Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-06-27
lflisttllanp.
From N Atlantic Mo.thly for July.
The Chicago Conspiracy.


On the eye Of ths last general eeetion, the
couolry vas startled by the publication Of Re.
port from the Judge AlV)olte OF the United
States disclosing the * stencs Of a widespread
conspiracy at the West, which bad for lJs objic.
the ovettnros VI the Union. This conspiracy,
the report stated had military organization
with a cOmmdudeG -ln-chIei, general and subOrdI-
nate ihcsfs, aud i've huudred thousand enrolled
members, all bound 10 blind obedience ~ the
orde.s ol their supeuors. and lodged % " take
up arms against any government found waging
war against people endsavorlng 10 estabhsh a
government Oi their own choice
The organization, II was said, was 10 every
way host le t. the Union, and friendly to Toe 80.
caueI Con1ederacy aud It's ultimate objects
were ." general rising in Missouri and a
similar " rising IN Indiana, Oao, Illinois, and
kentucky, in cooperation with rebel force
winch was to invade the las named STATE.
Startling aud lncredlb.- As the report seemed,
1t told nothing but the truth, anI It did not tell
the whole truth. Ii omitted to state that the
organization was planned IN Richmon- that
its operations we're directed by jacob Thompson,
who was IN Canada for that purpose ana that
wholesale robbery, arson, and midnight asSsss-
nation were among lIs dsigus
The point marked oul Tor the first attack was
Camp Douglas at Chicago. The eight thou
sand rebel soldiers confined there, beng lber
ated and armed were to be Jllned by the Cana
dian refugees and Mes url " But ernuts en-
gagged IN their release, and the five Thousand
ana more members OF tue reasonable order res-
dent 10 Chicago This force. of nearly twenty
thousand men would be a nucleus about which
the conspIralors In other parts uf Illinois could
gather; and, being Jnned by the Prisoners lib.
Grated from other camps, aud members OF the
order from other States, would form an army a
hundred thousand strong. 80 fully had every
thing been oreseen aud provided Tor, that lie
leaders expected to gather and organizs this vast
body OF men within the space OF a fortnight
The United States could bring into the field no
force capable Of wlthstandng the progress OF
such an army. The cons quences would be-,
that the wHoe character Of the war would be
changed Its theatre would be SHIFTED from the
border to the b. art OF tse Free States and
southern independence and the beginning at he
North OF that process Of aisut'gration 80 conf
drntly counted on by the rebel leaders at the
outbreak Of hosuiiti,s, would have followed.
WHAT saved the nation from being drawn into
this Suirpool Of ruln2 y thing but the cool
bttlnf lAttN NtE iHttNNt AnA oaNNNlN1 VI uht
man,-a young officer never read OF IN the news
apers,-remoyed from field duty because Of dis
ability, but commissioned, verify believe, by
Providence itself TO ierrei out and foil this deep
er-laid, widespread, aud morn dabolicil con-
splracy than any that dsrkens the paIs OF his
tory. Other men-and women, too--were in
srHmental in dragging the dark iniquity to
light; but they failed To athOm its foil enOrmty,
aud to discover It's point OF outbIcik. lie dld
that; AMI he throttled the tiger when about to
spring, and SO deserves the lasting gratitude OF
his country. How he did II propose to tell IN
this paper, ltisa marvellous tale; it will read
more like romance than history but, cilllng 10
mind whata good man 0nca said to me, Write
the truth let pe1pe doubt, It they will" |
shall narrato the acIs.
There is nothing remarkable in the appear.
anee OF this young man. Nearly six lert high,
he has an erect, military carriage, g frank,
manly face, and looks every inch u soldier-sucb
a soldier as wou stand up all day IN a square
haud-to hand light with an open enemy but
the keenest eye would detect IN him no lndlci.
tion OF the crafty genius which delights to iol.
low the wlndlugs of wlckedness when butrow.
ing in the dark. But It not a Fouchc or a
Nldocq, no is certainly an able man tor, IN a
section whera able men are as plenty as apple.
blossoms IN June, he was chosen to represent hl,
district in the Senate, aud entering the army Il
subaltern officer, rose, before the battle of Per
ryyile, to the conmanl Of regiment. A, that
battle rebel bullet entered his shoulder, aud
crushed the bones Of ms right elbow. This dis.
abed him for field duty, and so it came abou,
that he assumed the light blue eI the veterans,
aud on the second day Of May, 1864, succeeded
oeneral 0rme IN command OF the military post
at Chicago.
When fairly settled in the low-iso'ed shanty
which stands a sort OF mute eeutry, over thu
ftOnt gateway of Camp Douglas, the new Com
mandaut, as was natural. 10 ked about him
he ioand the eamG-about SIX acres OF Hat
sandy soil, lnclosed by tight board fence an
inch thick, aud fourteen feet high--had a eurri
son OF but two regiments Of veteran reserve, I,
numbering all told, only seven hundred men Gl
Tor duty. Tnls small force was guarding eight
thousand rebel prisoners, one third Of whom
were ltxts rangers, aud guerrllas who had
served under MOrgan-wlld, re- lkles chAraete =
ionder ol a b Iht than OF uinntr, and rrady lol
ANY entfpfse, however desperate, that held
out the smalle prospect vi ir edOm. 10 add
10 The scanning Insecurity, nearly every ofhco ia
the camp Was hllei with these prisoners. TIC,
served out fatluns aud distributed cl,thne {,
their comrades, dealt out ammunition 10 III,