Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-05-02

We copy the following from the indianapolis
Journal of Saturday in regard to the forged let
tiers of DAVIS and EcKLEs, evidence which that
paper is forced to admit confirms the statement
OF Mr. HAYS which we published a few days ago
The Journal says as il credited the letters al
legged to have been writ en- by Judge ECKLEs and
Hon JOHN @ DAVIS, it deems it due to them
"to give full account of the origin OF those
letters, and the way they came to Gen. GARFIELD,
which Capt. OSBORN, of our 10Th Battery, who
was fully cogniztnt of the progress and compile
ton Of the whole affair. gave that paper lev
days ago. We copy follows:
He Capt OSBORN is a resident of Greeucaste
and well acquainted with both Eckles and Davis
He says while Gen. Rosecrans was lying at Tul
lahOma last summer he capt q Was at Nash
willie. and there visited by one Oliver RIM
kin of Grecncsste, with whom he had had some
previous acquaintance In the course OF con.
versstion during his visit. Rankin said to Capt.
Osborn that he intended to try TO get through the
lines into the rebel army as sort OF "outsde'
spy Being asked how ne intended TO do it, he
said Gen. ROsecrans would pass him through,
and once in the rebel lines he had letters that
would secure him good treatment And he ex
ulOllCu lCltls puiVoltltiS w bC luNvhuNbOuc
from j Ohm G.. Davis and Judge d. r. Eckles
General John g. Breckenridge IF you de
pend on those letters" said the Captain
''you may find yourself in a difficulty. They
are forgcries. | know the handwriting of
both Davis and Eckles well. and they never
wrote them" Rankin then admitted that they
hac not but that they were limitations got up III
this city. He nevertheless declared his inten-
ton to 90 on through the lines. He went down
ffar tn Tnll .hfp hQan nd
made his application TO General ROsecrans for
a pass 1t peremtoriy refused. the General
saying with some warmth. Il will not have your
blood on my skirts Rankin then protessed to
have some knowledge of the movements of the
rebel sympathlzers in this State, aud 10 have been
in their confidence. and he proposed to come back
here aud obtain evidence upon which proceedings
might De based against them Atthe same time he
exhibited the letters TO Breckenridge corobora-
ting evidence OF his statement. The matter was, as
il might well be deemed of Importance enough to
merit consideration, and Gen. Garfield took copies
of the letters he stated in the House when they
were read Rankin started back to Nashville
ostensibly for Indiana. on his mission, and
there again called upon Capt. Osborn and gave
him the account which we have reported OF the
interview With Gen ROsecrans. The next day.
or soon after, he went South instead OF North,
and probably passed the rebel lines, but nothing
has been certainly learned of him since He let
the originals of the letters with some woman in
Nashville but Capt Osborn did not know her
name or residence.
THIS statement, which cannot be questioned
so far as il rests upon Capt Osborn's own know
edge and the material portion OF il does. con
firms the statement of Mr. Hays, and complete
ly exonerates Davis and Eckles, and also il exon
crates Gen Garfield from any imputatlOns OF
using forged documents knowingly or carelessly.