The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-05-19
IUE ARaIEsIEAFI0E TBlAEs.
The Suppressed TestImOny-Interest-
ing Particulars.

eTO0dttn1 report OF the tesLlnonytIakeh on
Friday last which it is not deemed necessa-
4yst0ssupprsss.sIt occupies SIX closely
printed columns 0fthe New York papers,
andis ofsuch.impoftAnce that we repro
duea a condensation of it here. This, let
it be borne in mind, Is not the entire evil
dehce Of Friday, large portion being
) ct withheld from the public to subierve
the epdsof justice DIV o. -si
TRsrnloHY OF HENRY VAN sTEIEACKER.
~ Henry Van Stsinacker, an engineer Of
fcer Of the confederate service, being duly
sworn for the prosecution, testified IS fol-
lows:
8 After the battle Of Gettysburg when
near Harrison burg, twenty FIVE miles from
Stauuton, st Swift Run gsp, was overtsk-
en by three citizens, with whom [ got bet
ter Acqusinted, after having ridden awhile
With them, and found them out to belong
to Maryland; the name Of one was Booth,
aud the other ones nsme was Shepherd
Q Did you hsve sny free conversation
inregArd TO public affairs while you we're
with him !? A Yes, sir.
@ VIII You state what Booth said to
you in regard TO any contemplated pur-
pose OF attack upon the President of the
United States? State sll that he said. A
l was ssked by Booth and by those others,
too, what thought of the probable sue
cess Of the confederscy; and told them
that after such Chase as we had then got
from Gettysburg, believed it looked rsth-
er gloomy and then Booth told me, "Thst
is nonsense; If we only act our part right
the confsderscy viii gain their indepen-
ence; old Abe Lincoln must go up the
spout, and the confederscy will gain their
Independence anyhow" That was the
expression at the time.
Q. Did he stste under what circumstan-
ces that would become necessary A He
said 50 soon as the confederacy was near
giving out 80 soon as they we're nearly
whipped, that must be done; that would
be the hnsl resource to gain the independ-
ence Of the confederscy.
@ Did YOU meet there q number of con-
federAte oficers-I speak of the end of
your r1de-With the Storewsll Brigade7
A. Yes sir. That wss about three or four
days afterwsrd They went from me the
next day. My horse could not keep up
with the other horses they we're splendid
ly mounted, and my morse was nearly bro
ken down; so they went on. Three or
four dsys afterwards 1 wss called to some
of the regimentsl camps and told that
some strangers, friends Of mine, wanted TO
see me. 1 did not know who it was
When 1 came TO the camp found those
three citizsns, and was introduced by Cap
tan Randolph personally, formally to Booth
and Stephens.
@. Do you or do you not know whether
there was a secret meeting Of rebel officers
on that occasion A. That evening there
was secret meeting, where I was not sd-
mitted. ....-
Q Was Booth in that meeting? be-
lieve so. They were all Of them in to-
gether.
Q What did he say to you was the de-
Termination sne purpose of that meeting7
A. The purpose of the meeting was, wss
informed afterwards, to send certain off
GERS on detached service to Canada and the
borders, and to deliver prisoners, to lay
Northern cities in ashes, and, finally, to get
after the members of the Cabinet and kill
the President. That was the main pur
pose. heard that more than q thousand
times, but never so much as at the time
when / was informed that it was the pur-
pose of the nesting 1 always considered
it brsggsdocis before
Q. Was anything said as to what part
Captain Besll-the one afterwards execu-
ted-wss TO play in these movements st
the North? A. CockerIl told me Besll
was on detached service, and we would
hear of him.
TESTIMONY OF MRS. MARY HUDsPETH.
Mrs Mary Hudspeth, witness called
for the prosecution, testified SIS follows:
Ireside at Harlem, New York; while
going down TO the city en- the Third sve.
nue. csrs in November last, two gentleman
in the cars attracted my attention whether
they were in or not when l got in 1 am
not confident; I overheard their conver-
sation; they were talking most earnestly
one of them said he would leave for Wash
ington the day after to morrow, and the
other was going to Newburgh or Newbeln
that night; they left the car; the man
that was sitting near me pushed his hat
forward and with thRt pushed his whiskers
atthe ssme time; they we're false whiskers;
the front face was much darker than that
under the whiskers.
@. Was he a yourg man? A. He wss
young.
@. Do you think you would recognizs
his features sgsin7 A. think should
d @. Exhibiting to the witness the photo
graph of Booth. Exhibit No. II Look
At that and say whether it recalls him to
your A. The face is the same.
@ Did you observe his hands Did he
seem TO have been man who had led
was ungloved wss very beautiful the other
hand hsd gauntlet on; they exchanged
letters in the cars; the one who had false
whiskers put back the letters in his pocket
and EAw pistol in his belt.
O. Did any Of the conversation fall on
your ears? were you able to hear it2 A
l overheard him say be would leave for
Washington the day after tomorrow.
@. That is the one whohsd the ungloved
hand and the false whiskers? A. Yes
and the other was very angry because il
had not fallen on him to go to Washington
he had been sent for to some place by mes
senger.
@. You say he seemed very angry be-
cause it had not fallen to his lot to 90 to
Washington instead of the ,other2
A. Yes, sir; 1 had letters of my own to
post ct the Nassau street postOffiee; one of
them left about TWenty-sixth or Twenty
seventh street, and as he left moved up
into his place; the car was crowded my
daughter said thst had dropped one OF
my letters, she picked something up and
gave it to me; when went down to the
brokers, where 1 was gniDg with some
gold, l went to take out my pocket book
and / saw two letters in it; thought it
Of importance because of the conversation.
Q Are you certain it is the envelope
with the letters dropped by one of these
men2 u sI.e e5sI s-,-s -.
A. It must have been, because 1 saw
them exchange letters, and there was no
one else on that seat. sr.
Tie letters were then presented and read
totbe Commission, as follows:
"DEAR LeUIs: The time hiss at lRst come
that we have all so wished for, an upon
you everything depends. As it was de-
cided bsfOre you left, we we're to estt lots.
Accordingly, we did so, and you sie to be
the Charlotte Cerdsy Of the nineteenth
century. When you remember the fear
ful, solemn vow that was taken by Us, you
will feel there is no drawback Abe must
die, and now. You can choose your wesp-
ons. The cup, the knife, the bullet. The
cup failed US, and might sgsin. johnson, |
who will give this has baan like an an