincoln. Alfonso Down, a .
member of the Metropolitan police force has been.,
appointed.
One of the largest receptions ever given at the
White House fOok iila - ca last Menday;—ifiat [4l4'
the day kept for New Years. The foreign lega
tions of Englarid, France, Braid, Russia, Spain,
Prussia, &c., were My represented, and Most
of them appeared in the court dress of their re
spective governments. Every member of the cab
inet was present—as were the justices of the Su
preme Court, and judges of the other courts, con
nected
with the seat of government. All the
army
-officers from Major General down to a
Lieutenant, sojourning In and round the citytarn
ed out in full dress .uniform. They formed in lino
at the War . Department and marched in prows- .
slim to the Presidential Mansion. _
There was a regular little Brigade of them, and • .
every person wondered where on, earth they all
came from so soddenly. Among the enerals were
nalleck, Dolibleday, Casey, Hitchcock, liutfter:
Augur, Rucker, Pessenden, Thomas, ie.
The -
Navy was also largely represented anti headed.
by Commodores Goldaborough and Admiral Smith.
The President, who was attired in a neat suit of
- black, with white kid gloves (they were white
when he put them, on but I won't - vouch for theii
color- after shaking hands with over 5000 people)
received them in the blue room. Marshall Lam
on did the introducing. The President iseeta
ed in excellent health and appeared in extremely
good humor—greeting all warmly. Mrs. Lin
coln occupied her usual position in the reception
room and was assisted by B. B. FrenCh
Commis
sioher of Buildings. She never looked bettig
smiling and speaking pleasantly to all who paid
their respects to her. Mra. Lincdln always dres
ses tastefully and suitable for any ocension,where,
she has to take part. She wok , a heavy brocade
prirple silk, richly trimmed with black velvet,
over which she wore a rich and exgnisitly
wrought black lace shawl, with head dress, &Wes
and jeweliyto.corresirond. Mrs. Lincoln wean
but little jewelry, and that anything but showy. •
At one o'clock the gates were thrown open and
the multitude of outsiders—the conintor t people--
numbering not less than 5,000, made a rush for
the door. Then there was a jam. Heaven for
bid that any lady friend of mine should ever get
such a squeeze as the ladies there got. But they
were in for it, and for once there was no such a
thing as back out and refuse the hug. - But there
were other *tad things—the destruction of elegant '
dresses and Bonnets. Gentlemen were tangled
in ladies' skirts; hoops and crinoline were stioved
up by pressure, until they rested on the shoulders -
and heads of the wearers—a sad sight. Two-la
dies, unable to bear the pressure, arose with their
hoops, and assisted by their male escort passed
into the building over more than ten fret space of
heads. I need notary anything siotttgentler:lr: ,
save that a good many of them lost their CQ6, I V
tails, and paid respects to his Excellency almost
in their shirt sleeves. One lady reached the door
-in such a dilapidated condition that she bad hot
courage to appear before Mr. Lincoln. For two
hours this rush confirmed. The crowd liter pas
sing through the Bed, Blue, Green and East
- rooms
had to make an exit from the building through a
window. The Marine baud enlivened the occa
-thou with choice music The police kept excel
lent.order. Other receptions on a grand scale
were carried out by the wealthy, and the cominon
people did according to Their means. - -
Senator McDougal, of California, spent the va
cation of Congress in the city. He can spend it
anywhere; provided there ie an abundance-of
whisky. On Wednesday evening he got into as
animated political discussion with some army offi
cers in the bar room of Willard's Hotel, which
resulted in his getting knocked'down by a captain
of a California regiment. Friends then interfered.
and McDougal was taken to his virtuous conch:
What a disgrace it is to a State to be represented: :
in the United States Senate by such a drub*
sot.
The oil fever is beginning to run high in the
city. An immense, amount of stock has lately
been sold. Many , elerks are investing what tittle
they have. They had better do something, for
their proent ralariea are altogether inadequate
- to their support, especially those having familial,
and there is no prospect of Congress allowing an
increase. Many of the beat clerke•have resign*
and hundreds of others will soon follow. Their
places will soon be filled by netwcomenionany of
whom will give up places at home for the sake of
a government office. But in the end they wall
find out their folly. If those hero now cannot
live, how can a green hand come near it? s. C.
PERSONAL.
—Rey. A. G. Marlett, President of In* Fe
male College, at Mechanicsburg, Pa.,, died on
Monday week. =
James C. Biddle, of the dila of Major .
General Meade, now on leave, his assumed tha f•
duties of chief of the transpo'rtation and. telegraph
department of Pennsylvania, and' ormillitaq' sea
retary to the governor, to which position be had
been appointed by Gov. Curtin., Col. Biddle AL
gentleman of fine educationandacquirementa, as
well as military experience, having served with
credit since the commencement of the war.
—Gen. Grant's family, located at Burlington, _
New Jersey, a newspaper correspondent writes'
occupy a trim little cottage on a quiet street
running from the heart of the town down to the•
banks of the Delaware. The place is by no.
means pretentious or aristocratic, and hue noth
ing at all to distinguish it from its neighbors, hav
ing, perhaps, been selected for that very reason '
by the wife of our greatest general, who is equal
ly as plain and practically minded as himself.—
At almost any boar of the prisingday, - the r Cot:
MO, you will see a stout, rosy-faced girl; probe
bly eight or ten years of age trundling her hoot $
on the sidewalk or playing in the yard; and if
you have seen the Lieut. General, or any of the
better pictures of him, you will not need to be
told that this robust, laughing girl in his child—
Nellie Grant. Like him, sbe is coMpacty_built,
and there is in her faee the same frank, honed
look which so attracts you in the father. Nellie
is of course a great favorite with the little maid
ens of her age, and; few "children of a larger
growth" press her in her play without a pleasant
nod or word. They remember—these loyal Po
ple of this quaint old Burlington—that the father
of this bright-faced loiterer in their midd is Car*
rying on - his shoulders in these solemn days of
peril the burden of a nation's fate, and out of
gratitude to him they bestow upon her and beg
mother, who lives so quietly within this Modest
cottage, the kindliest homage and rellieetwee."!
regaWearying in exhibitions of thoughtfillintirred a nd
rd,.