“‘H. S. Lane.’
“Just think of it! No trial, no charges, nothing for us or against us, not on the records, no papers in our cases, and yet we in exile and compelled to stay there! But we employed one of Indiana’s noblest lawyers, the Hon. Samuel C. Wilson, of Crawfordsville, to take that petition and go with it in person to Gen. Schofield’s headquarters. The result was an unconditional revocation of the order of banishment, on the 16th Sept., 1863, which is as follows:
“‘Headq’rs Department of the Missouri, }
St. Louis, Mo., Sept. 15th, 1863. }
“‘Special Orders No. 252.]
“‘I. Dr. H. W. Pitman, David Nowlin and B. H. Spencer, citizens of Montgomery county, Missouri, heretofore banished to Indiana, to remain there during the war, are permitted to remain in any part of the United States, outside of the limits of this Department. They will report their places of residence the first of each month during the war to the Provost-Marshal General of this Department.
“‘By command of Major-General Schofield.
“‘Wm. W. Eno, Ass’t Adj’t-Gen’l.
“‘B. H. Spencer, per Maj. Dunn.’
“The foregoing facts and documents are a mere tithing of what might be given to the same effect, and go to show most clearly that I was persecuted in various ways, and banished from my helpless family for ten long months, for no higher and no other crime than that I was a Southern Methodist preacher!