After the necessary papers were made out, Rev. Mr. Benedict walked, in company with Mr. Best, back to his apartments at the jail. It was rumored that the Marshal would attempt the rescue of the prisoner, but this was unfounded."

But the Courier was mistaken. It did not know the character of the tyrants who ruled at Washington, nor of their minions in Buffalo and elsewhere. Notwithstanding the judicial order of Judge Hall discharging the prisoner, he was immediately after. wards, as he relates, kidnapped and hurried off to Washington and brought to this loathsome place, deprived not only of personal liberty, but of the necessaries of life.

Rev. Judson D. Benedict is an elderly gentleman of fine physical and intellectual appearance. He is of the Christian, or as it is commonly called the Campbellite persuasion. He had not voted for fifteen years, nor meddled in any way with politics. His offence is that he intimated in a sermon that it was sinful for brethren to be taking each others lives. This is construed by the powers that be into disloyalty, discouraging enlistments, and deserving of arbitrary arrest and imprisonment. Oh! could the people but perceive, properly appreciate and feel how they are outraged in their rights, liberties, Constitution and laws, by these arbitrary, outrageous and illegal arrests, how soon would our country be restored to her lost peace, happiness, prosperity and glory. But alas! they do not think of the condition of their fellow-citizens who have been made the victims of tyranny, for being loyal to their country and faithful to their duty as free Americans.

When the Majesty of the Despotism which ruled at Washington became appeased, Mr. Benedict was taken before one of the instruments of its tyranny, L. C. Turner, who is called Judge Advocate, who received the Rev. Gentleman with one of his most

hypocritically bland smiles. After the usual interchange of courtesies, the Judge Advocate informed Mr. Benedict that he was discharged. Mr. Benedict ventured to enquire why he had been imprisoned. "Oh," said the Judge Advocate, "it was only to show the people that the military power is now above the civil power." What thinks the reader of this?

- Preposterous as it may seem to the reader, especially if he be an intelligent freeman, Turner only said what was the truth, in fact no matter how different the theory may be understood in America at present. The military power is above the civil, just as it is in the despotism of the Old World, and just as it has been in all military despotisms. Á detective of the lowest character armed with the power of the War Department, is above the whole Supreme Court of the United States and every other Civil Court in the United States. He can arrest whom he pleases without warrant of law or without any canse whatever, and it is not in the power of all the courts in the United States to wrest the vietim from the clutches of this detective, backed as he is by all the Executive power. Such is the condition of poor America under the despotism of the existing administration, and such is the tenure on which freemen, as we were not long since, hold their liberty.

KIDNAPPING AND IMPRISONMENT OF GEO. W. WIL

SON, OF UPPER MARLBORO, MD.

THE fifteenth of October had been designated as the day on which the draft for soldiers to fill the quota of Maryland in the Federal service should take place. In estimating the population from which the draft should be made, it was intentionally settled that the whole population, black and white, slave and free, should be taken as a basiswhile of course the number required to be drafted could only be taken from the white inhabitants, capable and not exempt of bearing arms. This manifestly unjust and wicked course of the Administration was very properly rebuked by George W. Wilson, Esq. Editor of the Marlboro Gazette, who in his paper of the 15th of October, put the matter in the true light to his readers and the people of Maryland.

THE MILITIA DRAFT

In the State of Maryland will take place this day. It were useless to utter words of complaint against the unnatural call made upon this State, as the powers at Washington are deaf to all fair argument.But we cannot forbear, though Federal bayonets and a dungeon were to threaten us, to proclaim the fact that the principles upon which the draft is to

be made are unjust and oppressive to the Southern portion of the State. In making the apportionment federal numbers are taken as the basis of the levy, and the white and black population of the counties are added together. This process brings to Prince George's a quota far beyond what is equitable, for it compels her to furnish a much larger number than some other counties which have a greater free voting population.

This is not all-part of the very property upon which this basis is laid has been taken from us by the action of the authorities who now seek to tax it for both civil and military purposes. Such an outrage has never been perpetrated before upon a people whose only crime is that they do not approve the policy of an Administration whose principles and practises if carried out must result in the sacrifice of their rights of property under a plain written Constitution.

The whole sum and substance of this mode of raising troops from the militia of the State, is in fact, by making three-fifths of the slave and free colored population, a part of the militia of the State, when the bill of Rights, the Constitution, and the Acts of the Legislature of the State, distinctly declare the militia of the State shall consist only of that portion of her free white citizens, who are between the ages of 18 and 45 years. Was ever such oppression and tyranny practised on a free people."

No reasonable American freeman can find any fault with the doctrines or sentiments of the foregoing, nor, under the circumstances, with the manner in which these doctrines and sentiments are there expressed. None but an acquiescent servile minion of the despotism which rules our. country will dissent from the position assumed by Mr. Wilson. Under the system adopted for drafting in Maryland, it so happened that in several counties

No

there were not white men enough capable of bearing arms to fill the quota of these counties. wonder that the course of the Administration towards that State inspired one of her children to exclaim,

"The despot's heel is on thy shore,

Maryland! My Maryland."

The wonder is that the people of that State suffered as they have done the outrages, the indignities, the oppressions, the despotism and the tyranny to which they have been wantonly subjected.

But we must not anticipate. In the same number of Mr. Wilson's paper which contained his strictures on the drafting system, another short articles was published, which reads as follows:

ARREST OF WALTER BOWIE.

The squad of soldiers belonging to the New York 141st, which has been recently stationed here, made an arrest on Saturday night last. WALTER BowIE, formerly of this place, paid the town a visit on that evening, and not having the fear of the Sons of Abraham before his eyes, incautiously ventured out by the light of the moon. He was recognized by some sable promenader, who gave information to the soldiers, who forth with proceeded to the house of Dr. BOYLE, where they made the arrest. He was confined in the Court House until yesterday morning, and then taken under an escort of thirty men to Washington city. We have no idea that the Government can prove anything against him, more than the fact that he left his native State to share the fortunes or misfortunes of our sister Southern States; and has imprudently ventured back to his old home. During his con