VOLUME 2.
THE REBEL LEADERS
Important Suppressed Testimony.
The following is the testimony, hitherto
suppressed relative to the Rebel leaders,
taken at the assassination trial at \Y asb
iugtou:
Sandford Conver testified as follows:
lam a native of New Vork; have resi
ded in Canada since October last, was
conscripted into the Confederate army,
and detailed to service in the War De
partment of the Confederacy, at Rich
inond, under James A. Scddon, Secretary
of war; while in Canada was intimately
acquainted with 0. N. Sanders, Jacob
Thompson, Dr. Blackburn, Tucker, Wm.
C. Cleary, Capt. Caslleman, Mr. Camer
on, Poiterfield, Capt. Magruder, and
others; I also knew Clemont C. Clay,
and Gen. Carroll of Tenn. 1 know Sur-
Tatt, also, and J. W. Booth, and visited
these gentlemen in Canada; saw Suiratt
there on several occasions, last April, in
Jacob Thompson's room, also in compa
ny with Geo. N. Sanders, and other Reb
els in Canada. Surratt is about five feet
nine or ten inches high, a fair complex
ioned man with light hair; I saw him
about the Oth or 7th of April with Thomp
son, Sanders and Booth ; at that time ho
delivered to Thompson in his room, in
my presence, dispatches from Richmond
to Thompson,from Benjamiu and Jeff. Ra
vi,, the latter either a cipher dispatch or a
letter. Benjamin was Secretary of State
of the Confederacy. Previous to this,
Thompson conversed with me upon the
subject of a plot to assassinate President
Lincoln and his Cabinet, of which I gave
notice, before the assassination, in the
New York Tribune, the paper for which
I corresponded. 1 had beeu invited by
A/r. Thompson to participate in that en
terprise. When Surratt delivered these
dispatches from Davis, Thompson laid his
hand upon the papers and said, referring
to the assassination and the assent of the
Rebel authorities. "This makes the
thing all right." The dispatches spoke
of the persons to bo assassinated: Mr.
Lincoln, Mr. Johnson, the Secretary of
War, the Secretary of State, Judge Chase
and Gen. Grant. Thompson said on that
occasion, or on the day before that inter
view,that the assassination proposed would
leave the Government of the I nited States
entirely without a head, that there was
no provision in the Constitution of the
United Statos by which they could elect
another President. Mr. Wells was also
named, but Mr. Thompson said it was
not worth while to kill him; he was of
no consequence. My first interview with
Thompson on this subject of assassination
was in the early part of February, ,in
Thompson's room in St. Lawrence Ilall,
Montreal. He then spoke of a raid on
Ogdensburg, New York, it was abandon
ed, but that was because the United
States Government received information
of it, he said lie would have to drop it for
a time, but added, "we II catch them
asleep yet," and to me ho said, "there is
a fine opportunity to immortalize your
self, and save yourcountry," meaning the
confederacy. I told them I was ready to
do anything to save the country, and
asked them what was to be done ; he said
■"some ofourboys are going to play a graud
joke on "Abe and Andy," which he sai i
was to kill them; his words wore "remove
tliein from office," lie said that the killing
of a tyrant was n >t murder ; that he had
commissions for this work from the Rebel
•authorities, and conferred one on Booth.
JOT would confer one; that everybody en
traged in this enterprise would be com
missioned, and it they escaped to Canada
they could not be successfully claimed
under the Extradition Treaty; I know
jthat Thompson and the others held these
commissions in blank ; they commission
ed Bennett Young, the St. Albans raider;
il was a blauk commission filled up and
.conferred by Mr. Clay; as it came from
Richmond, it was only signed ''James
A. Seddojfj Secretary of War Mr.
■Thompson c#Jied me to examiuo these
blauks so that J wight testify to the gen
uineness .of Seddon's signature in the
case of Bennttt Young, before Judge
Smith. Tie signature was geucuine.—
In a subscvuent conversation, after the
referred to in February, Thompson
told mo thafßooth had been coowjjasion
#d and every man who would eugage in
it would be. Iliad a conversation with
Wm. C. Cleary, on the day before, or the
day of the assaseuolion, at St. Lawrence
Hall. We wera speaking of the rejoic
ing in the States over thesurrcndcrof Lee
and the capture of Richmond. Cleary
said they would have the laugh on the
other side of the moqtfi ij> a day or two.
I think this wo* tlw day before the as
easiuation. He knew I was i«. the se
cret of the conspiracy. It was to that
he referred. The assassination pas spo
ken of U»ong us a? commonly t»» the
weather^
AMERIC AN CITIZEN.
Before that, Sanders asked ine if I
knew Booth very well, and eipressed
some apprehension that Booth would
make a fizzle of it—that he was despe
rate and reckless, and he was afraid that
the whole thing would be a failure I
communicate] to the Tribune the inten
ded raid on St. Albans and the proposed
assassination of the President, but they
refused to publish the letter I did this
in March lust, as to the President's as
sassination ; also in February, I think—
certaihly before thej4th of March.Surratt
delivered the dispatches in Thompson's
room four or five days before the assassi
nation. The whole conversation showed
that Sumtt was one . 112 the conspirators
to take the President's life. That was
the substance of the conversation. It
was also understood that there was plenty
of money when there was anything Jp be
done. The conversation iudieated that*
Surratt had a very few days before, left
Richmond—that he was 'ju-t from Rich
mond."
While I was in (\inada. I was a C'ir
respondent for The Tribune, and received
no compensation except from The Tribune.
I have not received one cent from our
jwn Government, nor the promise.
They uever supposed I was a corres
pondent for any paper; I only said I was
seeking items; they supposed I was a
Rebel, and I was,in their confidence; the
proposed Ogdeusburg raid was priuted iu
The Tribune ; I did not communicate this
■natter directly to the Government, for the
reason I supposed the communication in
The Tribune would be seen by the Gov
ernment officials, and I did not ehooso to
have the information goto the Govern
ment directly from me; I requested Mr.
Gray, of The Tribune to give the ill for
m&tion to the Government, and 1 believe
he did so. I saw Surratt in Canada three
or four days in succession in April last.—
I had conversation with him personally
about Richmond. I wus introduced to
him by Sanders. I was expected to par
ticipate with those Rahul# in the raid on
Ogdeflburg; I never received any pay
from them for any services I heard the
capture of the President talked of in
February. When Mr. Thompson srst
suggested the assassination to me, I ask
ed him if it would meet w tli the appro
bation of the Governmental Richmond;
he said he thought it would, but he would
know in a few days. This was early in
February.
Thompson did not say, in April, when
these dispatches were delivorcd, that this
was the first approval they had received
of this plot from Richmond, but I know
of no others; I only inferred that that
was the first approval, Thompson said, in
his conversation with mc, that killing a
tyrant in such a case was no murder, and
asked me, if I had read a letter called,
"Killing, no murder," addressed by Ti
tus to Oliver Cromwell; this was in Feb
ruary; Mr. Hamlin was also named in
February as one of the victims of this
scheme: in April, the persons before
named wcra mentioned, but Mr. Hamlin
was omitted, and < ire-President Johnson
put iu his place; Iran the blockade from
Richmond; these commissions wore all
blank but the signature; they were to ho
given a cover, so that in case of detection
the parties employed could claim that they
were Rebel soldiers, and would, therefore,
•laitn to be treated ns prisoners of war; it
was understood tb.it they would be pro
"ected as such, Thompson said it the men
who were engaged in this enterprise were
detected aud executed, the Confederate
Government would retaliate; that it was
no murder, only killing ; 1 think Booth
was specialty commissioned for this pur
pose; 1 saw Booth iu Canada in the lat
ter part of October, with Sanders, at Mr.
Thompson's, at the St. Lawrence Hull,
where he wus strutting about, dissipating
and playing billiards. I have heard these
men talk of the burning of New \ork,
and other enterprises which th'jy "have un
der consideration now.
There was a proposition before the
agents of these rebels iu Canafa'to de
stroy the Croton Dam, by which the city
of New York is supplied wi h water. It
was supposed it vould mi only damage
manufactures, but distress tut people gen
erally. Mr. Thompson remarked that
there was plenty of force, and the city
would be destroyed by a general confla
gration, and if they had thought of this
sooner, they might have saved a great
many pecks. This was .said a lew weeks
ago. Thompson. Sanders. Caslleman and
General Carroll were present. They had
arms concealed, and a large number of
men concealed, in Chicago—some eight
hundred—for the purpose of releasing
the rebel prisoners there The Dr. Black
burn, charged at with importing
yellow £over into th - s country, i.the same
person referred to by me as intimote with
Thompson, iji .Canada; I saw him I? cyjji
pany with liiju, G. N. Saunders, Luui^
"Let us have Faith that Right makes Might 112 and in that Faith let us, to the end,dare to do our duty as we understand it"--A. LINCOLN.
BUTLER, BUTLER COUNTY, PA., WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25 1865.
Sanders, Costletuan, Wm. C. Cleary, Por
tcrfield, Capt. Magruder, and a number
of other Rebels of less note; Blackburn
was recognized there as an agent of the
Confederate States, and so represented
himself; in January last Dr. Blackburn
employed a person named Cameron to
accompany him, for the purpose of intro
ducing yellow fever into the Northorn
cities, to wit: the cites of New York,
Philadelphia and Washington; ho went
from Montreal to Bermuda, about a year
ago last fall, for the purpose of getting
the clothing infected with yellow fever;
I saw him after his return, in Canada,
and heard Jacob Thompson and Win. C.
Cleary say that they favored his scheme,
and were much interested in it; this was
luHt January.
About the same time it was proposed
to destroy the Croton Dam, Dr. Black
burn proposed to poison the reservoirs,
and made a calculation of the amount of
poisonous matter it would require to im
pregnate the water, so as to make an or
dinary draught poisonous and deadly.—
Ho had the capacit of the reservoirs,
ami the amount of water generally kept
in them. Strychnine, arsenic, prussic
acid, and a number of other things I do
not remember, were named. Mr Thomp
son feared it Would be impossible to col
lect so large a quantity of poisonous mat
ter without suspicion, and leading to de
tection. Thompson approved of the en
terprise, and discussed it freely. Mr.
Cleary did the same; it was also spoken
of by a Mr. Montrose A. Fallen, of Miss
issippi, and by a person who had been a
medical purveyor in the liebel army; Jno.
Cameron, who lived in Montreal, told me
that he was offertd large compensation; I
think Mr. Thompson was the moneyed
agent for all the other agents; I think
they all drew on him for all the money
they required; I know some of them did;
when Thompson said it would bo difficult
to collect so much poison without detec
tion , I'u/len and others thought it couhl be
managed in Europe; Fallen is a physic
ian; I think I haye heard Harris also
mentioned In oonneoiiou will) U;« pesti
lence importation ; I think ho lived in
Toronto; there were ether parties in Mont
real that Blackburn omployed, or endeav
ored to employ, bnt I do not remember
iheir names.
1 saw l)r. Stewart Robinson, a Doctor
of divinity, residing in Toronto; ho edit
ed a paper in Kentucky; I have seen him
with Thompson and Blaokburn, and he
was preseut when some of these schemes
wero discussed; he approved them; he
said anything that could be done under
heaven would justify them under the cir
cumstances; he appeared upon very in
timate terms with Bluckbum ai)d(Hiomp
son; ihree or four days after the assassin
ation of the President, I saw John 11.
Surratt iu Canada, with Portcrfield, a
now declared a British
subjectWy the Canadian Parliament; I
learned immediately afterward that Sur
ratt wus suspected, was pursued, and had
decamped; I had a knowledge that Jeff.
Davis was the head of the so-called Con
federate States, was called its President,
and had control of its civil administra
tion. Gen. Carroll was present when
Surratt broughtthe dispatches from Rich
mond, and when th*y were read by
Thompson, I believe there were ono or
two others; Gen. Carroll of Tennessee
theu said he was more anxious that Mr.
Johnson should be killed t)jan any one
else; he said; "If the damned pricklouse
was not killed by somebody" be would
kill him himself: lie referred to Vice-
Prosidens Johnson; his expression was
a word of coutcmpt for a tailor; it means
a tailor's louse; Booth was known in Can
ada by the nickname of "Ilet;" 1 have
heard Thompson so name him, certainly
Cleary; Kennedy, who fired the city of
New York and was executed, was spoken
of as having performed that deed by au
thority of the Rebel Government, jjqdcr
the direction of Thompson; this was com
municated to me by Thompson himself,
or iu conversation in his preseuce; Thomp
son said Kennedy deserved to be banged,
aud be was devilish glad he was hauged,
tor be was a stupid tellow, and had man
aged things very badly.
James B. Merritt testified—l am a
physician, and have been in Canada
a year; in October and November last was
in Toronto; met George Young there, a
Rebel from Kentucky; also, Col. Steele,
Irom Kentucky; Young said to me, "We
have something of much more importance
tban any raid*;" he told me it was determ
ined that "Old Abe" should never be in
auguiated; that they had plenty of
in Washington, and called Mr. Lincoln
"a damned old typnt;" I afteiward saw
George N. Sanders aud Col. Steele to
gether; Col. Steele said, "The damncdttld
tyrant never will servo another term, If
he is elected;" Sanders said, at the same
time, "He would keop himself njighty
close if he did serve another term," in
Montreal, in February last, I heard Sun
ders name a number of persons ready and
willing to remove the President, Vice-
President, the Cabinet, and some of the
leading Uenerals of the United Status;
and he added that there was any amount
of money to accomplish this purpose,
meaning the assassination of these per
sons; he then read if letter, which he said
he had received frqjn the President of
our Confederacy, menning Jefferson Da
vis, and which lettoi- justified him in ma
king any arrangements that he could, to
accomplish sjjph object; there was a meet
ing at that time of these Rebels, and a
letter was read to tliein, the substanoo of
which was, that if the Southerners in the
Canadasand the States were willing to be
governed by such a tyrant as Lincoln, he
< Davis) did not wish to recognize them as
fricuds, and that ho approved of the prop
osition to assassinate him; Col. Steele
read the letter, Scott, George
Young and Hill, alWiebels; this meeting
was about the middle of last February ;
at the meeting Sanders named some of
the persons who were to accomplish the
assassination, and among them he named
J. W. Booth, whom I had seen in Mont
real in October; he Shlso named George
Harper, Charles Caldwell, Randall and
Harrison; Ilarrol 1 went by the name of
Harrison; I heard Surratt's name also
mentioned, and HarPold; there was a per
son named whoinjthey called "Plug .To
bacco." I saw Harrold in Toronto; San
ders said Booth wll heart and soul in
this matter; he was a cousin to Beale. who
was banged in New \ ork; ho added that
if they could dispose of Lincmn it would
be an easy matter to dispose of Mr. John
son in some of his drunken revelries; that
if they could dispose of the President,
Vice-President and Cabinet, and that if
Mr. Seward could be disposed of it would
satisfy the peoplo North, and that a peace
could be obtained; That they had endeav
ored to bring about a war with England,
but Mr. Seward, through his energy and
sagacity, had thwflrted their efforts, and
for that reason they wanted to get rid of
liitu,
Oil the sth or oth of April last I met
Harper, who said that they were going to
tbo State to " kick up the damnedest row
such as had never been heard of; he
added that if I did not hear of the death
of Old Abe, the Vice President, aud of
Gen. Dix, in less than ten days, 1 might
put hitn down as a damned fool; that was
on the Bixth of April; lie mentioned the
name of Booth a« one of their friends
there ; he said they had plenty of friends
in Washington, and that fifteen or twen
ty were going. He had started togo tp
Washington as early as the Bth, together
with others; I communicated this fact on
the 10th of April to a justico of tbo
peace, named Davidson, who, after the
assassination, communicated it to the
Government; Harper* returned to Cana
da after the assassination ; I had a con
versation with C. C. Clay in Toronto, in
February last; he spoke of the letter of
Davis, whioh Sanders had exhibited ; he
seemed to understand the character of the
letter perfectly, and said he thought the
end would justify the means ; Surratt
was pointed out to mo in Toronto, last
February, I think ; I 6aw Booth there
two or three times, and sat at table with
him once, at tho St Lawrence, with San
ders, Scott and Steel#; they were con
versing with Booth, a|d drinking wine
with him at Sander's expense; I Baw j
Harold in Canada, in February.
Richard Montgomery 4 , UtatifioJ.—l
knew Jacok Clement C. Clay,
whom I have met lu Canada a number of
times sincp the summer of 1864 up to
this time ; also, Georgo N. Sanders, J. P
Ijolcombe, Beverly Tucker, W. C Cleary,
Harrington, Hicks, u%d others, under
fictitious names; Thompson had several
names ; ono was Carson ; Clay was Holt;
and Lacy, and'l racy, Jacob Thompson
said he bad friends of the Confederacy
all over the Northern States, willing to
go any lengths, and that he could, at any
time, have the tyrant Lincolu, and any
of his advisers, put out of the way ; that
his friends would not consider it a crime,
and that it would be done for the cause
of the Confederacy; in January, 1865,
Thompson said, in Montreal, that a prop
osition had been made to him to rid the
world of the tyrants, Lincoln, Stanton,
Grant and some oth trs ; that be knew
the men who made it were bold, daring
men, able to execute anything they would
undertake ; that he was iu favor of the
proposition, but deferred his answer un
til he had consulted his Government at
Richmond ; that ho was then only wait
ing their approval. He thought it would
be a blessing to the people, both N u , rt ' l
and South, to havo them (the tyrants)
killed. Iu the Summey of 1864 1 re
peated what Mr. Thompson fjrst told me
to C. C. Clay, who said that h© 'f*'" real-
ly devoted to our cause, and ready togo
any lengths, to do anything under the
sun to save it. I have seen Payne, the
prisoner, a number of times in Cauada,
about the Falls, in the Summer 1864, and
also at the Queen's Hotel, at Toronto,
Canada West, where I conversed with
him. I had an interview with Mr.
Thompson ; Several others had sought
an interview while I was closeted, and
had been refused, On leaving Thomp
son's room, 1 saw Payne in the passage
way, near the door, with Clement C. Clay,
alking to him; Mr. Clay stopped me,
and finished his conversation with this
man in an undertone. When he left me
he said, "Wait for me; I will return."
He soon came back and bade me good
bye, and naked where he could see me
after a time. I told him, and appointed
a meeting. I spoke to this man Payne
in Clay's absence, and asked him who he
was. He said, 'Oh I'm a Canadian"—
which was to say, I don't wish you to
ask me anything more. I mentioned
him to Clay wheu I met him after a time.
Clay asked, " What did he say ?" I told
him, and Clay answered, " That's so; he
L a Canadian," and laughed. II« added
'• Wo trust him." " Canadiau" is an ex
pression for their friends, aud his con*
duot was an indication that their inter
course was of a very confidential uaturo.
I have been in Canada sinpo tho as
sassination ; a few days after," I met Bev
erly Tucker at Montreal. He said, "Mr.
Lincoln deserved his death long ago,"
that "it was a pity he did not die long
ago;" and that " it WHS to bad the hoys
had not been allowed togo when they
wauted to." He referred to the men who
were to assassinate him.
I had a conversation with Wm. C.
Cleary, and told him what Mr. Thomp
son said in January. He said that Booth
was ono of the parties to whom Thomp
son had referred ; he said also that it was
too bad, that the whoh work had not
been done, referring to the assassination.
Cleary, who was a confideutof Mr. Thomp
son, told me so. Thompson said Cleary
was a very close mouthed man. Cleary
also said that "they had better look out,
we have not done yet.'' lie remarked
that they would u&vep bo conquered;
would never give up. He also said that
Booth had visi'ed Thompson in the Win
ter anil iu the Summer. These parties
knew they wore suspected of tho assassi
nation a few days after, and wore destroy
ing a groat many papers, so they told
me.
I acted as a Government detective : n
Canada, and assumed the name of James
Thompson, though I never registered it,
but always some other name. My whole
object was to serve the 'Government. I
saw this ciphor (found among Booths ef
fects) iu Mr. Clay's house, at St. Catha
rine's, iu the Summer of 1804. I carri
ed dispetches from Canada to fitudons
ville, and received a reply, car
ried back. I came through Washington
each time, and oarried dispatohes to the
United States Government; received the
dispatch at Gordonsville fiom a man in
the Rebel State Department, from their
Secretary of State ; I carried this paper
to Thompson. All these persons, named
Thompson, Clay, Cleary, Ac., represented
themselves in the service if the Confed
erate Government. Received this dis
patch in October last. Clay claimed to
represent the War Department; they ap
proved the burning of ous Northern cit
ies ; and they represented themselves as
having full powers from tljp Rebel Gov
ernment to act, without referring their
project to Richmond; Thompson and
Clay both said so; the attempt to burn
New York City 1 know they were enga
ged in, and went to Washington threo
days before it happened to communicate
it; they approved, also, of the St. Albans
raid ; in regard to raiding, Mr. Clay had
the funds, ho said ho had always plenty
of money to pay for anything that was
worth paying for ; I know they deposi
ted in different banks ; Clay said not to
tell Sanders what they intrusted to jno ;
ho said that he was a very good man to
do their dirty work; that he associated
with men that they could not associate
with; that he was very useful in that
way; I inferred from Beverly Tucker's
words that they had delated the assassina
tion waitipg the approval from Rich
mond.
PAI'BKS.—We earnest
ly ndyjsp every soldier to preserve
his discharge papers. Speculators
arc offering to purchase, ula som,e
soldier shave been found willing to sell
them, but whether or net they are of
"any value to the purchaser, tjjey are
certainly a loss to the seller. They
will be of use to ttye claimanjfor boun
ty lands ; they will be of use as evi
dence of a proud and honorable past,
and they }»jll he mementoes growing
every year of more value to the eyes
of their possessor. Keep them care
fully, boys, by all moans.
Reconstruction.
John Stuart Mill tho eminent English
Liberal and writer on the Soieuce of Gov
ernment, has addressed tee following let
ter to a friend in this city :
AVIONON, 31 ay 12, 1565.
DEAR SIR : I had scarcely received
your note of April S, so full of calm joy
in the splendid prospect now opening to
your country, and through it to the world,
when the news came that an atrocious
crime had struck down the great citixen
who had afforded so noble an example of
tbo qualities befitting the first magistrate
of a free people, aud vflio, in the most
trying circumstances, had gradually won
not only the admiration but almost the
personal affection of all who love freedom
or appreciate simplicity and uprightness.
But the loss is ours, not his. It was im
possible to have wished him a better end
thau the crown of martyrdom to his oth
er honors, and to live in of a
great nation us those only live who havo
not only labored for their country but
died for it And ha did livo to seo the
cause triumphant and tho contest virtu
ally ovco. How different would our feel
ings uow bo if this fate had overtaken
him, as it might so easily havo done, a
month sooner!
Iu England, horror of the crime and
sympathy with your loss seem to be al
most universal, even among those who
have disgraced their couutry by wishing
success to the slaveholdorf. 1 hope the
manifestations which were instantaneous
ly made there in almost every quarter
may be received iu America as somo kind
of atonemeut or peace-offering. I l.ave
never believed that there was any real
danger of a quarrel betweon the two
countries; but it is of immense import
ance that we should be firm friends; aqd
this is onr natural state, for, though thero
is a portion of the higher and middle
classes of Great Britain who so dread and
hate democracy that they caunot wish
prosperity aud power to a democratic peo
ple, I siucerely believe that this feeling
not general, even in our privileged class
es. Most of the dis ike and suspicion
which have existed toward ro United
States were the effect of puro ignorance;
ignorance of yout history, anil ignoranco
of your feeling and disposition an a peo
plo. It is difficult for you to believe that
this ignorance could be as dense as it re
ally was. But tho late events have begun
to dissipate it; and if your Government
and people act as I fully believe they will
in regard to the important questions which
now await them, thero will be no fear of
their being ever again so grosely misun
derstood, at least in the li.vos of the pres
ent generation.
As to the mode of dealing with these
great questions, it does not become a for
eigner to advise those who know the ex
igencies of the case so much better than
he does. But as so many rf my country
men are volunteering advice to you at
this crisis, perhaps I may be forgiven if I
offer uiinc the coutrary way. Every one
is eagerly inculcating gentleness, and on
ly gentleness, as if you had shown any
signs of a disposition to take a savage re
vcngc. I have always been afraid of one
thing only—that you would bo too gen
tle. I should be sorry to see my life ta
ken after the war is over (except those of
the assassin), or any evil inflicted in mere
vengeance; but one thing I hope will be
considered absolutely necessary: to break
altogether the power of the slaveholding
caste. Unless this is dope, tl|c abolition
of Slavery will be merely nominal. If an
aristocracy ofex-slaveholders remain mus
ters of the State legislatures, they will be
able effectually to nullify a great part of
the result which has beeu so dearly bought
by the blood of the Free States They
and their dependents must be effectually
outnumbered at the polling places; which
can only be" effected by tho concession of
full equality of political rights to negroes
and by a large immigration of settlers
from the North; both of thein being made
independent by the ownership of land.—
With these things, in addition to the
Constitutional Amendment jwhicjj will
enable the Supretpe Court to set aside any
State legislation tending to bring back
Slavery iu disguise), the cause of Frco
dom is safe, and theopeuing words of the
Doclaration of Independence will ecase
to be a reproach to the nation founded by
by its authors ♦ * »* *
I am, dear sir. yours very truly,
J. S. MILL.
JJJJOITJSTF THE Mo* A/3AI.V. —The
New York Xcwg is doing all it can
tQ stir up strife between the working
peop'e and the c,ollored men, by tell
ing the former that tho latter are
going to take the bread out of the
mouths of their wives and childrop ;
also, that tjiqusadns of freedmen are
coming io New Vork to be employed
coming winter. The spirit which
prompts such insinuations is the same
which stirred up the riots there two
years ago.
NUMBER 45.
A. Raßcally Scheme Frustrated.
About the middle of September, says
the New York Herald, Gen. Baker le
ceived information of a plot at Lynch
burg, Va., to rob the Post Quartermas
ter's safe of a large amount of money it
was known to contain. The case work-,
ed tip has resulted in the arrest and in
carceration in the Old Capital Prison laft
night of Brevet Brigadier General J. C.
Briscoe, of the lO'.tth Pa. Vols , com
manding at Lyuchburg, and A. TV. Lack
ey, of Worcester, Mass., formerly a sut
ler at that post at Lynchburg since Lee's
surrender. Capt. W, A, Albcrger, son
of Canal Commissioner Alberger, of New
York, has been Quartermaster at Lynch
burg, and had in his charge on the 21st
of Soptcniber $120,00Q in greenbacks,'
besides a largo amount of captured jrold
coin and bullion, weich had been placed
in his charge for safe keeping. Briscoe
approached Alberger through Lackey,
and proposed to him as tho war was about
to close and none of them had made mon
ey out of it, they should make a grand
haul in conoort and pocket fifty thous
and dollars apiece in a flash. Mbcrgor
kept the funds in a safe which formerly
belonged to a rebel officer, and this fact
was to give color to the charge which
was to be made—that the ex-rebel, hav
ing a duplicate key to the safe, robbed it.
Briscoe was to arrest the Quartermaster,
his clerks, and half the people of Lyuch
burfi, to avert suspicion. The General
took an impression of the safe-key in wax
and sent Lackey to Philadelphia to get
tho keys made. Alberger, ostensibly in
the plot, informed tho Secretary of War,
and two or throe of Gen. Baker's officers
were sent down to Lynchburg to arrest
the guilty parties. These officers saw
through hole) in the oeiling of the offioe
Gen. Briscoe come in while the Quarter
master aud the clerks were gone to din-,
ncr; saw him unlock the safe with the
false key, take out threo packages of
greenbacks of 840,000 each and load
himself down with coin and bullion to
the amount of near 815,000, having pre
viously ignited saturated paper and cloth
with a view to burning tho building.—-
They followed him across the hall to his
own office and burst in upon him count
ing and arranging the money behind his
bolded door. The wax moulds and false
keys were found upon him, and the proof
was indisputable. Theso proofs are now
in Gen Baker's possession. Briscoo and
Lackey are in the Old Capitol awaiting
trial, and Alberger, the Quartermaster, is
on duty at his old post.— Reporilory,
Chamber»burg, Pa.
Prof. Buggies, of Dartmouth Collegr-.
had a very narrow escape at Niagara Fain
on Friday Evening. While walking on
Goat Island with a party of ladies, one
of them dropped her parasol, which sli>'
some fifteen or twenty feet dewn the bank
of the r>vcr. Mr. Cuggles went down
andpickedit up, but on attempting t
return the bank bing steep and the ground
bard, lost his footing, and fell down i
the very brink of the precipice which at
this point is eighty or ninety feet high
Here he caught hold of the roots of an
upturned tree, the trunk of which hang: 1
over tho abyss. The shock caused the
tree to shake violently, and it appear
on the point of faliing over theprecipic •
The ladies shrieked and called for he!
but no assastance was at hand. A mo\
ment on the part of Mr. Ruggles, or
gust of wind, seemed sufficient to cai.
the tree to fall. At this critical mnm:
one of the ladies took off her basquii
and skiris, cut them in strips, got shaw
and other articles of clothing from tl
rest of the party, tied then) together, 112
tening a stone to the tope thus forn.
and let it down to Mr. Buggies, who
king hold of if, walked slowly up i
bank. It was a moment of fearful
pense. The rope was held firmly by t
ladies aboxe, but it might untie or brc.
and a fall of a hundred feet on the rot
below must bo the inevitable result. W'n
Mr. Buggies reached terra firina, his -e
cuer, who had shown such remark
presence of mind, fainted, and was tu
home in an unconscious stata
—So long as you see one star
in the sky, the sun has not risen! '
Ion?, as one leak admits the wat
the ship in not safe. So long q,s o
sin reigns in a man's heart, and
Eracticed in his life, Jesus is neith
is Saviour nor his King.
—The new county project, with Ti
villc the seat, is still the subject of ID
discussion in the Oil Uegioiis. An ij. \
eutial meeting on the subject was i.
at Tituiyille last week, aud arrangen
mads for mapping out the new couui_,
The National Horse Fair at i
ville last week was largely attended, <»•>
proved a *uoee*s.