Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-06-27


about one block farther on met Dr. h. w. Ed,
wards, practising physician in Chicago, Gan.
other old aequaintance) who asked mo ii knew
OF any southern soldiers being in town. | told
him ! did that Marmaduke wls there. HI
seemed very much astonished, aud asked how
knew. | told him. lie laughed, and then said
shat Marmaduke was at his house. under the
assumed name OF Burng, and mentioned, as a
good Joke, that he had a British passport, visaea
by the United States Co nsul under that name
gave Liwards my card to hand to Marmadu ke
(Who was another old acquaintance and told
nm | was stopping at The Brilgs House.
" bat same evening again met DR.. h lwards
on the street, going to my hoEel. lie SAID Mar
maduke desired to see me, and | accompanied
him to his house. There, in the course OF a
long conversation, " M4rmaduks told me tha,
be and several rebsl OH jers we're in Chicago to
cooperate with other parties in releasing the
prisoners of Camp Douglas, and other prisons,
aud In lnAugur4tlng a rebellion at the North
lie said the movement was under the auspices
OF the order OF - American Knights, TO which
order the Society OF 'hs IIAnl belonged and
was to begin operations by an attack on Camp
Douglas on eleotion-day."
Ihe detective did not know the Command4nt,
but he soon made bis acquain aoce, and told him
the story. "The young man." be saJs reste1
his head upon his hand, and looked as ii he had
lost bis mother And well be might A nine
bad opened at his feet with bat eight hundred
men ID the garrison Is was to be sprung upon
hun. Oaly seventy hours were lett WHAT
would he not give fJr twice IS many2 Then he
might secure renloIcements. LIS walked the
room ior time IN silence, then, turning to the
detesnEe, SAID, " Do you know where the other
leaders are ? -" do not -" Can't you find
out from Marmaduke -" think not lie
said what he did cay Voluntarily II | " re to
question him, he would su,pect me-" That was
true, and harnaduke Was not of the stuff that
betrays comrade on compuson. His arrest,
therefore, would profit nothing, and might has
ten the attack for which he Uommandaut was
so poorly prepared lie sat down and wrote
hurried dispatch to bis General. Troops
troops Tor Gods sake, troops was its burden.
sending II of by courier the telegraph told
taies, he rose, aud again walked The loom In
silence After while, with heavy heart,
the detective said, Good night" and Jeff him.
WHAT passed with the C0mmandant during
the pex' Two hours | do not know. lie ma,
have prayed he is praying MI, and there
was need Uf prayer, Tor the torch was ready to
burn millions OF property, the knife whette1 to
take thousands OF lives At the end Of the two
hours, stranger was ushered into the apart
meat where the COmmsndant was sill pacing
the door From the lips and pen of the stranger
l have what followed, and think it may be re-
lied on.
lie was slim, light-haired young man. with
hne, regular features, and that lndefnaole air
which denotes good breeding Recognizing the
Commandant by ths eagle on his shoulder, be
sal1, " Can | see you alone, Sir ? -" Certain
ly, answered the Unlon officer, mOtiOnlng 10
ms secretary to leave the room =" am a Col
onel In tn rebel army" SAID the stranger, "and
have put my life into your hands, to warn you
ol the most hcIl'sh plot IN history -" Your
iiie IS cate, Sir, replied the other, . if your
VISIT Is an honest ons. shall be glad to hear
ha' yuu nave ~ cay. Be seated
lie Rebel Oihcer tO0k tho r.-G...I -L-.., --L
sat thers ,ll tar into the morning ln the Inn
Iis Of a magazine article | cannot attempt to re.
count all that passed between them. Tne writ
ten statement the rebel Colonel has sent to me
coVsrs fourteen pages Of closely written foolsoap
and my interview with him ON the subject lasted
hye hours, By slow watch. lie disclosed all
tnas Judge Holt has made public, and great
deal more SIXTY days previously he had lett
klchmOnd with verbal dispatches from the rebel
Secretary OF War to Jacob Thompson, tho, rebel
agent III Canada. These dispatches had relation
To vast plot, signed to wrap the West in
flames, sever II IRON the East, aud secure the
OF the South. Months before, the
plOI uad been clncOcsed by JEFF Davis At klch-
mond and in May previous, Thompson, sup
Piled with TWO hundred and hty tn, usind dol.
lars in sterling exchange, had been sent to Can.
ada to sopenntend lite execution. THIS money
was lodged IN bank at Montreal, and had fur
ulshtd the funds which faed out the aboruye
Expeditions against johnson Island and Camp
Douglas. lne plot embraced the order OF
- American Knights, which WAS spread all
over the West, and numbered five hundred thou
sand men, thr.e Indred and hlty thousand ol
whom We armed force Of twelve hundred
men Canadian refugees. and bushwhackers
from Southern illinois and Mssourl-wa to
attack Camp Douglas On Tuesdiy night, the Sch
Vi November, ll0erate and arm the prisoner,
and sack Chicago. This was to be the signal
lor general uprising throughout the West,
and lor simultaneous advance by Hood upon
Buckner upon Louisville, and Price
lp0n ST. Louis. Nallandigham was to head the
movement IN Ono, BOwlys IN Indiana, and
" alsh IN Illinois, The Iorces were to rendez-
sous at Dayton and Cincinnati in Ohio, New
Albany and indianapolis IN lndians, and Rock
leland, Cnieiso. and Springfield III Illinois aud
,hUse gathered at the lastnamed place, alter
selzug Ihe arsenal, were to march to aid Price
N taking ST. LOUIS. Prominent L uion citizens
and ulhlvIs we're to be sered and sent South,
and the lnJto obnoxious Oi them were to be as
,assnlted All places taken were to be sacked
aud destroyed, and band Of a hundred desp r
l'e men was organized to burn the larger north.
,rn cities included IN the field Of operations
Two hundred Confederate officers, who were t.
ttect the military movements, had baen IN Can.
ada, bu. were then stationed throughout the
W est, at the various points to bo attacked
waiting the outbreak at Chicago Captain
ihnea, who had won the confidence OF Thompson
" hls successful management Of the escape OF
John Morgan, htd control Of tho initial move
nent against Camp Douglas; but Colonel Gren- I,
iell, assisted by Colonel Marmaduke and a dozen
other rebel ofhoers, was to manage the military
part OF the operations. All vi these officers were
4! that moment IN Chicago, waiting the arrival
81 the men, who were to come in small tquads. !
over different railroads, during the following
three days. TIE reoel officer had known Of the
plot Cor months, bus it's auoolous delalls had
come ~ his knowledge only within u fortnight.
fney had appalled, hin and though be was be.
Ir4ying his trends, aud the South which be
orej, the humanity 10 BIN would not let him
rest tll he had washed his hands of the horrible
allule.
The Commandant listened with nervous inter
est to the whole ol this recital but when the
southern officer matie the last remark, he almost
groaned out
" Why did you not como beioie2"