Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-04-30
The fairfield E1rRerY.

The Louisville Journal in commenting upon
the statement Of Mr. HAYS in regard to the
forged letters purportng to have been written by
Messrs. DAVIS and EoKLEs, makes some devel
opments worthy of consideration. All We know
in regard TO the intentions Of Mr.. RANKIN is
what were told by Mr. HAYS. We have not
q doubt but the letters are forgeries, but 1t may
be that RANKIN did not write the letters, or both
Of them, himself He, however, procured them
10 be written, so that his guilt is none the less
than il they we're the work OF his own hands. 1t
appears from the Journals statement that RAN
KIN deceived not only his friends here, but also
those who employed him II such be the case.
and the Journal speaks from its own knowledge
in the matter as il remarks. RANKIN proved him
self to be a villain of the blacklist dive. General
GARFIELD owes il to his own reputation not only,
but to the country. either to make good his
charges against Messrs DAVIS and EcKLts. or
retract them like an honorable man Says the
Journal
The Sentinel saws. as Mr. Hays does, that it
was Rankins intention bad he returned in safety.
TO have destroyed the letters; he so stated TO a
friend here" Now we think there must be a
mistake as to Rankin's intention. II he wrote
the letters himself. his subsequent conduct
proved him villain of the blacklist dive. We
were AZ the encampment o. General Rosecrans'
army near Stevenson last fall. where We received
a statement of this business from important
military sunctiODary. who. we presume from his
position, was the immediate employer OF Rankin
in the spy service. He informed us that Rankin
sent To Indiana to pass himself of "a a
rebe. aud. if possible. to get letters OF intro
duction 10 some very prominent rebel in the
South from the Hon. John & Davis. Judge
Eckles. aud another distinguished gentleman
whose name need not give. Rankin, &C
cordng TO our informant, returned from his
mission. delivered up the two letters which is
said given him by Davis and Eckles. and
reported that the other gentleman, after some
hesitation. remarked that he didn't feel quite
safe in writing letter. accidents might hap
pen, but requested Mr. r. to assure General
Breckenridge that his warmest sympathies and
all his sympathies were IN the Confederate cause
The two letters, or coDies Of them, we forget
which were shown to u at that time.
We conclude therefore that Rankin, If he
wrote the letters himself, didn't do it innocenty
and with intention Of guarding against ipjus-
tice afterwards, but with a deliberate view OF
playing the internal william. And supposng
him to have been a of any sense at ali. it
would seem. that. il he had the wish to play the
william SUCCESSFULLY. and really to ipiure Messrs.
Davis aud Eckles he would not have been so
free as lac Is res csented to have been in exposing
his forgeries to those around him Far, very far
be il from Us however to express the opinion that
Messrs. Eckles and Davis are guilty as charged.
We have no such opinion TO express We have
never seen or heard anything OF those gentlemen
that would authorize or justify such an opinion.
As the matter stands they must be held innocent
unless the original letters. said to have been writ
ten by them, shall be produced and identified a.
theirs II written. thev IT. existence. and. it
In existence, Gen. Garfield can unquestionably
procure them We do not expect them to be pro
cured Ii seems impossible to doubt that there
Is some dark and damning villiauy at the bot
tom OF the business. Let it be dragged into the
light. whoever or whatever comes after IT,