Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1864-12-08
The Plot o RoIsase the Confederate Prisoners
no's 81 nd


The Chicago Tribuue gives woat it insists is fuI
and correct account OF the plot recently frustrated
which had for it's oh jet the release OF tie Johnsons
Island prisoners AMI the "cap ure" OF the city o.
Chicago. 1t says:
force of about four hundred men-K q. Cs
bushwhackers and guerrias-were to be assembled a,
Chicago, ard with hm attack to be made on
camp Doug las on Monday evening for the purpose Of
iberatpg the Contederates coLfned there. Walsh
with hun@rsd and fifty uen to assault the east
side of the camp, ard another man, whose we
may not now furnish, with two hundted, was to take
the west side the operation to be superinended by
Marmaduke, who to l. ave the remaining fifty men
as reserve corps, ready to act where wanted. The
prog ANNE WIGS to break down the euce and stampede
the twelve hun ed prisoners who all ready for the
work, laVirg been informed of it in way best
known 70 themselves. The prisoners to be armed
rapidly poss bile, the ga ison overpowered their
and artillery secured and the garrison made pris
bis, 1t believed, could easily be done ii
the attack maize concerted and indeed there is
little room to hope that it would have been otherwise
than successful bad it not been npped n the bud by
preIna ure exposure of the whole scheme. With Mar
maduke their head, the rebels march into the
city ard take session OF the courthouse and square
the base of offensive operations They then to
take possessOn OF the polls, voting in precinct, and
preventing the deposition in the ballot box Of any other
than The Mcclellan ticket. This bring accomplished,
and rity 10 the State thus secured, they were TO
proceed to the work of destruc ion. Ar the
banks TO be robbsd, the Quilted, and then
Ire SGT 10 ine prlnC Pal Du1lDgS Tor the purpose Vi
controlling this latter phase of the business the water
plugs hid all been marked and force detailed to set
toe water runLng, to empty the main cstern and
exhaust the water supply. be teIegr ph wires 10
be cut OF the first onset and 1heu fire railroad
depos, the elevator the shipping, g.. ibe persons of
the leading ULion in the city we're to be seized,
and they, with the pluuder, mar "A; d southwark.
1t believed that, with :h force of nearly thir-
teen thousand men, The city could be quickly
whemad that effective opposition would be impossi
be and that they could then, under their leader Mar
maduke march il any direction with perfect impun
ty.
The scheme 16s we'll concoc ed 1t lacked only
essentiul-a ssul Thank providence that it
was denied them. They had assembled here per pro-
gramme, and had the arrests been delayed slngle day
it would have oeen too latehe oft repeated threat
have run in the streets of Chicago No one can doubt
that lad they need ecve operations, they
would have be joined by sui ;ienty large number
of Chicago dsUy ists to have made a clean sweep of
the city, and reduced it to heap of ashes.
Walsh is completely unmanned-broken down By his
sudden arrest the complete exposure OF the reasonable
conspiracy into which be has been led, made the dupe
of persons designing than himself who have man.
uactured out OF him genuine cats paw. BE evil
IDENTIFY feels that his only chances of safety is to make
breast of the whole matter and expose the vii
ains who have persuaded him into this net. He
the deep guilt of the whole transaction, and
the depth of the gulf whose brink be has been "
ing.
Marmaduke has made partial confession, or rather
series of admissions, which, as far as they CO. fully
subsantiate Mr. Wdshs statements, and leave no doubt
that the conspiracy fully diabocal in its char
acter as is represented above. He has made these
statements to who formerly served under him.
and whom he still supposes to be in the Confederate
service