1861.] OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES. 41

counties, Maryland, pray that your Excellency will not be
influenced to official action by a memorial that will be pre-
sented to your Excellncy by a committee appointed at an
informal meeting, held at Weverton on last evening, April
29th, 1861.

Your petitioners assure you, it was a meeting, led by a
Republican, who to further excite the elements, he had be-
fore him, used against Virginians, such expletives, as plun-
derers rapscallions, cowardly rebels, thieves, &c.

The memorial did not receive more than twenty Votes,
many of the undersigned refusing to oppose it from disgust at
the proceedings We assure your Excellency, that as far as
our experience goes, apd most of us have farms near Har-
per's Ferry, and would have every knowledge of depredations
Committed by troops, that their demeanof towards Maryland-
ers has been generally very courteous. The grievances com-
plained in the memorial to your Excellency, were not author-
ized by the forces at Harper's Ferry.

A formal assurance was sent by the commander-in-chief at
Harper's Ferry, to the citizens of Weverton, assuring them
that no authority had been given troops to search houses in
Maryland, and that no such authority would be given them.

The evidence before the meeting proved that only one
house was entered by them, and that peaceably, and that
they returned to Harper's Ferry, soon as requested by our
citizens to discontinue the search.

Your Excellency's most ob't servants.
J. C. LAUGHRIDGE, JAMES H, ELGIN,
J. A. JOHNSON, C. STONEBRAKER
B. B. CARLISLE, G. C. STONEBRAKER,
WM. LAUGHRIDGE, W. E. O'BYRNE,
SAMUEL BARNES, ROBERT CUSHER,
S. B. PRESTON, W. C. KIRKHART,
H. J. TRAVERS, G. S. BYRNE,
R. H. BOTELER, S. S. MOORE,
C. THOMAS, J. H. FINK.
WARREN GARRETT.

Which was read and referred to the committee on Federal
Relations.

Mr. Lo ng offered the following :

Ordered, That it be entered upon the Journal of this House,
that James U. Dennis is absent from the deliberations of this
House, in consequence of domestic affliction ;

Which was adopted.
6