Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-10-07
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TREASON IN INDIANA.
The Sons of Liberty in Court.
Trial of II. II. Dodd.
'ecial Dispatch to the Cincinnati Gazette.

nation of witnesses on the part Of the
government commenced to-day before
the Military Commission, Drevet Briga-
dier General Colgrove, President. A
considerable number OF persons OF both
sexes were present, listening to the pro-
ceedingS.
Felix &. Stidger testified that DIR.
Bowles gave him the first information
respecting the order of the Sons of Lilo
erty. He was sent by Capt. S. E, Jones,
Provost Marshal, to learn the particulars
of the organization, and had another ill.,
terview with Bowies about the 2Oth Oi
January, lo64 was regularly Initiated
into the order Of the Sons OF Liberty
| This was about the 9TH Or 9th OF June
was instructed in the Sd degree by MIR.
Harrison, the secretary of. the GraLu
Council OF tile STATE; first met Dodd i'll
! the Office Of Air. Bingham, editor OF the
Indianapolis .Senttnet had letter OF
introduction to Dodd from Judge Bull
lit. The letter was produced i'll Court.
| The conversation witness had with
Dodd related to Mr.. Coffin, u United
States detective, who was to be assassi-
mated. Dodd said that such men ought
to be disposed of. Thepersons connect
ed in this matter at that time We're Mr..
| Dodd, Harrison, DR.. Bowles, Milligan,
DR.. Humphrey ami II. }. Gatling.-
| There were Il number of others, whose
names the witness could not remember.
Persons were not admitted to the meet
ings of the order Of the Sons of Liberty
without Il password; witness was at the
time Secretary of the Grand Council for
the State of kentucky: was appointed
| by the chief officer OF the State, DIR.
Bollett, and still holds the position, ii
such an Office exists. The Sons of Lib
|
| in this organization that Coffin s murder
was discussed, and it was decided en-
| pllaticaliy that il should be done. There
was to be a meeting ut Hamilton on the
occasion of Mr.. Naiandigham' return,
at which Coffin was eXpec.ed 10 De
present. AT the meeting referred to
! DOdd called on those who would go with
him TO murder Coffin. Only one man
resp sponded-Mc Bride, from Evansville,
| lnu.-who thought he knew coffin. He
could not join Dodd. The witness,
Bowies, Dodd and Mulligan, went to
Hamilton, but Coffin could not be found.
| There were two meetings on the day re-
| fcrred to. At the evening meeting they
discussed the military organization Of
| the Sons of Liberty. A number OF
speeches were made, all full of the OPP
| preston and tyranny Of the Govern
ment, and that it WAS to be restored by
| force of arms. They expected definite
time to be set for a general uprising, i'll
which they were to seize the United
States arsenais in Ohio, Indiana and IL
| linois. The rebel prisoners in the States
| were to be rele9sed and armed with
arms seized from the arsenals. The
number in the order of the Sons OF Lib
erty was calculated to be 80, 900 to TO-
00U in Indiana. Illinois was counted on
as having II considerable number, and
| Missouri was believed to be almost
unanimous. Ohio was not much count
ed on. Bowles told the witness that he
had his command organized into com
panies and regiments; saw Bowles at
| Louisville. He was there experiment.
ing with Il. {. Booking i'll the manufac-
| ture of hand grenadeS and Greek fire,
| which were TO be used in destroying
Government property. Bowles said
| that the Greek fire had been used Tor the
destruction of the Government ware
house at Louisville, and Of the Govern
nent steamers. The programme OF the
meeting OF the order in Chicago i'll July
was given by the witness, who said that
| Dodd had told him that ChicagOans had
agreed to seize the camps and depots OF
prisoners in Ohio, indiana and Illinois;
seize the arsenalS IN those States arm
the rebel prisoners released, and also
members OF the order, and unite at Lou
isville. The uprising was to be general
in those States ana Missouri, and as
much OF KENTUCKY as possible. The
date was not .lXcd definitely, as they
We're governed iii regard to awaiting for
| the rebel armies tOco-Opcrate with them.
AT conference with Bowles, Milligan
and Walker, it was determined to go
ahead on the 18th or 18th of August and
carry out the plan agreed upon, and
eventually unite at Louisville. At the
fChicago meeting of the order there were
present Judge Bullitt, DR.. Bowles, Rich
ard Barrett, OF St. Louis, Dodd and
I John &. Walker. They agreed that the
uprising was to take place from the Sd
to the 18th of August, and should final
ly be determined by Nallandigham, the
Supreme Commander of the order,
whom they were sworn to obey. Dodd
was Grand Commander, and Walker,
Bowies, Miiligan and Humphries Major
Generals for Indiana. Buiiitt had at
tempted to communicate with Colonel
Jesse and rebel Colonel Siphert, on
parole in Kentucky, was initiated into
the order, and attempted to get perinis-
sion to 60 to Canada, from whence he
designed going to Mexico and into the
Contederacy. AT Chicago they agreed
that the order was to meet openly in the
mass Democratic meetings, and on the
day OF the uprising, August 9th, were
to have a mass meeting at indianapolis,
and carry out their programme. The
design Of the movement was to carry u
portion of the States into the Conteder-
acy. Bowles talked privately about a
Northwestern Coniederacy.
i The constitution. rituals, DC, OF the
order were exhibited to the witness, ;.,la
identified as the genuine work of the
order; also the roll of members of the
order in Indianapolis, found in Dodd's
office, which had been shown to the
>; witness by Harrison, the Grand Secreta-
ry. Without concluding the examina-
ton of Mr.. Stidger, the Court adjourned
! to "A. NJ. tomorrow.
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 2S.
Felix G. Stidger, a witness for the
Government, continued his testimony.
;Saw Mr.. Harrison at Dodds. He COM
,plained that the order was dilatOry in
their uprising against the Government; !;
/ believed that they had not arms enough
to be of service; Dodd said if they did
not openly resist he'd be id if he
would live under the present Admins
tratiOn. This was about the last Friday
in July. Harrison was Grand Secretary
of the State of Indiana. In respect to
Tic con tcIIlpIdCtu itSSdSSluAtIOu VI SoA-
fin, he said they expected to find him at
Hamilton, at the Vallandigham meet
ing; pick a quarrel with him, if possi-
BILE, and shoot him.
The roll of the Parent Temple of Ma
rion county, Ind, was here shown to
witness, when he was asked to designate
the names of such members AS he knew
belonged to the order Of the Sons of Lib
erty. He named w. M. Harrison, III. H.
Dodd, Joseph Ristine and DR.. Athon.-
A letter was written to Dodd, Bowles
and Ristine, signed Dick, supposed to
be written by Dick Bright, warning
them against Coffin. saying that he was