Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1864-10-28

States, and did falsely and fraudulently sign
and forge. and also cause - be sIgncd and
forged, 70 the blanks issued under and pursuant
to crapter 253 of the la ws OF the State of New
York, passed April 81, 1864, entitled ian act to
enabled qualified electors OF the State absent
therefrom and In the military service OF The
United States, in the army ant navy thereof,
to vote" names purportng to be the names Of
omcers and soldiers In tie military service OF
tue United States, and qualified electors of the
State OF New York, and absent therefrom. said
blanks being issued under said law, and in
tended 20 be used for the purpose of transmit
ting the vote OF The soldier signing the same TO
MS proper attorney, to be used at the general
election TO be held in said State on the 9Th day
OF November, 1864; all this being done by SAID
DCnahue and Ferr, with the intent and for The
purpose of having such blanks SO signed used
as and for the act and deed OF the officers and
soldiers or pretended officers and soldiers
whose names purported to be signed thereto,
and in fraud of their rights as such electors.
All thi. at the cities OF Baltimore and Wash.
ingion during the month Of October, 1e6l
liz answer to question OF the Judge Advo
ca;e's, MT. Ferry sand that he plead guilty
to portion OF the specification. He had
signed the names Of two or three soldiers to
the blanks.
Col. Foster said he mus: plead in general or
special terms, and define exactly of what he
was guilty. He also informed him OF the eff.
feet OF his pleading guilty.
Mr. Ferry, still asserting that he was guilty.
OF some OF the charges, but not of all, desired
that he should have time granted to consider
the matter. He was in very feeble health, had
no counsel, and hoped 8 short delay would be
allowed
General Doubleday said he was entitled to
counsel and coud send for any person he
nigh. name.
Mr. Ferry then dispatched messenger for
Mr.. Henry t. darcy, q member of the legal
profession, whose office is at No. SIS West Fay-
cite street, in the same building as that occu-
ped by the parties arrested.
Dor ahue, IN answer to tie Judge Advocates
questions, replied that he plead a general de-
NAL as IL The whole affair. He wanted ooun-
sci 10 represent him, and desired TO send 10
New York or ALBANY for that purpose. He
thought the nla tier belonged to the civil tribu-
Ials, AMI not to Military Commission and
requested that the trials be made separately,
as he and MIR. Ferry differed as to some ponfs
Gen. Doubleday said that counsel could be
telesrapLed for ii the prisoner wished.
DoDahue then desired to know If Reverdy
johnson was in Baltimore He thou yht he
would act as his counsel and would like to see
him for moment
He was Informed that Mr.. johnson was not
in the city.
The Cont then decided to postpone the
further hearing OF the case until this morning
at ten O'Clock and Donahue said he would
communicate with Peter Cagger and Sanford
f. Church TO procure counsel for him.
:, Many of the prominent politicians OF New
York are alleged to be implicated in this or
gained system of ballot-b box stutting, among
them General James Farrell Commissary
General of New 1srk; Peter Caggef, Dean
Richmond. and other members of the Demo-
cratic State Central Committee. The evidence
throughout the country.
CONFESSION OF ONE OF THE PRISONERS
After the adjournment OF the Commission
and the postponement OF the trial, Mr.. M. J.
Ferry informed Judge Advocate Foster that
he desired TO make full and free con fession
of his cUn plIcity with the forgery and fraud
with mich he was charged, and to appeal to
the clemency o, The Court The request was,
of course, complied with, and the confes sion
was made in the usual form On It's conclu-
sion the Court was Immediately con vened, aad
Mr.. Ferry s tatement was read as follows:
Confession Of H. j. Ferry, the State agent of Coz
Seymour.
i DO not recollect thu time when the first pa
perS were forged, but it was in the presence Of
Oryile II. Wood. OF Clinton county, New York
1t was done in my office, No. IS Fayette street,
Baltimore; ! am and have been for the past
two years, the Agent of the State Of New FORK,
appointed by Governor seymour, 10 look after
the sick and wounded soldiers of New York
first saw Wood on Wednesday of last week,
at my office; he came and represented himself
as an agent or the Central Committee of his
county to look after its local ticket we talked
about the ways in which votes Could.be taken;
it was agreed that we should sign the names
OF soldiers and officers, and then send them
home to have the local tickets filled 10; made
cut such papers; l signed the names OF soldiers
on quite numb Der OF them; cannot tell what
names we signed; the papers are in the bundle
now on he table; did not sign the names of
officers, but Donahue signed any quantity of
them; there was large package OF these pa
pers left with me, which l destroyed; that
package contained over two hundred; Doua-
hue signed them all: the idea OF forging these
papers was first suggested by man named
Maxon; he is from the western part OF the State
of New York, do not know from what coun-
ty; he is not in the service, he Is State agent;
l cannot say at what time il was first proposed
TO forge these papers, but 1t was about two
weeks ego; do not think there was anybody
present out Donahue and myself when Maxon
first proposed to forge pagers Rnsdv there was
Office; he is new in New York; also
man named H. Newcomb; 1 never
saw him until he came there; he is a lawyer in
Albany; part of the forged papers were made
in my office, and part brought there; they were
usually brought in bundle tied up; l do not
know who brought them; had no letters from
Peter Cagger, except what were found in my
desk; i never knew of any correspondence on
this subject with General Farrell, the Commits
sary Of Subsistence, except the package which
you have; the package contained a lot of blank
envelopes and forms OF attorney, with a letter
from Gener al Farrell, marked 'sCOnndential,"
which contained a list of names of residents Of
ColU mbia county; did not let any one know
that destroyed the forged papers left with me,
nut told my associates that l sent them 10 diff
terent parts Of the State TO be mailed; q young
man came flom Washington On Friday or Sat-
urday last, saying if had any spare blanks to
send them over to Washington; 1 am not GER.
tain tha- he did or did not say anything about
there Deing twenty men over there rho would
attend TO these matters / do not know how
many forleo papers were sent off, but heard
them say they sent them from WaShin gton by
the dry goods box full; do not recoilect hear.
quite lubiIantly and confidently. 1 sent a
package of forged papers TO General Farrell.
" it'll the following letter:
BALTIMORE, Oct. %, 1861.
Ny Deer Sir: II you are energetic you will
he able 70 get the WITHIN votes all arranged for
the Sth OF November / should have done
more to them, but have not time. They are
all on the square, the same as the Blacks get
theirs. Neither would hear close scrutiny.
Ed Donahue said Send them on to you, and
have done it. Truly yours, DEMOCRAT.
P.S-They are all sOldiers-coLnpany and
regiments all o. X. The rest have nothing
to say. lfyou have no use tor them, send them
back NJ. FERRY.
IS W. Fayette STREET, Baltimore, Md.
Mr.. Ferry theB entered plea of guilty, which
was accepted, and the Judge Advocate recon-
mendeG him To the clsmency Of the court. This
concludes he inves tieation SO far as Ferry's
case is concerned, and Donahue will be graf
filed 10 his desire to have his cas- tried sep
arately.
ANOTHER CONFESSION.
Henry NeWcomb, implicated by Ferry, has
also made a complete ana fnll confession.