Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-11-01
THE TREASON TRIALS
The State Sentinel ON the
StandI ss
JOS. ]. BIHGHAM TEsTfFIEs.
He oonarms prsviou. llI ITes.tinOnyI

nc 00nn1Ms EEcNlous 4estlmonJ
& szHrs sstssa -Tsrilss5 si-sl
Corar ReoN, ISDIAs1PotIs, Isp. I
aoCt. 2st 1864, 9 o'clock q. "a. !
The Commission met parsuant to ad.
lonrnmsnt. ase sE1ss as.lssts p
The .sAnpe, members present as yester-
day, alto the Judge Advocate, the As-
cused and their counsel. 5 .oun
The proceedings Of yesterday we're
read and approved am uas9 v-ea
J. J.. bingham, . witness for She Gov
erumens was then introduced, and be-
ing 'duiy sworn BY the Judgs Advocate,
lssii6ed As follows: sssa rI
oosstiou by the Judgs advocate:
.StsiA Jour nama, place Of resideHee,
and busineaaT asaf sf
Answer Joseph J. Bingham; / re-
side in the aiay Of Indianapoli asd am
editor Of ths Daily and Weekly Indians
state SsntfnSl
Q How long have you resided 10
isdianapolis7 zzszzs
A.sszsines August, 1856.
Q Whsfs did ycu resids previous TO
A. AtLNfayette, in this State
@ How lpng have yoo published The
Indians State SsHtiHsLff h gsrsssa
a. SincIs the 9th of August, 1856
Q. Did yeu ever Join an order called
the Americas Knights or Sons Of Lib
erty1 >'s's
4. joined an order which was called
the American Knights si''
Q Wheat
A. In the latter par. Of October or
the bsginning Of November, 1853.
Q Whsref
: A. In this city, in the Military Hall
on Washington strssl bstwesn Meridian
aRd Pennsylyania. ts et
j., q Who was in possesxion ofthe Halli
A. It was leased by the Democratic
Club of this city.
@ Was IL uader their oontrol7
A. II fsRiy impression that il was IN.
der thelr control at the time
o. What was the frat meeting Of The
American Knights that yoa attended
A. The first meeting. IL you call il
such, vas my initiation there we're very
few present,
" W no we're present r. aAs
A. Mr.. Dodd, Mr. Harrison, . man BY
the name Of Jacobs, and Dr., Johnson
do not reeolleet any more ga1
o We're any other residents Of thi'
city present2 tsrsH a.ssasa
A. think q person. Of the name o.
Vandegrih was there. ssssa rsI
Q. Vas Mr.. RistiHe or Hord theref
4. Not at that time, s-.',s
q What took place al that meetingl Z
A It was only an informal initiation
We did not 20 through AL the eerefiion
| les, the greater part was omitted.
@. State to the Court how you eam'
to join the order, and at whose solieisa
lion you joined. Il
| A. In. The latter nart Of August, or o.
the first of September, l vas introduces
10 q man BY the name Of p. g. Wrigh,
.bw Mr.. Dodd. He brought him 10 m.
Office and left him there; said he wautsI
/ to have talk with me. Mr.. Wrigh
vent on 10 state bis business; gave M
a. little history Of himself; he stated b.
" as 8 lawyer in businsssin New Orlean
AZ the breaking ont of the rebellion
th, u he was forced TO Leave there on &C
coetnt ofAfs Union sentiments; that b
went to St Louis, practicsd Elternatel
bet. veen St Louis and New Orieans--il
81. .oufs IN the summer, and New Or
leans in the winter; he said be was
lawyrr in the celebrated Gaines case
| aud thet in examining the papers .
General Gaines,E he came across vhs
puruorted to bea a-secret organizAtio
I shst existed dnrne the Revolutionar
War. He told me that General Lee wa
President of the Association, as appear
from the papers, that Madison, Jefei
son, aud / believe Washington, bad b
loaeed to il; that il had exerted = veE
poxsrfti agsucy IN maintaining the col
= test during the war ana establishing OF
. present form Of govsFnmest; that }
thought hss wcnld establish similar O
der. He. told me that the principles
: tha Order were the same as existe
during the Revolution; that the ritu
sand oblieation were nearly the sam,
that the rapers wsrs not perfect, but q
omissions wereI ssppileds that be can
| TO the State for the purPose Of extsn
j ing the Order here BE said il exist
Ia MisssariYs Illinois. and even N q
Central American States; II was not co
fned 70 the United States, bat "
! 10 extend all over the vorl
s. net limited ~ any geographical :
visions Hs argedsme % Join and ia
part IN il, and be one of the persons
establish the Order here. said W
opposed to all secret ogganizations-th
3 ~wA n
and declined He visited the prom
nent Democrats of the city, and used 4
II same arguneugss hHt most of-thern .
cIined 4 do not know whether D
Dodd was 3 member of the Order
! that tine; 4 uaderseood he intended
be- Mr. Dodd is = gentleman very to
1il Of exeisemensi he he's > nstural tai
{ for it, He was prominent and acti
. member. OF the Know Nothing Order
saa one of the most active; and be y
hesd and front of the Sonsaof Malta
=. .tAia city, his taste runs that way.
4 bare kn1wn Mr.. Dedd for many yea
- for three or -four years have had 30
ness relations with him that threw b
- constantly in contact with me. AT
: Wright left, Dodd urged me to join
: associatioR.I declined at FIRST Fir
b. he told me Whist its objects We
q that itvzs % be apermanent organi
tom POLITICAL, but not partisani that
< vas 9 symPsthize with che principle:
Il the Democrats party. He said that
3 object was to educate the people in
e sldfashicnsd fepa5ican doctrines,
> same as those entsrtsinsd by Madi
- and jefferson; that it was designed
establish paper hare to be the or