Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-11-12

PROPOSED AuahEt@cat@A "a @--HA1g O0uHeg
----Alarning Dlselosures----rrIaa Of W.
r.. Palmer.
We have announced the arrest Of Y. R. PALMER at
Memphis, upon charge Of completely in the Harp
ers Ferry insurreetion In the Memphis Auala5chs
ofshe 10th we find the following account Of his trial.
Yesterday morning. Dr. William Russell Palmer,
as he calls himself and of whose arrest suspicion
of beinga coconspirator with Ossawattomie Brown,
we gave the particulars in cur last, taken before
a MAGISTRATES Court, composed Of Justices Josiah
Horne of this city, and J. w. A Petttt of German
town His examination occupied the attention of
the court from ten O'Clock in the morning until three
in the evening, and was listened 20 BY an eager
crowd of spectators, deeply interested in obtang a
full knowledge of the facts Of the case and they are
substantially as narrated BY US IN our paper OF yes
tenday.
1t seems that traveller on arailroad between
Philadelphia and New York discovered fellow
passenger who occupied the seat in front OF him
stand up and walk ont of the cars In the act, the
you lg man dropped two letters and memorandum,
which seeing the traveller picked up but unable
to restore 20 the loser CHANGING at the address, he
observed that one of them was addressed TO Capt,
J. Brown, Harpers Ferry, Va" This on the
22d of October, only few days after the insurrec
ton at Harperis Ferry, and time when the bold
attempt of Brown and his fanatical followers Oceu
pied the attention of all The traveller, naturally
enough on seeing the address, concluded that the.
documents mad become pNsstSseu OF
related in some to the affair at Harpers
Ferry and, on arriving at New FORK, dispatched the
letters and memorandum to Governor Wise. The
following is the letter received by the Gov
ePnor with the letters referred TO. 1t has head
ing at the beginning of the first page Manhattan
Hotel. Murray H. second door from Broadway, New
York. Below this on the left hand is sketch Of
the llotel" then follows on the right the advertise
ment of Higgins & Fling, preprletors. Then the
letter begins
DEAR SIR; While in the cars to-day on passage
from Philadelphia to New York a young man who
occupied the seat first in front of me, got up to go
out at of the way stations. he had an 0Vereoat
on his arm; thought saw something fall from has
side pocket or his oVercOat he started On look
ing over into the seat discovered he had dropped
two letters and a memorandum. / took them up,
but too late to give them TO him, as the cars had
started again. discovered sealed Letter 10 Capt >.
brown, HarpeP's Ferry, and having my curiosity
excited on account of the coincidence of the address
with that OF Brown the insuTreetiOnist, l was led
to read the other letter addressed to YIN. Horner,
which had been opened when found IT was sat
ised from the reading this letter, that the sealed
letter was for Brown, the Harper's Ferry insurrec
zionist YOU now have under arrest As suspect the
contents of that letter 10 be of incendary char
acter have concluded to send them TO you for dis
pOsal; therefore send them just as found them in
closed in the envelope with this note. Ii there
be inccndiarism in the letter to Brown it may be of
service TO you, and if not Captain Brown cannot be
injured by receiving il at your hands, In this mat
ter, feel that act only good citizen and low
er of the Union. hope you viii not feel offended
at my sending this as an anonymous note. 1 do so
simply because do not wish my name in any man
ner connected with Brown or Harpers Ferry
Yours Respectfully, A TRAVELLER.
To Hon. Gov, d. A. WISE.
Upon receiving the above letter. and examining
the contents of the others, Gov. Wise deemed them
of suficentimp to send to Gov Harris, which
was done in tho following letter:
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
.--s Richmond, October %, 1853.
To his ErceHencg, the Governor OF Tennessee.
SIR Il am instructed by the Governor of this
Commonwealth to enclose to you copies of letters
aud papers received by him from an anonymous
writer, who signs himself "a Traveller" Although
they reached HIM from an irresponsible source. he
feels il TO be his duty TO inform you OF the contents
that YOU may Judge for yourself of their importance
in the present excited state of the public mind
Very Respectfully VIM MUNFoD,
Aid-de-Camp and Military Secretary.
Gov Harris carefully examined the documents
thus received and very properly considered that If
the grave charges which ThaIcher's letter conveyed
against Palmer were true, had semblance of
truth the residence of such blackhe afted mscre-
ant in the midst of unsuspecng community should
be known, and the consprator brought to Justice
To that end the Governor dispatched 10 this city the
Hon John &. Burch. gentleman of strict integrity
and sagacity, but who was not generally known IN
our city Arrived here, in quiet way, inquiries for
DR. W. Russell Palmer were instituted and that in
diVidual discovered at the Bedford House. Special
officer w. +. Meacham, of Nashville, who accompa-
MED Col Burch, waited upon the Doctor and desired
to sec him on private business a-
DR. p. took htm TO his room. when Meacham stated
that he was from Indiana and member OF the new
Provisional Government, and had come to confer
with him as to the course to be pursued since the
Harper's Ferry mishap; that he DIR. P.) had been
1enresented TO him as a friend to the cause, etc
The Doctor replied that he was himself Yankee,
and thought the Harpers Ferry lnsurrecton would
prove untaYorable to the cause OF aboiiflomsn, as
IL would induce Shareholders at the South TO watch
their negroes moro closely, and be more on their
guard; that he was no abOltionist himself, and did
not sympathise with the recent outbreak. Meacham
then told him il was not their object TO shed blood
but simply to arm the slaves and march them out OF
the country and that he intended to do SO as long life
lasted he also stated to p that fhe was not friend
of the cause, he had placed himself IN his (Psl
power and it would be DEATH for his character to be
known in Memphis Palmer replied that witness
needn't fears that he had made disclosures; that
he had always been a friend 10 Northern men, and
If he (Meacham) got INTO difficulty on account Oh
being Northern man, he should receive all the as
sistance in his power. Next day Meacham met Dr.
p. in the bar room of the same house, and recon-
menced conversation on the same subject The Doc
toY. informed him that he could have no further
Communication in regard to the matter that he had
better 20 back home and go at something else
This interview did not elicit anything TO be sure,
bur It is more than probable that Palmer, who Is
said to be- in Thatchers letter, keen sirewd man,
was not TO be caught easily, especially when
Brown was in limbo and very likely TO swing tor
his pains However, the factthat he did not while
processing to be Southern man, at once denoLn,e
one who had confessed to having been party in the
late reasonable and murderous affair in Virginia,
bore hard against him; did also the fact that all
the information contained in Thatchers letter to
Brown in regard to Palmer, and his family ahalrs'
upon inquiry. was found TO be strictly true
Having obtained as he thought testimony sum
Gent to arrest Palmer and have him committed, and
having also completed his arrangements for the ar
rest of other suspected parties near Paris, IN this
State Col Burch determined to secure the person OF
Palmer. and for that purpose went before Esquire
Horne and made the following affidavit
State Of Tennessee, Shelly County.
Personally appeared before Josalone acting justice
Of the Peace County John G Burch who being
dnH sMorn examne BY that he has receye nch