Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1865-06-29

SO far as the witness knows, during their stay
At her house only by Booth, save that on
sin9le occasion an unknown man came to see
them, and remained with them over night.
They told the witness they were in the ''oii
business" With Mudd, the guilty purpose
was sought to be concealed by declaring that
ne was In the "land business" With OLaugh-
lin and Arnold it was attempted to be con-
cealed by the pretence that they were in the
soil business" Booth, it is proved, had closed
Gp all connection with oil business last Sep
tember. There Is not q word of testimony 10
show that the accused, U'Laughlin and Ar
nod, ever invested or sought to in vest, in any
their silly words betray them; they forgot
when they uttered that false statement that
truth is strong, next to the Almighty, and that
their crime must find them out, was the IRE.
vocable and irresistible law of nature and Of
natures God.
One OF their co-consprators, known as yet
only to the guilty parties to this damnable plot
and to the Infinite who will unmask and
avenge all blood. guiltness, comes to bear wit
ness, unwithngly, against them. This un-
known cons spirator, who dates his letter at
South Branch Bridge, April E, 1865, mailed and
postmarked Cumberland, Maryland, and ad.
dressed to John Wilkes Booth, by his initials,
81. w B., National H otel, Washington. ID. c."
was also In the 'ioil speculation" That this
letter is not a fabrication is made apparent by
the testimony of Purdy, whose name occ ors in
the letter.
Judge Bingham proceeding with his analy-
sis OF the evidence, he took mp the letter of Ar
mold to Booth, dated March &c, ls45, signed
s.Sam'' and said here Is the confession OF the
prisoner Arnold, that he was one with Booth
IN this conspiracy; the further confession that
they are suspected by the government OF their
country, and the Acknowledgement that since
they parted Booth had communicated, amongst
other things suggestion which leads to the re-
mark in this letter, 81 would prefer your first
query. go and see how 1t will be taken at
Richmond and ere long l shall be better pre-
iaration that affects Arnold, Booth, aud o.
Lauehlin, alike, il the court are satisfied, and
it is difficult to see how they can have doubt
on the subject that the matter to be referred to
Richmond is the matter of the assassination of
the President and others, to effect which these
parties had previously agreed and conspired
together. 1t is matter in testimony, oy tue
declaration Of John H. Surratt, who Is as clear
Iy proved to have been in this conspiracy and
murder as Booth himself, that about the very
date Of this letter, the 27th OF March, upon the
and consent, he went TO Richmond, not only to
see show it would be taken there" but to get
funds with which to carry out the enterprise,
as Booth had already declared to Chester In
he or "some one of the party would be con-
strained to 60 to Richmond for funds to carry
ont the conspiracy Surratt returned from
The money for which he went, and was then
going to Canada, and as the testimony disclo-
ses, bringing with him the dispatches from JEFF
ferson Davis to his chief agents in Canada,
which, as Thompson declared to Conover,
made the proposed assassination "all right "
Surratt, after seeing the parties here, left i'm.
tor and a,s
ferson Davis. This was done by Surrats upon
the suggestion, OF in exact accordance with
March In his letter to Booth just read apa s, We.
he asi 81 Msreh Arnold had Abandoned the
conspiracy.
Surratt reached Canada with these de.
spatches, as we have seen, about the 9th or 7th
of April last, when the witness Conover saw
them delivered to Jacob Thompson, and heard
their contents stated by Thompson, and the
declaration from him that these dispatches
made it " all right" That surratt was at that
time in Canada is not only established by the
testimony Of Conover. but It is also in evil
dence that he told Wsichmann ON the Sd OF
April that ne was going to Canada, and on
letters adore ssed by Surratt over the fictitious
signature Of Jahn Harrison, to his mother and
to Miss Ward, dated at Montreal, were re-
by Weichmann and by Miss Ward, witness
called for the defence. Thus it appears that
the condition named by Arnold In his letter
nad M d been en complied with Booth had "gone
how H @ it Would be taken" The rebel autaori- t6 re-
ties at Richmond had approved it. the agent
had returned, and Arnold, to use his own
words, thereby the better prepared to rejoin
Booth in the prosecution of.this conspiracy.
To this end Arnold went to Fortress Monroe.
AS his letter expressly declares. Booth said
when they parted, 1--WE would not meet in
month or SO, and therefore l made application
for employment-an answer to which shall
receive during the week He did receive the
answer that week from Fortress Monroe, and
went there to await the "more propitious
time,' bearing with him the weapon of death
N which Booth m had provided pro- .S and ready to ooey
mono and made call night" Acting upon the
same fact that the conspiracy had been ap-
proved IN Richmond and the funds provided,
O'Laughlin came 10 Washington to identity
General Grant, the person who was to become
the victim Of his violence in the final consum-
nation Of this crime-General Grant, whom,
as is ayerred in the specification, it had become
the part Of O'Laughlin by his agreement in
this conspiracy to kill and murder. On the
evening preceding the assassination-the 18th
Of April-by the testimony Of three reputable
witnesses, against whose truthfulness not one
word is uttered here or elsewhere, O'Laughlin
went into the house of the Secretary of War,
where General Grant then was. and placed
could see him, having declared before he
reached tnat point to one of these wit
nesses that he wished to see General
Grant The house was brilliantly illumi-
mated q the time; two at least OF the witnesses
cOnversed with the accused and the other stood
very near to him, took special notice of his
conduct, called attention to it. and suggested
that he be put out of the house, and he was
accor dinghy put out by one Of ihe witnesses.
These witnesses are confident, and have TO
doubt, and so swear upon their oaths, that
present on that occasion. There is no denial
on the part OF the accused that he was in
Washington during the day and during the
night Of April Is, and also during the day and
during the night Of the 14th: and yet to get rid
Of this testimony, recourse is had to that com :
mon device-an alibi device never more ire.
, quently resorted to than in this trial. But
what an ali6t! Nobody Is called to prove it
save some men, who, by their own testimony,
were engaged in a drunken debauch through
the evening. A reasonable man who reads
their evidence can hardly be expected to allow
it to outweigh the united testimony OF three
unimpeached and unimpeachable witnesses
who were clear in their statements, who en-
tertain no doubt of the truth OF what they say,
whose opportunities to know were tull and
complete, and who were constrained to take
special notice of tie prisoner By reason of his
extraordinary conduct.
. These witnesses describe accurately the ap-
pearance, stature and complexion Of the ac-
cused but because they describe his clothing
as dark or black, it is urged that as part OF his
clothing, although dark, was not black, the
witnesses are mistaken. O'Laughlin and his
drunken companions, zone OF whom swears
that he drank ten times that EVENING" were