The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-11-07
Strange Conspiracy In Ohio.

The Cincinnati papers give exciting re-
ports of the discovery of diabolical con-
spiracy ia that city, the object of which
was no less than the release of John Nor,
gan and his men. as we'll az all other rebel
prisoners in Ohio, to be followed by an at
| tempt to revolutionize the State Govern.
ment We copy from the Cincinnati
Gazette:
On Saturday night u s. MARSHAL A. {.
Sands, who has been for some time past
acting IN conjunction with Provost Mar
shall Major Reapy; and the other military
authorities Of the District of the Ohio. in
sitting cut the affair. received information
which led him to believe that the right
/ time for action had arrived, and he accor>
dinghy dispatched Deputy MARSHAL: ames
Sands, with assistants, on a special train
to Columbus, at 10 o'clock. to procure the
arrest of Chas W. II. Cathcart, School
| Commissioner for the State of Ohio, and j
! D Cresap, formerly a sutler in the 18th
regulars, but then a resident Of capitol
city. As soon as the deputation to Col
umbus had started, Marshal Sands pro-
| ceeded to arrest Samuel D. Thomas, Mary
| a. Thomas, his wife, and Chatherine Par
menter of this city; while the military
authorities arrested James P. Patton, OF
| Cevington, and Ruth Mcdonald. of New
port, and they also were handed over to
| the custody of the marshal.
The plot has been brewing for many
months past, and has only been discovered
By the continual and watchful vigilance OF
the detectives. The plan which had been
concocted was nearly as follows On .
certain night, which had not been detini-
tely fixed, sufficient number of the con-
spIrators were to assemble IN the vicinity
of Camp Chase, and at a given signal were
to overpower the guard (Which Is far from
being strong one) and 1t the same time
| the prisoners, who were to be apprised of
what was going CT, and who number abou:
! four thousand. were to make a rush from
the inside and thus secure their freedom.
| Having armed themselves with the weap-
ons of the guard, they were then to march
on Columbus, led by Cathcart, and seize
the arsenal, arming themselves completely
with the United States arms stored there.
/ From thence their next attack was to be
on the Pententiary for the release OF j ohm
Morgan and his men, by whom the rebel
army in Ohio was to be othcered. Then
the rebel campaign in Ohio was to be com
menced, and the first proceeding on the
part Of the traitors was to be the cutting
Of The telegraph wires and the burning Of
the railroad bridges, in order to prevent
the arrival Of national troops in Ohio The
sketchiwas perhaps rongh IN several points,
and in carrying it out might have needed
se.s-ai alterations, bu, this xas the gene
raj uiaa, and had it not been discovered in
time It is hard to tell how far it might
have proved successful.
It is not pretended that this conspiracy
is project of or favored by the leaders
or members Of the democratic party. Ex
cep. perhaps Cathcart, none Of the per-
sons named has figured in any way, in re-
cent political contests in that state. The
G.sst!s, (Which is an ardent radical aboli'
ton Sheet on the contrary says:
The parties. involved in the matter " 40
are very numerous are to be found IN al
most every part of the State, some OF them
occupy positions under the United States
and State Governments which render 1t a
somewhat easier task for the detectives
to gam access to the nest of traitors.