590 



MISSOURI. 



No. 24, levying assessments on wealthy secession. 

 ists for the support of loyal refugees, Gen. Hal- 

 leek appointed a new hoard of assessors to re- 

 vise the former list and make such modifications 

 as circumstances demanded. Several secession- 

 ists having, nevertheless, failed to pay their as- 

 sessments, he ordered their property to be seiz- 

 ed under execution, with 25 per cent, addition- 

 al to the assessment. One of the number, Samuel 

 Engler, a prominent merchant of St. Louis, 

 with a view of testing the legality of the trans- 

 action, caused a writ of replevin to he served 

 on the provost marshal to recover the property 

 taken from him ; whereupon he and his attor- 

 ney were arrested and lodged in the military 

 prison. 



By a special order, issued on the 23d, Gen. 

 Ilalleck directed the provost marshal to send 

 Engler beyond the lines of the department of 

 Missouri, and to notify him that his return, 

 without permission from the commander-in- 

 chief, would subject him to punishment accord- 

 ing to the laws of war. For the purpose of 

 preventing any similar resistance to his orders, 

 he reiterated his intentions in the following 

 emphatic language : 



Martial law having been declared in this city by au- 

 thority of the President of the United States, all civil 

 authorities, of whatever name or office, are hereby no- 

 tified that any attempt on their part to interfere with 

 the execution of any order from these headquarters, or 

 impede, molest, or trouble any officer duly appointed 

 to carry such order into effect, will be regarded as a 

 military offence, and punished accordingly. The Pro- 

 vost Marshal General will arrest each and every per- 

 son, of whatever ranker office, who attempts in anyway 

 to prevent or interfere with the execution of any order 

 issued from these headquarters. He will call upon the 

 commanding officer of the department of St. Louis for 

 any military assistance he may require. 



On the 9th of January the provost marshal 

 general issued an order requiring all publishers 

 of newspapers in Missouri, those of St. Louis 

 excepted, to furnish him a copy of each issue 

 for inspection, under penalty of having their 

 papers suppressed. No little excitement was 

 caused on the same day in the St. Louis Cham- 

 ber of Commerce by the refusal of the secession 

 members, who were in the majority and had 

 just elected officers of their own views, to ad- 

 mit a number of Union applicants for member- 

 ship. The consequence was the withdrawal of 

 the Union members and the establishment of a 

 Union Chamber of Commerce. 



The indication of latent sympathy with se- 

 cessionism which was afforded by this occur- 

 rence determined Gen. Halleck to adopt more 

 stringent measures to secure adherence to the 

 Government, and on the 26th he issued the fol- 

 lowing order : 



HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF MISSOURI. 



The President, Secretary, Librarian, Directors, and 

 other officers of the Mercantile Library Association, the 

 President, Secretary, Directors, and other officers of the 

 Chamber or Chambers of Commerce of this city are re- 

 quired to take the oath of allegiance prescribed by ar- 

 ticle 6 of the State ordinance of October 16, 1861. 



Any of the above officers who shall neglect to file in 

 the office of the Provost Marshal General, within ten 



days of the date of this order, a copy of the oath so sub- 

 scribed, will be deemed to have resigned ; and any who, 

 after neglecting to file his oath of allegiance within the 

 time prescribed, shall attempt to exercise the functions 

 of such office,will be arrested for contempt of this order, 

 and punished according to the laws of war. 



2d. It is officially reported that carriages bearing the 

 enemy's flag are in the habit of driving to the vicinity 

 of the military prison in McDowell's College. The com- 

 manding officer of the prison will seize and take posses- 

 sion of any carriage bearing the enemy's flag, and the 

 horses, carriage, and harness be confiscated. 



3d. It is officially reported that certain women are in 

 the habit of approaching the vicinity of the military 

 prison, and waving hostile flags, for the purpose of in- 

 sulting our troops and carrying on communications 

 with the prisoners of war. The commanding officer of 

 the prison guard will arrest and place in confinement 

 all women so offending. 



4th. Any carriage or other vehicle bearing a hostile 

 flag in the city will be seized and confiscated. The city 

 police and patrol guards are directed to arrest persons 

 in vehicles under such flags ; also, persons wearing or 

 displaying a hostile flag in the city. 



By command of Maj.-Gen. HALLECK. 

 M. H. MCLEAN, Asst. Adj.-Gen. 



This measure was followed by the promulga- 

 tion of an order dated Feb. 3d, requiring the 

 president and faculty of the University of Mis- 

 souri to take the oath of allegiance under pen- 

 alty of having their offices vacated. " The in- 

 stitution," observed Gen. Halleck, "having been 

 endowed by the Government of the United 

 States, its funds should not be used to teach 

 treason or to instruct traitors." The order also 

 exacted a similar oath from the presidents and 

 managers of all railroads in the State, together 

 with a bond that they would not employ per- 

 sons neglecting to conform to the same require- 

 ment ; directed the commissary and subsistence 

 departments to deal with none hut those who 

 had taken the oath, or were men of approved 

 loyalty ; and recommended that all clergymen, 

 professors, and teachers, and all officers of pub- 

 lic and private institutions for education, benev- 

 olence, business, and trade, in favor of the per- 

 petuation of the Union, should voluntarily sub- 

 scribe to and file the oath of allegiance, in order 

 that they might be distinguished from those 

 wishing to encourage rebellion, and to prevent 

 the Government from restoring peace and pros- 

 perity. 



A supplementary order required all licensed 

 attorneys, counsellors, and proctors, to take the 

 oath, under penalty of being debarred from 

 practising in the courts; and another, more 

 general in its provisions than any which had 

 preceded, Was in the following terms : 



It is hereby ordered that at all future elections in 

 this State, whether State, municipal, county, or town 

 elections, every voter will be required to take the oath of 

 allegiance required by the State Convention, Oct. 18, 

 1861. Officers of polls will see to the execution of this 

 order. If they receive votes of persons not taking the 

 oath, they will be arrested and tried for military of- 

 fence, and the elections declared null and void. 



The arrest and trial of the persons appre- 

 hended in northern Missouri for destroying the 

 bridges and other property of the Hannibal 

 and St. Joseph's railroad, led to an important 

 correspondence between Gens. Halleck and 



