A Meeting in Marion County.
April 14, 1864
On Saturday, March 26th, pursuant to notice, a meeting of the Union citizens of the vicinity was held in Hessville, at which John W. Boggess presided, and E. D. Wade was Secretary. Jesse Sturms, James Hawker, J. P. Moore, Robert Mason, Esq., Z. H. Spencer and F. W. Cunningham, were appointed a Committee on resolutions.
The Committee reported the following preamble and resolutions which were unanimously adopted.
(The preamble being too long for publication, we give its purport in brief. - Ed. Fairmont National.)
It states that there are certain persons in that community enjoying the protection of the laws and professing to be christians and to preach the Gospel, while they have not dared to proclaim their treason from the pulpit, have contrived and are still contriving in every conceivable way to weaken the cause of the Union and strengthen the rebellion by denouncing or Government and rulers as a usurpation and the war we are waging to maintain Liberty and Union as unconstitutional; and further, that with no intention to molest or interrupt any religious worship or the full and free expression of any religious doctrine or opinion, we deem it a duty we owe to God, our country, our soldiers in the field and to ourselves to put a stop at once to this underhanded treason.
Resolved, 1. - That we, the citizens and military of Hessville and vicinity, declare that we will not suffer or allow such preachers to preach in this or adjoining neighborhoods until we have good evidence that they are loyal to the General Government and to this State.
Resolved, 2. - That we demand of the Trustees of the various churches to close their doors against all such disturbers of the peace.
Resolved, 3. - That we earnestly request all such disloyal persons to refrain from attempting to preach at the various churches or elsewhere in this section as it will save them and the community trouble.
Resolved, 4. - That the publication of these resolutions shall be a notice to them to refrain, and of our intentions to enforce them.
On motion of Wm. H. Richardson, the foregoing preamble and resolutions were unanimously agreed to. Mr. F. W. Cunningham then moved that the proceedings of this meeting be published in the Fairmont National and the Wheeling Intelligencer.
On motion the meeting then adjourned.
John W. Boggess, Pres.
Eugenics D. Wage, Sec'y.
(We should have been glad it, for the sake of the cause, the above preamble and resolutions had more satisfactorily set forth the specific grievances of which the citizens of Hessville feel themselves called upon to complain. There is a danger of having a zeal, even in the best of causes, that is not according to knowledge, the exercise of which is rather calculated to prejudice than to advance a correct course of conduct.)
Timeline of West Virginia: Civil War and Statehood: March 1864