Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1864-10-29

tickets with the names Of the Union candidates,
but had ne yer used any ef them
The exsuinsfioa here eoscluded se hslf.past
three O'Clock, and the Usaft tooi q recess 20
On the re reIsssemSiins OF the oou&,, u. Jaa.e
Advocate said be would placs In evidence tSe
authority nnder which tbs pftsoner hAd acted.
The commission stated that Edward Donohas
was empowered to tAte . Democraac yosss OF
rstio Seymour" T" aovernoE, Of New fofE ana
his Private Secretary. Win this the case
closed on the part OF the Government.
Mr.. Donohue arose and addressed the Oouft,
stating that he had not sIgned the name Of any
officer in the service of the State OF New YORK,
or OF the United states The only name he did
s4s,sUss sisn WAS e. Arthur A. e. vac had no
no susn person. He alluded 10 the laws OF
w New York in relation to election frauds, and
aagueo aa that h. should be tried there if he haA
committed &c any offence. Wherever he had gone
~ uuneSt tthe soldiers votes he always an
nsats mat ne only desired those OF Demo-
.ain,. vas Hne that, in some cases, the en-.
at his request. The same thing was done nv
the representatives OF both poIticai parties in
ulseI 'as s 'uF ncks,s ef the several counties 70
the rein W hen the ballot reached ts oes s,inafson
In The case of the stst New York resrm ant. he
look all the yo'esto New York himseH The
he received by aBy of the Juoees OF Eleetion
in New York, because there was 10 such com.
m'ss,oned ofscfr In any OF the regiments be-
longing 10 that State. What me had done was
foolshly done and without any kuo wledge or
idea Of the consequences He appealed 70 the
Court 10 view ais Gaze with leniency. He was
ayonng man sDc = wcs the first time he had
ever heen io 9 court OF justice ir any cause.
Sis family fels deeply his position, as also HE
wife, 20 vhosa he-sad but recen:iv been mar
RED. He had for the past fy- years been ia
q m N NJ of fha NcS Nprlr
Company. No question had ever heen raised
ss to his honesty, integrity or respec Ii oiIity.
We was no politician, and had no desire TO be
sne
In concluding, be appealed to he mercy of
he CoCIt, and was v'slby affected, appearing
o realize ter the first time The dangerous situa-
ton il while h his Acts had placed him.
The Judge Advocate then addressed the
Court as follows:
Itappe3rs in this case that the defendant,
Edward GoDahue, JT., q Young man connected
with the New York tentraI Road, q road 70
these who live IN the cry OF New York almost
SYNONYMOUS with treason, has Tor the past two
or three weeks been engaged liz one of the most
gigantic frauds ever teppt-d to be perpe-
tratCd on this natIon-a fraud which, if II
shall be successful, will, IN nv opinion, pro-
duce disruption OF our entire country, and
our war Tor the preservation OF the Union will
he practically at an end and futile. 1t ap-
pears from the evidence of The witnesses
before you, that en- one occasion, when Re-
publican, who happened TO hear something
that as said nv one of the State A gents of the
State OF New Y Iork that frauds were being per-
peIrated, went 10 the office of the State Agent
in this city ard found him willing and ready
10 mHBe false votes; and fraudulPntly repre-
senung himself as one of the party they were
working 1or, ingratia'ed himselfinto their con-
fid' nee, and is allowed 70 see the workings OF
their party.
II appears that the regular blanks for soldiers
are forged, the nanes OF the officers who are
purporting to swear the soldlery are written
out by one party, the name OF the soldier who
whs ills mp the blabks. These are then Ief,
either sealed or uRspaed, With the electoral
ticket of The party which they represent, and,
the first witness testified to you, several dry
goods boxes full OF such votes have already left
the city of Washington. At that time it will be
borne In mind that Edward Donohue was In
Was gton. He comes to this city. How Is
this statement, as compared with his accom-
plice, Edward Newcomo, and with the first
witness, Mr.. Wood Was il they who induced
htm TO ommit this fraud, or did he theyp Does
NewcOmb say that Wood asked him, or was IL
Dopobue VINO asked hisl to write these letters!
He flrds Donohue in f'.ll blast writing as fast
as he could, sometimes tlr pames OF 8 soldier,
and sometimes OF off -er, some times giving
one rank, and sometimes another-the other one
filing up their names, and still third one, the
full blank. Thus the persons around this table
in the course OF Sunday afternoon filled up to
the number OF rearly hundred ,andif three per-
sons could IN one afternoon man ufacture some
one or two hunored ach fraudulent votes, what
could not twenty meu similarly employed for
two weeks effect! The enormity OF the fraud
was appalling. $685.
The udge Advocate continued oy Welling
upon the heinous of the oteEce. Here was
4 fra nd that might well call Tor the infii ction
of the severest p, nalty known to the court.
The most sacred rights Of the brave men who
are absent from their homes periling their lives
in The face OF the enemy 10 nphold our liher-
ties is in vaded ard their votes are fraudulent
ly sought 10 be given against the cause for
Which they have been periIing their lives.
Whilst absent IN the held, these plottsrs at
home seek 10 cast the ballots of these brave
men without their consent, and whilst thew
cannCt be present 10 speak for themselves or
defend their rights. This prisoner, though
one OF numerous family OF children, cannot
show that he hfs even one brother in the field
npholding the flag Of his country, is here
proven to have conspIed with others to de-
fraud our brave soldiers OF their exercise OF
the sacred elective franchise. A crime so enor-
nous this called for rigorous punishment,
and he hesitated not to say il merited the ex-
tieme penalty of d. ath.
The foregoing is the substance OF Col. Eos
ter's address. DuriEg its delivery the prisoner
was evidently more than ever impressed with
a sense of bis cripcat position. and, at the con-
c1usOn of the Judge Advocates address, left
the Court in charge of the guard IN manner
strlklBe1y In contrast with the cold, defiant air
with which he entered ii in the morning.
The court rocm was now cleared and the
Commission proceeded - deliberate upon the
case. OF conTse It's oe L. on cannot be known
until II has beeu passed upon by the President.
The Commission were only about half an hour
in coming to their decision. when the doors
were reopenec and the Court adjourned
ALEXANDRIA aFFAIRs.-The following we
take FRI m the alexandra State Journal:
A late copy OF the Richm Oud Dispatch has
been received in this city. 1t contains an arti-
Gle on the traip gnards, which the sympathi-
Zers with the rebellion will no doubt regard as
very severe. 1t calls upon Colonel Mosby not
TO spaIe piece of lead rs large the head of
pin on their account-that the pretended Sc
cessioDists of that city are too coWardly and
.