The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1865-07-21

! Indiana and Illinois, and Jhgtth or
| 4anization is strong in numbers. j
would be caSy, perhaps, at any crisi.
ia pub!'cai airs, TO push this organ.
i"aLion into acts OF open hsloyalty
IL IFS leaders should so willa
Except in cases of considerable,
emergency, ] shall make all comuni
cations TO your headquarters on thi,
subject by mail" n
These extracts show that, IL days
before the assembling of the Chicago
Convention, the Commandant had
become convinced that mail-baqs
were safer vehicles oil communication
than tclc2rapll-wircs: that 5000 arm
ed traitors were then domicilcd in
Chicago; ,hao they expected to bc
Joined Ivy n body oi rC'Iels srom Can.
ada; that The object OF the comhipa.
Jion was the rescue OF The prisoners
at Camp Douglas; anl chat success
in that enterprise would be the sipnaI
Tor a general uprisin" throughout
indiana and Illinois. Certainly, this
was no littlc KNOWLEDGE 20 gmn by
Two months burrowing in the dark.
But the conspirators were not fools.
They had necks which they valued,
they would not plunge into open dis.
loyalty until some "crisis In public
affairs should engage the attention
OF the authorities, aud afford II rair
chance Of success. Would the as.
scmh'ing of the Convention be such
u crisis? was now the question.
Thc'ques,ion was soou answered.
About this time, Lieut.. Col. b. IL.
Hill, commanding the Military Dis
trict Of Michigan, received q missive
from . person in Canada who repre-
scn!cd himself TO be Il Major in the
Confederate service. lie expressed
Il readiness to disclose Il dangerous
plot against the Government, pro.
yidcd he were allowed to take the
oath Of allegiance, and rewarded ac-
cordinr TO the value OF his informa-
iion. The Lieut.. Col. read the letter,
tossed it aside, aud went about his
business. No good. he had heard,
ever came out OF Nazareth Soon
another missivc of the same purport,
and from Che same person, came TO
him. lie tossed this aside also, and
went again about his business. Bat
the Major was Il southern Yankee
the "cntcst' sort of Yankee. lie had
something to sell, and was bound TO
sell il, even il he had to throw his
neck into the bargain. Taking his
life in his hand, he crossed tue from
Ter; and so it. came about that, lltc
one night, Il tall man, in n slouchcd
hat, rusty regimcntals, and immense
jack boots, was ushercd into the pri.
vate apartment Of the Lieut.. Col. at
Detroit. II was the Major. lie had
brought his wares with him They
had cost him nothing, except some
small sacrifice orsuch trivial matters
IS honor, 'raternal feeling, and good
faith towards brother conspirators,
whom they might send to the golows;
but they were Of immense valre.-
would save millions Of money and
rivers OF loyal blood. So the Major
said, and 80 the Lieutcnant. Colonel
thought, as cooly, with his cigar in
his mouth, aud his leg over the arm
Of his chair, he drew the important
secrets from the rebel officer. Some
thing good might, after all como out
OF Naz The Lieut. Col. would
trust the feilow--trust him, but pay
him nothing, and send him back to
Toronto TO worm out the whole plan
from the rebel leaders, and to gather
the whole details of the projected ex.
petition. But the Major knew with
whom he was dealing. lie had faith
in Uncle Sam, and he was right,in
having it; for, truth to tell, If Uncle
Sam does not always pay, he chn al
ways be trusted
1t was not long before the Major
reappeared with his budget, which he
duly opened to the Licutenant-C Colo
mel Its contents were interesting,
and will give them to the reader as
as the Union officer gave them
to the General commanding the
Northern Department. HIS commu-
nication is dated August lG. 1t
says
81 have the honor TO report that
had another interview last evening
with Major, whose disclosures
in relation to n rebel plot for the re-
lease of the prisoners at Camp Doug
las | gave you in my letter of the Sth
instant. ! have caused inquiries to
be made in Canada about Major,
and understand that he does possess
the confidence Of the rebel agent, and
that his statements are entitled to
respect
"lIe now informs me that he pro.
ceedcd to Toronto, as he stated he
would when ] last saw him; that about
200 picked men, of the Rebel refu-
gees in Canada, are assembled at that
place, who are armed with revolvers
and supplied with funds and trans,
portation. tickets TO Chicago; and that
already $50 have proceeded to Chica.
60 That he (Major----~ and the
balance of the men are waiting for
instructions from Capt. Hines, who
is the commander of the expedition;
that Captain Hines left Toronto last
Thursday for Chicago, and at this
time is doubtless at Niagara Falls,
making the final arrangements with
the chief rebel agents.