Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-11-10

| w o0Q 10 be sent 10 u ID. Parsons, CLINTON
county, New York. Had seen Donohue sign
| several powers Of attorney, in some of which
the blanks were all filed, and in others only
partially so. He supposed that when Captain
McDeFmott told him, at Fort McHenry, that
| there had been checker-playing with the sol
| dier's vote that foul play was going on some
where, and he determined to ferret it out.
| The Judge Advocate here exhibited to the
| court eighteen completed proxies, signed c.
| S. Arthur, captain and assistant adjutant gen
eral, and thirty-fve signed c. S. Arthur, first
lieutenant, Co. I, 9th New York cavalry.
Donohue admitted that he had written the
name, but disclaimed having anything 10 do
with affxing the rank and title of thirty -fve,
| which had oeen done by Ferry. Other pack
ages were finished with other forged sigma
/ lures.
[ The records of the War Department were
| searched to find the names of signers but
without success.
WAR DEPARTMENT,
| ADJUTANT GENERALS OFFICE,
| WASHINGTON, Oct. %, 1864 J
! To Major General L. WaIEdce, Baltimore:
We have record of c, S. Arthur, 9th N Y.
| cavalry neither does his name appear as captain
| and assistant adjutant general.
Photographed to Gen. Wallace, Oct 20.
NEwCoMB's TESTIMONY.
| Edward Newcomb, of Albany, also an agent
of New York, and a party to the fraud, was
sworn, and his evidence was substantially as
! follows: Is a resident of Albany, and an at
torneyat-law by profession; about three
! since received commission from Governor
| Seymour empowering him to go to Baltimore
and Washington to assist in taking the votes
| of the soldiers of New York.
! On arriving in Baltimore, he reported at
Il, e h.
| quainted him Of his business and proceeded
to Fort McHenry and Fort Marshall, and pro-
cured some Of the votes of soldiers at those
places; took altogether about three hundred;
only about fifty of the votes were sealed up,
the balance all being open for the purpose of
| the county ticket being inserted by the COM
| mlttee IN New 10rk; met DOnohue on the
day he reached Fort McHenry, and daily
| thereafter for three days; next saw him on
| the following Thursday in Washington, where
| they both remained until Saturday, and then
came to Baltimore together. On arriving
there on Saturday evening, they went imme-
diately to the State agents office, and there
found Ferry and Wood. After conversing
short time they went to his hotel. On Sun
day morning went again to the State agency,
and Donohue, Wood, and Ferry were all bust
| ly engaged in writing out powers Of attorney
large pile on table in front of him,
being placed in alternate layers of blanks
and envelopes; he first filed blanks IN pow
er of attorney and then filed in the blanks
| in the envelope to correspond. In some cases
! they would write a soldiers name, and add
| the words his mark" Also saw him put in
officers names. The whole of the vote was
prepared except the ticket with the names of
the candidates. At Donohue's request he
filled in the dates, &C., of the powers of at
| torney and affidaVits, to which Donohue had
singed the names; had seen a list Of the
| l28th New York regiment, from which the
names were heing prepared; they were prin-
| cipally for Columbia county.
In answer to questions from DOnOhue, New
comb replied that he was sent to Baltimore
to assist him (Donohue) in taking the votes at
Fort Marshall and Fort McHenry. Envelopes
containing powers of attorney were kept open
to allow the local county tickets to be in
| serted. He had no tickets but those con-
| tanning names or Tile MCUleIIau vIvutoIg ut
| Fort Marshall. He told the soldiers there
that he took nothing but Mcclellan votes.
All the soldiers were given to understand
that he Oonohue) took none but Mcclellan
votes.
The case being closed, the prisoner ad,
dressed the Court, argued that as the offence
be tried there-asked the Court to view his
case with leniency-said what he had done
was done foolishly, without an idea of the
onsequences-spoke of his family and bis
wife-said he had been for five years in the
employ of the New York Central Railroad
Co., and always borne good character, &c.
The public proceedings were then closed
by Judge Advocate Foster, who summed III
the evidence, and showed the enormity o.
the fraud sought to be perpetrated upon the
soldiers.
New YORK, Nov. l.
The 7Tjbmae's Washington special says:
Gov. Seymour's commissioners called npol
e the President this morning. Theywere cour
teOusly received, but on the subject matte
of their mission ne referred them to Secre
tary Stanton, who had all the evidence in tn,
case. They then proceeded to the War Office
and held long interview with the Secretary
and report that they were much more cour
teously received and considered than The,
had expected. 1t is understood they desire,
the punishment of Ferry and Donahue shoulC
be made as light as possible, but their princi
f pal pressure upon the Secretary is under
stood to have been in reference to Colone
North, the agent at Washington, Ferry's ant
) Donahue's fate being seemingly of secondar,
|
such evidence as was before him, and it il
said somewhat staggered their hopes of al
easy escape Of their friends by its extent anC
clearness He referred them to the Militar7
Court for further information, granted then
permits to visit the prisoners at the Old Cap
itol, and assured them of desire to vndi
cate the most sacred rights Of all the soldiers
n the field.
Tonight the commissioners had an inter
view with Asst Secretary Dana. Col Foster
and sundry other gentlemen were present a
cipal spokesman, and urged as a matter OF
policy that the prisoners now in confinement
E here should be released. He spoke of the
Col North in the State of New York. He
was an Aid on Gov. Seymour's staff, and en-
loved the confidence of all parties, and who
would not believe him guilty, whatever evil
dence may adduced, and only irritation and
stsife, and probably more serious disturbance,
would be the consequence of the trial. The
Judge pre- ssed hard to know the eyidence in
the hands of the Judge Advocate, but to lit
tie purpose. He was shown several blanks
sworn to and witnessed, as having been sign
ed, without any signature, having been seiz-
ed in Col. North8 hands, and others similar
to the ones seized at Baltimore Il -1-
Judge Parker then made the point that the
fact that these were found in Col. North's
office would not convict him of partioipa-
ton in their execution. The Judge Advo-
cate is understood To have replied that the
fact of his guilt or innocence was to be deter
mined only by trial, and he deemed it of
oraat inheritance To Col North as vuaII og n