, 1865-02-12
OUR CINCINNATI LETTER,
TIE CHICAGO G0NSPIR-
.AEY CASE
IMPORTANT TESTIMONY OF COL,
SWEET AND DR.. AVER,
[From Our Own Correspondent

to adjournment. AL the members OF til
Court were present, also tie Judge Advocate
the assistant Government counsel, the &C
cused md their counsel. The court room
WAS packed with IN earnest crowd Of sp,cta
tors, who manifested the closest attenlio,
throughout the recital of the evidence. In
terest in the plot is rapidly increasing will
The people here. for they see the gigantic
proportions of the consplzacy-that, radiat
ing from Chicago, il pe1meated to every chic
city IN the country, scattering desolatioz
through myriads OF peaceful American homes
A horde Of f1ends were to be released, wht
would not only destroy the city In which thcl
bad been confined, but would scour the coun
try to their rebel eyric, marking their patti
with blood and ruin. The prisoners also veal
more Serious demcanor than they have hith
etto dcne. The anxiety with which they re-
gard each new witness as he appears upon the
STAND, and the earnestness with which they
listen TO the testimony US elected by ques
lions from the prosecution, or perhaps from
their own counsel. fully prove that they more
Than ever realize the position they occupy.
The record Of last Friday session was read
and approved.
BleVet Brig. Gen. swqet was then sworn as
q witness for the Government. The following
Kv1DENCH or COLONEL swHET.
My name Is RenjamIn j. Sweet: am and was,
during the months OF September, October, and
November ct last year Colonel Of the 9Th regiment
Tete1an Re.erye corps; was also, aud stlli an,
Camp Douglas. The post commanded extended,
lsnEpose. TO the limits Of the surrounding posts.
7ne .I4dge Adeoease.-Mhat are the geoyraph1:
cal limits OF the commend Of the Post Of Chicago
Mr. Asay objected to t11c question, as in
vo1ying matter Of law and not Of evidence,
but his objection was overruled by the Court.
Fitness continued-My jurisdiction extends to
The !tmiis Of tic Posts north at Madison, WIscon.
tin, soa.hEest to Reck Island, south, Or a!mp,t
gan. The Ccmmandant has jurisdiction over
Svcrytl Ing ps raining TO nilit'ry aGalss IN the
80 h a Of ~ aad
Inent aid Of the people. Chicaso is ore OF the
lrst mi itarJ depot's OF supplies in the country.
1hsre are ten asp9ts IN Of Colonel md
ter Ut tthat time wus Colonel Potter. From the
commencement to the latter end Of August The
number Of troops @ under ny command, tlt ior duty,
,,se0 men, consisting Of four Companies
oi one hunared Gays, men, md The l9oth Psnnsyi-
ono hundred days nEu; these remained With me
sssty CT seventy Gays. te1egraphed for these re-
triorccmenta: There were between 8, LOO and 1900
Of November the morning report shows 1o6 men.
rank rnd G,c, 1t for duty. There were slwaya On
duty In Chicago about sixty men acting as pro-
duty: The eixty men in the city performed SER
rec IN looking nser acBertcre, guaFdins properly,
&c The depot for supplies is In The city, and ID
prisoners Of va, ana IoFWardias desertsss TO r:
1lous campo; The cntire guard in Camp Douglas
wae about eco men, go men on duty at time, and
lhe camp Is within the 81 nniis. md il about
Tic conEeutcnces to reach The camp arc BY yray
Of tt1cct cars. There were buildings On the moth
s1ac OF tho camp; on tho opposite aide Of the
and othcF dWelincs. Walsha hoase ~: VA aSout n
Une fourth Of n mile from the camp, with three Of
fou1 houses between Walsh Is house and tho camp
e Sss i sgs hass t. seRort IT, 70 @
and to Gen. Hooker. at Department headquarters.
In relation to prisoners Of VIZ am Under the In
a1nsnSns s g q as comm1zfary General Of prison
ed at my order. Messrs. Walsh, Cantrill and Dan
tels we're arrested by Lieut. Col. Skinner and
tet1chment q tfoops at Walsh's house: Grenfell
nEd the witness 6hanks were arrested ut the Rith-
x1ond House, and Mr. Meruaduke was arsestcd at
the Eeel9encc Of Dr. Eda ards. No. 20 Adams street
Jrese,nn was arrested BY Nj. Kcete and mom-
hers Of the police. 1hefe arrests were made on
the 9Th Of November. They were arrested upon
information which led ne 10. believe that there
wa; en- foot conspiracy to release the prisoners
regarded the emergency as immediate, and there
lorc ected promptly. 1 dared NOT trust the
telegraph and the ral!roaa, for ! understood
that the Sons Of Liberty had men employed upon
them; There were one hundred and ffty men VI
rested In al. They were principally from the
Soqth and Central Illinois, snd had lately arrived
in Chicago: Iht sc were mainly ftpm Fayette aud
Christian cornh:s, Illinois. These were arre.ted
In grogehcps, boardipg-ho1ses, under the pave
meEts, and IN every part Of the city. AL OF these
men were arrested from their appearance and de-
scstptiou, and By their looks taken to bo "a
gabords- There were but few Of them armed.
They inserted that they came to Chicago to see
the city. some Of Aem stated that they belonged
to the sons Of Liberty. and somc from the South
ern army; about onc-tenfh came from the South
eEn army, These bushwhackers wers arrested
pasns BY ne city police, partly By citizens, and
Have heard Of sneh IN oreanlzation as King
deserters from the Fcdera1 army and .hose Who
ran away from the d1stt, and was intended to re-
sist TIC draft and a the operations Of the Provost
Marshal md the general government in the pro-
Eecuton Of the war. succeeded in capturing the
Csptain and Mrutenant and the principal men Of
under tic United States Of Slate law. I received
all Of these men up to the eth Of November, and
sl& being strangers took them in.
. do not know the exoct size OF Camp Douglas,
but believe it comprises from 60 to 70 acres Of
land. The prisoner s1u7rc proper, corers about
20 acres. In November last 1t was enclosed By u
an inch and quarter in thickness. The boards
were placed endways and were nafed from the in
eide. The outside se1tincls we're stationed on a
parapct ahont three feet from tho top Of the fence
on the Cntstde- The camp was more easiIy aasatl-
able from without and less dcfensible than II The
atiack WIS made from Inside.
The Judge advocate here exhibited to the
witness plan Of the camp found on the per-
eon Of one Of the ccnsplrators.
Colonel Stceet.-This map is ycry roughly drawn
correct drawing Of lie camp as it was In August =
end September Of last year. The ouillnes arc pre-
cisely the eame. AZ shown on the u,ap there were
Is y M 9h1s as
SR the ss5sde qf r. so eyed
marked " Douglas House :" On he sonth eidc of
TIE camp is, I snppose, tho p9uglas University.
Gated about IS or. 20 rods from the
camp fence, and oserlooks the entire camp. One
hundred men, Or even ffty men, stationed in that
mott make it unieuab1e to any force. Dn1ing the
e=esion Of the Democratic Convention, and until
the danger was oTcs, stationed two companies
nsmed John r shanks, 1t tbat tine b. vas e tSere
when assumed the command Of the camp, On tte
% Of Maj, 1s6l He was clerk in the office for
o ske he oa Of allegiance dulns u tie SUMNER 1T M:
BIS application went through me to the Commits
eAry General Of Prisoners With my approval. I
fully convinced that the applicant was dcsirous Of
becoming a loyal citizen. The application was
Eot grained, but made It The basis Of comm1ni-
to esse ae Tnes g that ds de-
take the cath. In this camp there were come men
who were more largely entrusted than others.
n1 SneIka f " pasoisd prisoner hasing the free
here were others there In the same eonditioa-a
msn named Grey, and cicrEs In the medical depart-
mss " ns eTea ,G 60 to ths s
prisoners arc never permitted to have any funds
l gave Ehnnkx dollar.
shanEs never used nonaae de plu.ne that am
e~afe of. Ihe prisoners were not allowed to hare
any money, nor did they possess any unless they
obtained 1t secretly. ShunlB, however, had. be-
lieye, enc dollar. which eave him. When pris-
ed. End any money taken from him and placed IN
tho ~ssnda Of the Prisoners, Accountant, to be
draw required, in provisions from the sntler.
Letters arc Ill opened, and any money they con-
tain similarly applied. sent Shanks to the house
Of Judge Morris en- the Sd OF November, because
f hye men had inst esssp.d from camp, md traced
he would not like to do thc government SERVICE
lle replied that he would, when told him that I
wanted him to 60 to the house ofMorr1s md rep
md ifpoesib1c must be secreied with tho other
prisoners. ] then sent for Kcefe, and the two
w.; 70 she csty in buggy iolewcd qg "
1ngton street. where had told Shnnka to report II
he could not End the prisoners. After had been
there short time. shanka came to me and gavc
<op hA4Cu LIE sIu4 0lIE1 NuI2lS uNu ElFe1 10 MIN.
with the exception Of onesdollar. ( do not think
he hsd any muneyWhen he went to her house,
know Maurice langhozae. He introduced him
eeH to me Oh the 9Th Of November, BY show
retary Stanton, recommending that he be al-
lowed to takc the oath Of allegiance He gav- me
eomc Information regarding the plot, but I did
aderce. Attn subsequent meeting, the next day,
however, at the fremont House, determined |
hat he WI. In honest, reliable man, and ono who
could he trusted. He has been OF gtcat value to
nc ard his information WAS crcr correct On the i
sh o:Norembe1, after the ttrst arrests were made,
drst offered to employ him. Ia:ked him to idcn-
1ky Ill who he remembered harne seen in Canada
n cunrection with the conspirators and arrest |
hem. He personally arrested the witness, JOHN |
a.ar.han, at the fremont House. He eaye me H. |