Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-10-01
TREASON IN INDIANA.
The Dodd Trial.
An Evansville Man I'm.
plicated.
TESTIMONY of eRLIX gTIDGER

The commission for the trial Of Har.
rison II. Dodd resumed its sittings on
Tuesday. The frat witness called for
the Government was Felix g. Stidger,
who testified al follows:
have resided, until the first day of
September, In Louisville, aud am now
living in Iilinoiz ] resided 10 Louis
vile some four months and a bali. Be
fore that time | resided in Tsylorsville,
thirty-one miles south Of Louisville. I
was there about two months / am q
native of Kentucky.
About the 9th day Of May last ! WAS
sent from Louisville 70 DIR BowIes. al
his residence, and had an interview will
him in regard 10 a secret organization
known as the Sons Of Liberty" was
sent over for that purpose by the Pro
vost Marshal for the District of Ken
tucky II wes in the conversation bad
with Dr. Bowles on this occasion, that
first learned Of the existence Of this Sc
cret order The next information in re-
gard to il was In q second interview with
DR.. Bowles, at bis house, about the 20th
OF May last Il was about that time, but
may have been little later. was reg.
ularly initiated into one degree only.
The second degree was given me By the
instructions of DR.. Jones, q man in his
employ II was in the city of Louisville
that / was initiated into the frss degree.
| was instructed in the third degree in
this city by Mr.. Harrison. about the 5th
or 9th day of June, 1864 Mr.. Harri-
son represented himself to me ss Secre-
tary Of the Grand Council of this State
have come in contact With Mr. II. II
Dodd in connection with this order, and
FIRST on the same day that Harrison in
structed me in the third degree, viz the
6rss Sunday in June. ] FIRST saw Mr.
Dodd in the Office Of Mr. Bingham. NJ
Bingham was present At that time !
gave him letter Of introduction, and
was recognized by him as being the per-
son described in the letter Here the
letter was read by the Judge Advocate. ]
This letter | got to-day from Gen. Car
ringtou. | delivered it 81 the time /
speak of to the person to whom Ii was
addressed, bat how il came into Gen.
Carrington's possession do net know.
was sent to Mr.. Dodd with 3 com
munication in reference to Mr.. Coffin,
United States detective The instruc-
tions in regard 10 Mr.. Coffin were that be
must be put ous of the way at all hazards;
understand by that that he was to be
| murdered; the communication was
from Judge Bullitt, Of Kentucky,
| to DIR. Bowles, Mr.. Dodd, and
whomever else ] might chance to
meet that we're members of the Order;
/ do not now distinctly remember any
thing that Mr., Dodd said to me in refer
encs to this Communication. except that
| he said such men as Coffin would have
TO be disposed of; II was because be was
q United States detective; there was no
assertion that be (Codinl had done any
injury to Mr. Dodd, DR. Bovles, or any
! other members Of the Order, except that
he had penetrated this secret of the Or
der of the Sons Of Liberty.
There was nothing done with this mat
ter then, except as have said, De
Bowles and Mr. D0dd were Of the same
| opinion with Mr.. Bnilitt, that Mr. Cofiu
must be put out Of the way; l did not
find out at that time that Mr.. Dodd vas
member of tie Order, in any other
way than by bis conversation. he did
not say directly that he was q member:
learned it afterwards however by meet
ling him in lodge; at this time inferred
it from the substance of what he said /;
, nothing more was done at that time in
J relation TO the assassination of Mr. Cof
I'm; l was in Dodd's presence probably
an hour or more We had no converse.
ton beyond what have related in rela.
ton to this subject, although we may
have talked considerably about outside
city affairs nothing more was said IN
reference to the Order e.-.---
next saw Mr.. Dodd on the l4sh DAY
| Of June, or about that time Il was the
same day that the Grand Council of the
: Sons Of Liberty OF the State Of Indiana
met in the fourth story Of the buildine
occupied BY Mr.. Dodd as printing Office
in the city of Indianapolis / was pres
: ent at that meeting. Mr.. Dodd, Mr.
Harrison, DR.. Bowles, Mr.. MilIigan, DR.
Humphreys and DR.. Calling, we're pres
: ent at that meeting, as also number o
other gentlemen, whose nsmes l canno
give, although would, perhaps, reeol
Iect them on hearing their names men
toned. The meeting was opened by th'
|. process of g password, the word OF th'
Order That password, as given ths
: day, was the word America ThA
was n0t the word by which got into tn