The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1865-07-21
The Chicago Conspiracy.
From tlIe Atlantic Monthly fcr july.

On the eve of the last genera
0 election, The country was startled b,
y the publication OF n Report from Tho
0 Judge. Advocate oftho United States
o disclosing the existence OF u wide.
0 spread conspiracy at the West, whicl
0 had Tor its object The overthrow ut
the Union. The conspiracy, the Re.
) port stated, had q military organiza.
ton, with commander-in-c chiel, gen
eral and subordinate officers, aud
500, 900 enrolled members, all bound
to blind obedience TO the orders oI
their superiors, and pledged TO "takc
up arms against any Government
found waging war against n people
r endeavOring TO establish Govern
ment OF their own choice"
. The organization, it was said, was
in every way hostile TO the Union.
/, and friendly TO the so-called Con
. federacy; and its ultimate objects
were "a general rising in Missouri
and similar "rising in Indiana, Ohio,
Illinois and Kentucky, in co opera.
ton with u rebel force which was TO
invade the last named State"
Startling and incredible as the re-
port seemed, it told nothing but the
truth, and it did not tell the whole
truth. it omitted to state that the
organization was planned in Rich
mond; that its operations were di-
rected by Jacob Thompson, who was
in Canada for that purpose; and chat
wholesale robbery, arson aud mid.
night assassination were among its
designs.
The point marked out for the first
attack was Camp Douglas at Chicago.
The 5000 rebel soldiers confined
there, being liberated and armed,
were to be joined by the Canadian
refugees and Missouri "Buttcrnuts"
engaged III their release, and the
5000 and more members of the treas
enable order resident in Chicago
This force, of nearly 10000 men,
would be n nucleus about which the
conspirators in other parts Of Illinois
could gathcr and, being joined by
the prisoners liberated from other
camps, and members of tho order
from other States. would form an
army hundred thousand strong
So fully had everything been foreseen
and provided for, that the leaders
eXpected to gather and organize this
vast body of men within the space of
a fortnight! The United States could
bring into the field no force capable
of withstanding the progress Of such
an army. The consequences would
be that the whole character of the
war would be changed--its theatre
would be shifted from the Border to
the heart OF the Free States; and
Southern independence, and the be
ginning at the North of that process
Of fdIsintegration SO confidently count
ed on by the rebel leaders ut the out.
break Of hostilities, would have fol
lowed.
What saved the nation from being
drawn into this whirlpool Of ruin?-
Nothing but the cool brain, slecpless
vigilance and wonderful ssgacity OF
one man-a young olllcer never read
of III the neWspapers--rcmoyed from
field duty because of disability, but
commissioned, / verify believe, by
Providence itself to ferret out and
fail this deepcr.laid, wider spread
and more diabolical conspiracy than
any that darkens the page of history.
Other men--and women too--were
instrumental in dragging the drag
ging the dark iniqmty TO light; but
they failed to fathom its full enor-
nifty, and to discover its point OF out
break. He did That; and he throttled
the tiger when about to spring, and so
deserves the lasting gratitude Of his
country. How he did it l propose
to tell in this paper. 1t is marvel
GUS tale; it will read more like 70.
nance than history; but calling to
mind what good man once said to
me, "Write the truth; let people doubt
il they will" | shall narrate the fact.
There is nothing remarkable in the
appearance of this young man. Near
ly six feet high, he has an erect, mil,
itary carriage, frank manly face,
and looks every inch q soldier--such
q soldier as would stand up all day
in square hand-to- hand fight with
an open enemy; but the keenest eye
would detect in him no Indication of
the crafty genius which delights to
follow the windings of wickcdness
when burrowing in the dark. But if
not Fouche or a Vidocq, he is GER
tainly an able man; for in n section
where able men are as plenty as ap-
pie blossoms in June, he was chosen
to represent his district in the State
Senate, and, entering the army q sub
altern officer, rose, before the battle
of Perryville, to the command of n
regiment. At that battle n rebel
bullet entered his shoulder, and
crushed the bones of his right elbow
This disabled him for field duty, and
so it came about that he assumed the
light blue of the veterans, and on the
I'd day of May, 1864, succeeded Gen.
Orme in command of the military
post at CNcago.
When fairly settled in the low roof
ed shanty which stands, q sort of
mute sentry, over the front gateway
of Camp Douglas, the new comman-
dant, as was natural, looked about