Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-05-04

pootb has been hunted down and shot
II might have been still more satis,"o-
tory could he have been captured ""'''
but his fate, as II Is, will be nNe'y W
serve as a warning TO any others WHO
NAV be ambitious OF an INFAMOUS no
+or;o+v Rooth Is dead, but the ques-
tia,, ronajns whether he was the author
of the tiendlsh plot which resulted in
the assassination of President Lincoln
and the attempted murder OF Secretary
Seward. or was but willing tool in the
hands of other and more prominent
traitors.
After the terrible atrocities committed
throughout the war-atrocties either
directly authorized beforehand or
heartily approved after their commission
by the rebel leaders, we have little
ground for hesitation in believing them
entirely capable OF connecting or APP
proving plot for the assassination of
the leading members Ct our govern
ment. The massacres of Millikins
Bend and Fort Pillow the St Adams
robbery and murder the incendiary
plot to burn New York City; the sys-
tematiC starving to death Of prisoners
Of war; the appearance unrebuked,
in Southern papers of proposals for kid
. mapping or assaSs inating the presidential
show that southern traitors, reared in
the brutality of slavery, hesitated at
nothing in the whole infamous cata-
logue of crimes, whereof treason itself
is the chief and all-embracing.
We have also the official announce
ment that the War Department has in
formation leading to the conclusion that
the presidents murder was organized in
Canada and approved at Richmond. No
particulars of this information have
been published as yet. They doubtless
will, be as soon as due regard to the
ends of justice and to the public welfare
will permit. In the meantime the fol-
lowing extracts from the correspond |
ence of the New York Tribune will be
Of interest in this connection. They
are extracts from letters which were
first published in the Tribune a year ago
and which that journal now reproduces
The letters were written, says the Tri- |
bune, by correspondent who had been |
for some time on duty in the war Office |
at Richmond, and who, escaping to |
Washington, sent thence a great deal of
valuable and timely information, He
wrote subsequently from Canada. dis.
closing and thereby preventing more
than one scheme for a murderOus forav
across the border He foretold the plot
which eliminated in New York in the
attempt to fire the hotels. And he re-
vealed the particulars of conspiracy
to kidnap President Lincoln, which the
following details will show to have been
considered and approved by the rebel
President Secretary OF State and Sec
rotary of War. We quote in full a pas
sage from a letter published in the Tri
bune Of March 10, 1854:
'In a former communication stat
ed that plan had been submitted to
the rebel War Department by Col Mar
grave, who had been for considerable
time an emissary in the North, to kid
nap President Lincoln and carry him to
Richmond, or if it should be found i'm.
Impossible to escape with him TO the
rebel lines, to assassinate him. Owing
to change in the position Of the arm
les about this time, the plan proposed
was rendered impracticable.
In the early part Of November, and
only q few days before he was sent
north Col. Margrave submitted another
plan, the details Of which may be inter
esting to the reader To give the plan
in minutiG would occupy too much
space, and digest OF it will prove quite
Ineligible.
One hundred and fifty picked men
were to go secretly north and take quar-
tiers in Washington, Georgetown, Balti-
more and Alexandria, so rs to be able to
communicate daily with each other. and 7
upon day fixed by their leader. were {
to assemble in Washington for the pur- {
pose of making the seizure. The Presi- +
dent. it was claimed could be easily
seized at private hour at the White
House, or in going to or returning from
church, or on some other occasion. aud 9
thrust into a carriage and driven off q
The carriage was to be Joined few r
miles out of the city by twenty-five or >
thirty armed men on horseback 1t was
proposed to drive to Indian Point. about
twenty five miles south on the Potomac /
two or three relays of fleet horses be- S
ing stationed on the way-where a boat +
was to be in waiting to cross the river, | 4;
and land the captive few miles south
of Occoquan, when it would be an easy
matter for his captors to work their wav
with him through the woods by night
into the rebel lines. To prevent persuit, c
every bridge between Washington and n
Indian Point was to be mined before =
hand, and be blown up as soon as the Y
captive and his captors had crossed. I
Huge trees were also to be ready cut 0
and thrown across the road in various v
places, as soon as they had passed. by q
men stationed along for the purpose =
who were afterwards to separate and >
escape as best they could
The Secretary of War thought this
scheme might succeed; but he doubted t
whether such proceeding would be of a