The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-06-07
The Co~nspiratOra.

court are contrary to law, and even I'M
inst. 1t is a fortunate thing, however,
that the evidence against at least some
of the accused persons is so direct ana
conclusive az 10 leave in the public mind
no doubt of their guilt. The opinion OF
the people will not be influenced IN any
wav by the finding of the court, the Pc
culiar composition and surroundings OF
that body not being such as to command
mpch Difference to it's wisdom or respect
for its opinion. Mr., STATIONS bureau
of military Justice" does not enjoy as
high Il reputation for impartiality and
strict obedience to law, as do the ordin-
arv courts. and the decision of a military
commission in so grave and solemn a
matter as the condemnation OF those
who were banded in a conspiracy to as
sassinate the chief officers of our Gov
ernmeut, would not receive much respect
unless it were in the popular opinion
founded upon the evidence in the case.
Believing that the court is organized
TO convict" and determined TO convict,
no matter what evidence may be brought
before il. or how it is procured, we re-
gard it as fortunate that the testimony
which has been adduced in the trial has
been sufficient to procure the convection
of the greater part of the accused per-
sons before almost any jury In any OF
the regular civil courts. Many OF the
witnesses are men of bad character and
suspicious antecedents, but there Is SUI
icient testimony from unimpeachable
sources TO make it clear that Mrs. SUR
rATT. HARROLD, PAYNE, ATZERoTH,
SP,SGLER, and DR.. MUD, are, more or
less, guilty of completely IN the plot
which resulted in the murder OF Presi-
dent LINCOLN.
Concerning the guilt of the Canadian
rebels the evidence is not so clear, but
that portion of the testimony which
Was al first suppressed but which IS
now published, tends very strongly to
create the impression that THOMPSON,
SAUNDERS. TUCKER and others were the
iustiuatorS of the crime. SANFORD CON
OVER, resident i'll Canada who was, for
some time, an empIoye IN the rebel wal
Department and who, ii Is feared, has
been foully dealt with in Canada since
giving in his testimony before the mill
tary commission, said that on the 9th or
eth of last April he had a conversation
with THOMPSON, in Canada, on the sub
lect of a plot to assassinate President
LINCOLN aud certain members OF his
cabinet and was solicited to engage in
the enterprise. THOMPSON had dispatch
@. from DAVIS and BENJAMIN which Inc
missions in the rebel army. properl,
signed, which they filled up with the
names of those willing to engage in the
plot, and BOOTH and others were thus
commissioned. SAUNDERS, CLAY aud
CLEARY were concerned i'll the matter
and the subject was talked of among
the chief Southern men i'll Canada AS
Commonly as the weather CONOVER
slys that he communicated his informa.
ton to the New York Tribune, of which
newspaper he was a correspondent. He
had seen BOOTH, HAROLD, SURRATT and
Oilers in Canada and knew them all to
be engaged in the plot. He testified also
that the plan of introducing yellow lie
Yer i'll New York was gotten up in Cana.
da under the auspices OF DR.. BLACK
BURN, and that it was contemplated to
poison the Croton reservoir and burn
Northern cities. General CARROLL, of
Tennessee, wanted Vice President JOHN
son killed and he was included in the
ton.
JAMES Il. MERRITT, Il Canadian physi-
can, said that in Montreal last Februa-
T., he heard SANDERS name a number of
persons, including Boom, who were will
ling to engage in the plot, and that he
also read a letter from JEFF. DAVIS ap-
proving the plan and urging his friends
il Canada To carry it out in execution.
RICHARD MONTGOMERY, who acted in
Canada as a detective for the United
States government. stated that he had
had conversation with CLAY, CLEARY
and TUCKER, last spring i'll relation to
the assassination Of President LINCOLN,
and that tue plot had already been form
ed. He has seer PAYNE in Canada in
consultation with CLAY.
The above is the substance of the testi-
mony duplicating the rebel agents in
Canada. Ii will be seen that it is quite
positive and, if worthy of credence, af-
fixes upon these men even a deeper Grim
inality and more atrOciOuS wickedness
than that which blackenS the soul of
RooTH himself. 1t would appear from
this testimony that the rebel agents were
very indiScrcct in their intercourse with
outsiders, and revealed their plans and
even their official dispatches with less
caution than conspirators generally as