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S-- - - <- - -V--t * 49 sDeted to the bisseuiatis of General hformation VOLUME I NEWBERRY, S. C TUESDAY, MAY 23, 1866. UNER 22 iKE THI-WEEKLY HERALI JS PUBLISHED AT NSWBER-RY- C. H., The Amnesty Proclamation. Wheneas, in and by the Constitution of the United States, it is provided that tAe President shall have power to grant reprieves-and pardons for off n g aginst the United States, except in cases of impeachment : and whereas, a rebellion now ezists, whereby ihe. loyal State Govern zints of Peveral States have for a long time been subverted, and mariy persons have commited and are now gciity lof treasor against the United States: and, whereas -with- reference to-sid re beflion-and trepson, laws have been enacted by Cotigtess declaring forfeitures and confiscation of property aad lberation of slaves all upon terms and couditions therein stated; and alo declaring that the President. Was theby..anthorized at any -time thereafteri. b -preela mation, to extend to persons w May have pairticipated in the exist Ing rebellion iti aly State or part thereof, par Aorrind aiznsty, with such exceptions and at PIch times and on such conditions as he may _dein expedient for the pubNi welfare;' ard wbereas, the Congressional declaration for limi ted and condifional,pardon secords with the well established juslicial exposition et the pardoning power.; ana whereas, with reference to the said e im the Pre4dent-of the United 'States has. sued severm proclamat. ons *ith 7provisions ,in regard.to the liberation of slAves ; and whereas, it is.now derired lv some persons heretofore en gagedin1 the sid rebellion to resume their alle gianco to tl.d United Statt s. and to re-inaigurate lo1al State governments within and for their re p etiy States : therefore I, ABRAHAM LIN COLN, PIl'SFDENT OF TEIE UNITED. STATES et procialv, delare ad make known to all per aonx w.o hakye direely. pr by imipicati1paric 'pated in th1 e1iing rebllion, exeept as herein after excepted, that a ulI perdnn is. hereby -ipned to them, a- d eacbh' them, witltres-ora tjiou.cf a righ4of poperty. -xep t as to slaves, akjid in.pr4operty cases' where the rights of third paird,hil hive intervened', and upon the cou diion OLXat every suchl-perSon hadi take anostb scribe al oath.And th-nceforwvard keep and main Can sail o4th. ivoate, aRPd which.cath shall be regisieN3 to- .rowe'p p,servation, and shall U ~of tlie reor s'ndefect Z,owin, to wit: "1 do aniY acar. i pre e -of Almighty od,- that. wiR henceforth f4ithiNly sapport, Iro:ect and defi' the Constittioiof the Unititd e,ad Union of t e 'Sates thereunder. & d I2 I it 'in like manter abid by and at4.t-120y s pOrl A aets of Con1gress passed du * rg. the exis4re rebellion wiTit reference.to * *ves, so lont aid s, far arn1p rep-aled- modi ed.orhekd vod by ~Con,ream, -o by deci.ion of - he-preme Cor.p and that I wili if like mn wor a6id byA 4 faithtully support all proclama %ins of the Ptv4dent, made,during the existing rehe i'on having reference to l,aives, so lang and to far apL no'; miditied or declared void by deci on0a of the Supreme Court. So held me Gad." ThAp e "nseseepted from thie benefits of the foregoing provision - sre all who are or shall have teen civil or diplomatic pffcerq or agent.s of the so-called'Confederate government. all who have left judicial stations inder the U. Statej to aid the- rebellion, all who are 'or shall have been - Ult.ir neavI dflicers of :said so-call- d C6n1, tlerare grernment, ibove the rank of Colonet k tie artm',e lieuatebant in the navy ; all who bave. it seais in the United States Con'4ess to aid in the rebellion*,al who resigned commissios iw the army or navy of th^o United States ud -afterwards aided the rebellion, amnd all swho have engaged in any way in treating colored persons or white pesons in charge of~ sudh1 otherwise than lawfuliy as prsoegof rar;r an:d which ersons maj save been foun'd in the United btates.service as soldiers, seamen, or in any other capacity. And I do further proeLdw, declare * and make known that whenever, in any of tho * States of Arkansas, Texas,Louisiana, Mississipp~i, Carolina and Nerth Carolina, a number of per sone i4@les than one-tenith in nunmber of the votes east in such States at the Presidea~tial- elec tion of the year of. our Lord 18&0-each having taken the oath aforesaid, and not having since iolated it, and being a qu:alified voter hy 'the * electiQu law of the State e.xist:ng immediately before the so-called act of seeossion, and-exclud 'ing al:others-shall re establish a ,.mtste govern thents which shall be republkan, and in nowise c ontravening said oith, such shall be recog * nizetd as-the tru government of the State, and the State shall receive thereunder ithe beneSt of - the constitutional provision whcih declares that " ?the United States shall guarantee to every State 'in this Union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of theaigainst ini8on, on application of the Legislature, or of the Exe * cestive when the Legislture cannot be convened, - and against dopeatic violence." And I do further proclaim, deciare and make known, that any provisions which may be adopt ed by such State governments in relation to the freed,people of such State wh.ich shall recognize and declare their permanent freedom, provide for their educasion, and which may yet be consistent * - i a temporary arrangemeint with tigir present condition as a laboring, landless and houseless * class; will not be.objected to by the national Ex eeutive. And i's is engaged as not improper that in eoasnucin, a loal1 State government ini any State, the name of the State, the boundary, the subdivisions, the constitution and the general code of laws, as before the rebellion, be min tained, subje.t-only to th modificafions made necessary by the conditions hereInbefore stated, and such others, if any, not contrarmning said conditio'n, and which may be deemed expedient by those framing the new States government. To avoid-misunderstanding, it may be proper to Fay that this"prrocamation, so far .as it relates to State government, hs no reference to States wherein loyal State. g6vernments have all the %while been maintained. And for the same reason Camay be proper to further say that whether members sent :o Congress from any State.shall be admitted to seats constitutionally, rosts exclu sively with the respective houses, and not to any extent 'with the Executire ; and still furtFer, that this proclamatiuh is intended to preeint to the pezple of the States wlierein the national autho rity ha. been suspended, and loyal State g6vern. ments havebeen subverted, a. mode in -and by wbch the national authority and loyal State gov ernments may be re-established within said State; or in any of them ; and while the mode present ed is dhe best the Executive can suggest with his present,impressions, it must not be understood that no other possible iode would be accepted. Given under my hand, at the City of Washing. ton, the *eighth day pf December, K. D., one thousand eight hundred and siny-three; and of the indepeadence of the.United States of Ame.. rica the eighty eighth. ABRiRAM -iFcoLI. By 'he President: Wx. 11. SEw&an, Secretary of State., The Confiscation Act. A BILL to Suppress Insurrection, to Punish Treason and Rebellion, to Seize and Confiscate te Property of Rebels and for other purposes. Beit enRted by the Senate and IMnAe 9f Represenia tives of the United States of America, in Congress'ass.embled, That every person who shall heieafter coinmit the crime of treason againsi, the-United States. and shall be adjudged .uilty thercof, slall sufferi deat, a d 411.hisl 1 saves, if any, shall be declared and made Iree; or he shall be innrisoneJ. for not les tha. five" years, and fined not less tIn Ten thosnd Dollars, fnd, all his sVles, if any, shall be devlar ed and made free; said fuie shall be leviedaid coilected on &'nr or ai;of the proper ty,' real'adiA personal excludi.ngasa'es, of whkich the said pe- I eon so convicted was the owner, at the time of commniting the Maia crime, any sale or convey ance to the contraiv .no0twithstandinc. Sic. 2.nd be it further-enactedThat if any pe;o mAhll hereafter ineite, 6et on foot, asist ori engaa in aiy rebellion or insuirection against th authority of the United States, or tlie lws thlereof, ori sall give aid or comforti thereto, or 11shal en-age in or give aid or tomfort toaiy such existri rebelion or isurrectieo, and be convict-] ed thereof, such, person,shall be. punished-by im prisonment for a period not exceding ten lea, by a fuie not exceeding.910,00, and by the lib erntion of all tla-ves, iny'he have. 4rc..3. And be it further enpeted, That every person guilty of eithei of th 3.offences descibed in thi act shall bP forevero incapable and dis alified to hold any office under the United SEc. d., And be it fartber Onacted That this [not shall not be construed in anyway t9 effect or alter the prosecution, conviction. or 'panish ment of uny pepson or persons guilty of,treason atgainst the. United States. before the passage of this act, unless such p&son is convicted under this act. .Ssc. 5. And be it further enacted, That to in. surethe speedy termination of the -present rebel, lion, it r.h'all be-thegialty of the Presisdent of the' t'nited States to cause the seizure of all the estate Iand property, money, stock, credits, and efelcts. of the persons hereafter named in this section, iand to apply and use th.e sam:e and the pr.weedat thereof for the support.of' the arniy of the Udited Stetes, that is to say : first, of any pe.rson here afta?r acting as an oflieer of the armiy and nav'y of; the re.bel'in arms against the government of the United States; secondly, of any person hereafter acting as President, Vice-President, member- of JCongress, jndge of any court, cabinet officer, for eign minister, commissioner or consul of-the so called Confederate States of -America ; thirdly, of' any peeson acting as Goyernor of a-State, -memb'er of 'a convention' or legi lature, -or judge of' any court of theso-called det.federate States of America; fourthly, of any.pe sorn who, having held, an office of' honot, trust or. profit in the United States, shall hereafter hold an office in the seo-celled Confederate States df A merica; fifthily, of , any person -hereafter holdiug an office or, agency under 'the government of the so-called Confederate States~ of America,;or any. of the several States of the said Confederacy or the liws thereof, -whether such -office or agency be na-, tional, State or municipal in its character; pro vided that the persons thirdly, fourthly and frh ly, above described, shall have accepted their appointment or election since the dateo of the pretended ordinance of secession of the State, or shall have taken anoath of allegiance 'to or to 1suppo'it the Constitution of the so&called Confed erate. States; sixthly, of any person who,.owning. property in any loyal State or Territory of the United States, or in the District of Columbia, shalt hereafter assist and give aliand-comfort to such rebellion, and all sales, transfer or convey ance of any such property, shaH be null and 1void : and it.shall be u sufficient bar to any suit he.nnebtby suh peran tir tae ponnedadn of the use of such property, or any of it, to allege'and prove that he is one of the persons described in this section. Sic. 6. And be it.further enacted. That if any person within any State or Territory of the'U. States, other tlian those nam'ed as aforesaid, after the passage^of this act; being engaged in armed rebellion again'st the Government of the United States, or aiding and abetting such rebel lion, stall not, within sixty days after public" warning and proclamation duly given and made by the President of the Vnited States, cease to aid, countepance and abet snch rebellion, and re turn to his f-likiance to the United States, all the estate and propertm, moneys, stocks and credits Df such person shall be liable to seizure as afore Eaid, and it shall be the duty of tfie President to seize and use them as aforessid, or the pioceeds i thereof.. And all sales, transfeis or conveyances rf-any such property- after;,the expiration of said %ixty aays frmt be date of such warning or pro lanation shall be null and void. And it shall be a sufficient bar to any suit blrongh't by such person for the pogsession or the use o7 such pro perty, or any of it, to allege and prove that he is )ne of the perzons. described in this- section. Sze, 7. And be it further enacted, That to se nre the condemhation #.nd sale of any such pro perty, after the same shall have been seized, 'so h;t it may 'be made av.ilable for the purposes iforesaid, proceedings in rem. shall be instituted n the name of the United States in'any distriW. ,ourt thereof, or'in any territorial court, or .in ,be United States District Co6rt for the District )f Columbia, within which the property above lescribed or- any part thereof may be found, or nto which the same, f moveble, may first be arought; whih proceedings shall conform' s nearly as nay be to proceedings in admiralty or revenne cases; and if said property, whether r,al ,.r personal, shall be found to iave bednged toa person enigaded in t.he rebellion, or who has given aid or onfort thereto, the same'shall be con dernned as eneuies' pr<perty, and become the property of the United States, and he disposed of is the ecurt Miall decree. and the p-6eeds there 3f-paid into the treasury of the United States for th" purposes aforeaid. - - SEc. 8. And be it further. enacted, Viat -the several lcourts aforesaid.- shalt. have goirer L to m,.ke. such ordes, establisq such i6rims of decree tne gak-,land direct such deeds and conveyances o be executd and delVered by the marshals thereof, where real estate shatl be the subject of mle, as shall fitly and. efficiently etrect the pur poses of this act. and ve<t in the pur'hsers of suchptoperty good and v4lid..fities thereto. And the sa'd court. Shall hare' pOwer to. eiow ouch fes and chn rges of their o.leesas sh4i1 be rea sonab e arid proper in 'the premises. SEC. 9. And be it further enacted, That all slaves or pe-sons who thall hereaftr.be eneged in rebelion against the gorernmerttof the United 7tAteS, or who shall in any way.give aid or con fort thereto esaping from such persons and-tak in, refuge within-the lines of the army, and all slaves captared from. such persons, or deerted by. them and coming under the control of the government -of the United States, and all slav's of such personsfound or being found within any place occupied by the forces,of the United StAtes rhall be deemed 'e "es - of war, and shall be forever free of their' servitude, and ot again held as slaves. Ss.c.Y. And be it further enaqted,That nu' slave escaping ito, any,State. Terrioieror the I District of Cnumbia,' from any othetSate, .-all! be- delivered %ip or in any -way impeded or hin.'I dered- of his -lberty, except for crime or some of fence against the, laws, unless the person claim ing .said- 'fugitive shall first make oath that the person to whom the labor or service of such fu gitive'g a'leged to be due is his la wtul owner, and'has rtot borne arms against the United States in the preserit rebellion, nor-in any way given aid and cmnfort thereto: and no' personc en-' eaged in the iitiary or naval'service of thre TUited States, shall. under any prtinces whnr ever, assunrpe to decide oun . nIidity 'of the claim of any person to the service or labor of any other person, or surrender up,any sneh per-: son to the claimant, on pain of being discharged~ from the secr vice'. Szc. 11. And be it further enacted, That the President of the United States is . anthorized to employ as iany persons- of African descent as he may deem necessary and phPper f.r: the suppression of this rebellion; and for this. pur pose he may organize and use 'them im such manner as he may judge best for the public welfare. SSEC. 12.- And be it further enacted, -'That . the President of the 'United States. is hereby'an. thorized to make provisions for the transporta tion, colonization and settlement, in somec tropical country beyond the' limits ( the- Unzi ted Statei, of such persons of the African race, made free by the provisions'of tbe act, as mif be willing -to emigrate, having first ob'ained the consent of the government of said country to their protection and settlement within the same, with all the righis 'and privileges of free men: sEc.' 13. And be it- further enacted, That the President is hereby authorized, at anry time hereafter, by proclamnation, to 'extend to .per sons 'who may have participated in r,he existng rebellion, in 'any State or. part thereof, pardon and amnne'sty-',ith such exce.ptions and.at sneh. timxe and on 'such conlditions as bre miay dee~m expedient 'for..the' publie welfdre.' Aso, rh i the P'resWnt aludal have pawer fa resta-e nrn eity seized under the act -to .any peloon who may be found to have been innocent.. SEc. 14. And be it further anacted,, That the courts of the United States have tull power to .institute pro'eeding, make orders and deerees, issue process, and, do. all other -tbingi .necessar to canry this act into effect. .After the foregoing act had pased' both iouses,'it was seht to the President for hs - ig nature, who, however, aisapproved some featum 'and had prepared a veto ncssage, when the fol. .lowin- resolution wns passed -by Houses, in or. der to remove tht President's objectionl* to the. bill Resolved, By thi"S*nate and House of Repre sentatives, &c., that the provyisions of the third* clause of the fifth section'of an act to suppress insurreciion, to punish treastp and rebellion, ant to seize and contiscate the property of rebels, and for other purposes, shall te so construed as n'ot-to apply to -any act or acti done prior- to the passage thereof ; nor to incla'de any member of the State Legislature or Judge of any State Court, who has not, in accepting or entering up. on hs office, taken an oath to, support the Con stitation of the so-called Confederate States of America ; nor shall any punishment ior proecd. ings uuder said.act be so construed as to work a forfeiture oftbe real estate of the offender -be jond his natural life. [From the Richmond Whig.] Though - we have twice before dwelt upon the suj'ect of the evacuatio- of- Richmond, an4 the. subsequent dreadful 'confiagration, it is an ex. haustless theme, 'and so long asr we can furnish new facts in connection with it, we'do not fer wearying our readers. For,a mornth post the Confederates have been evacuat'ng the city with all the speed and means - they could command, but somehow the people refused to believe that the removal meant evaca. aien, and all declared that the meisures were only precautionary. - Matters went' ons in this manner until last Sunday, the Confederatea h'ro' rying away every species 6f property, the- people blindly refusing to believe that the, city was to be give n up, and clinging -to, their Confederit6 slinplasters as if they were things of worth, Sunday morning General Lee telegraphed to Davis, giing. 'an account pfth6 ge4eril attack upon his lines, stating that the lines had bee pierced in many places, and 'tbt'uiless be could re-establish them, Ricnmond muist be given up.' that night. His tone was, for the first tinie sice the war, deqpondent.. JHe-said his men were not c6min;tgp to their work. t 1i o'ciock that morning lie telegraphed4 that all effo.rts to estnblish his lines -bad. been utterly unsucessfdl. 'Immediately. began among the oflicials in Richond a. scurry and' panic, SrilI the mijority of the people were in' the dirk, and reinsing to believe 'their eyes, so remained, many-.: of them, till night. The gold and silver coin belonging to the Louisiana batiks, and re cetly Q,pprop by the Confederate Congres, was rundown tthe Danville train in hot haste. So also was the Ppecie of the Richmond banks. Then the progiamme for the departure of the ofWials were arrangel. A rinumber 'of trains were to leave duringthe evening; still there was not room for all who tho'ught it desirable to get away. Davis was to depart at seven o'clock in tie evening. Breckenridge elected to go off os horseback, with the lat -of tli 'my, on Modday mormng. At the reqest of the Mayor, a meeting of the C=6nell wa's held on $nuday evening, at fonr o'clock, to consuit as to what was best to lie done under the circumstances. GoernorSmiif, being invited to attend this meeting, almost convinc.ed the Council that the C'onfederate ar'ms had been victorious at Petersburg, and that Richmond was~ 'not to be evacuated. Hie, however, managed to become better informed some hour's afterwards,' andi ran oir on hors'eback dur'ink the nights Thc Council, after miucli discussion, passed a re-colution appointing committees for each o,fthe three wards, who should, when the fact that the city was atmouit to be ahandoned shonzld be ascer tained, proceed to destroy all the alcohoilc, liquors sin ti!eir respe-etre wards, giving the Council's receipti for the same,:to be paid for herearter. The object of the step,is obrions to. prevent disorder resrilting fromt the inioxica.. tion of' the troops. of either army, and of'Lhe evib-dispoised among the citizens. The order of the Council was only partially executed; but there is no doubt that much evil was arrestei . Alter dark the Couneil had another conference, a1l this time being -assured by. the Secr~etary of War that the Confederate pickets woutd be with .drawn from the' R3chmaond front at thi-ree o'clock Monday morning, andi that it was calculat,ed'that' the city would og evacuated about.night, it was determined that a coinmittee of promine~nt eirl pa should attend the 4Liyar with a fiar' of truce to the intermediate 'line of fortiaications, 'and thiat there he might haind over the city,tQ the General commaindirig the Army of the James. J.udge LyontA Adge Meredith an&iseveral n:eWs hers of the C.orfncil attended the Mayor. , IIDENTvs oJP TL EVAcTATtof. -Sunday mornin;, Ap-iI 2,' broke upon Rich mond calmly' and ple&tsntly, and wirbout any. thing portentons in ev.-ms irhinedatelv' trace piring. There were rm:nors of evacuation, but "very fe:r suppOQe4d that the event was upon us 'end et h-in.d. T'"' chL!V--cli olrang as urual, with no.thiing of m-r in ;Nair tone, and wo sp were a.s prc"mpt an4de'rt as was tt'eit wrmL. RInt hye o me ab emnervana pennie"