518 



INDEMNITY. 



the meantime, a considerable quantity of sul- 

 phate of ammonia being secured, the sale of this 

 is said quite to cover the expense of purification, 

 if it does not even afford a profit. In this \\-ny 

 the cost of the gas manufacture is reduced. 



Mr. Geo. Anderson states, in the u Gas-Light 

 Journal," that having used and re-used a quan- 

 tity of oxide of iron until it could no longer be 

 revivified in the open air, he charged retorts 

 with a portion of it to expel by heat the sul- 

 phur it had taken up, and then filling a purifier 

 with the oxide, mixed with sawdust, he found 

 not only that its purifying powers were restored, 

 but also that it could now be revivified on ex- 

 posure to the air, as before, and repeatedly 

 used. Thereupon, erecting a kiln, he restored his 

 whole stock ; and he had, at the time of writ- 

 ing, continued this course with success for 

 about 18 months. In the process, the material 

 is kept at a dull red heat for ten or twelve 

 hours. He regarded it as becoming, by that 

 time, anhydrous : if so, the fact would conflict 

 with the opinion previously held, that when 

 the oxide of iron once became anhydrous, it 

 was useless for the purification of gas. 



Messrs. Baggs and Simpson, of London, have 

 patented a process having the objects, first, of 

 depriving coal-gas of the ingredients which 

 render it injurious to animal and vegetable life; 

 and secondly, of manufacturing from the ingre- 

 dients thus removed certain products having a 

 commercial value. The gas to be purified is 

 made to come in contact with metallic com- 

 pounds of suitable nature, by blowing or other- 

 wise; the impurities being separated by de- 

 composition or appropriation. The patentees 

 mainly employ for this purpose metallic oxides 

 and salts, the latter either neutral, super-salts, 

 or sub-salts, which have a strong affinity or 

 attraction for sulphur, carbonic acid, &c., and 

 which are themselves susceptible of renovation 

 or recovery after use. The oxides and salts of 

 copper, lead, magnesia, and some other bases 

 are found suitable for these purposes. 



Mr. Geo. Smedley states that having observed 

 that an ammoniacal liquid filtered through ani- 

 mal charcoal had lost nearly the whole of its 

 Ammonia, he was led to try the effect of the 

 same material upon coal-gas. Filling one tray 

 in each purifier with the animal charcoal, he 

 applied on the following days, to ' the gas 

 passed through this, the turmeric test, and 

 found that the ammonia had disappeared. By 

 use of a small purifier, similarly charged, he 

 afterward found that the carbon intercepted 

 not only ammonia, but also sulphuretted hy- 

 drogen ; though it took up but a small percent- 

 age of carbonic acid. He is led to believe that 

 gas so purified also retains a larger percentage 

 of hydrocarbons than that which is purified 

 either by lime or by oxide of iron. 



INDEMNITY. Indemnity was claimed in 

 the courts, in two aspects, viz. : by Govern- 

 ment officials, of indemnity from all liability 

 for their acts done under military or official 

 direction ; and a claim by those whose property 



had been taken by such direction to bo indem- 

 nified for their losses sustained thereby. 



The first class was subdivided into cases 

 where the direction under which the claimants 

 acted was pleaded as a justification of their ac- 

 tion, and cases where the provisions of the act 

 known as the Indemnity Act were relied upon 

 to shield the claimants from liability. In most 

 of the cases arising under the first subdivision, 

 resort was ultimately had to the protection af- 

 forded by the act of Congress. One case, how- 

 ever, went to judgment in the Supreme Court 

 of Indiana, in which the court decided that 

 the plea of justification was not sustained. It 

 was the case of Griffin rs. Wilcox, and will bo 

 found more fully referred to in the present vol- 

 ume. (See MARTIAL LAW). 



The Indemnity Act referred to is entitled " an 

 act relating to Habeas Coiyits, and regulating 

 judicial proceedings in certain cases," and pro- 

 vides generally that any order of the President, 

 or under his authority, made at any time 

 during the rebellion, shall be a defence to any 

 action civil or criminal, for any act done or 

 omitted to be done, by virtue of such order, 

 and providing a method for removing causes 

 from the State courts to those of the United 

 States. (See ante, fage 324.) 



General George W. Jones, Minn., late U. S. 

 Minister to Central America, on his return 

 home was arrested and confined in Fort Lafay- 

 ette, by order, as alleged, of Secretary Seward. 

 After his release he commenced an action in 

 the Supreme Court of the State of New York 

 against Mr. Seward for false imprisonment. 

 Application was made to Judge Clerke of that 

 court to remove the cause to the Circuit Court 

 of the United States, under the provisions of 

 the Indemnity Act. The motion was denied 

 by Judge Clerke, October 19th, as follows : 



This is an action in which the plaintiff claims dam- 

 ages for an alleged false imprisonment. The defendant 

 asks for an order of this court to remove the action 

 and all proceedings therein to the next Circuit Court 

 of the United States, to beheld in and for the southern 

 district of New York. The defendant states in his pe- 

 tition for this order that the action is brought for acts 

 alleged to have been done by him as Secretary o_f State 

 for the United States of America, under authority de- 

 rived by him from the President of the United States, 

 in causing and procuring the plaintiff to be arrested 

 and imprisoned, or for some other wrong alleged tc 

 have been done to the plaintiff, under such authority, 

 during the present rebellion of the so-called Confeder- 

 ate States against the Government of the United States 

 of America ; and that it therefore comes within the act 

 of Congress, passed March 3d, 1863, entitled " an act 

 relating to habeas corpus and regulating judicial pro- 

 ceedings in certain cases," providing, in the fifth sec- 

 tion, that if any suit has been or shall be commenced 

 against any officer, civil or military, or any other per- 

 son, for any arrest, imprisonment, trespass, or wrong 

 done, or any act omitted to be done, during the pres- 

 ent rebellion, by virtue or under color of any authority 

 derived from, or exercised by or under, the President 

 of the United States or any act of Congress, the dc 

 fendant may remove such action into the Circuit Court 

 of the United States for the district where the suit i> 

 brought, on complying with certain requirement,- 

 Stated in the act. 



Of course this act, as far as it directs the transfer of 



