White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1865-06-22

Completely OF JeG Davis In NIr.
Linc0ln's Misunderstanding Re.
velaiions.
There has been . general curiosity
to learn the purport Of the testimony
taken at Washington before the Military
Commission in the assassination trials,
and which, for particular reasons. has
heretofors been suppressed BY the Gov
ernment. The injunction of secrecy hAs
recently bean removed, and the testimony
is now published At length. and is most
startling revelation. embodying important
admissions Of Thompson, Sanders and
others in Canada, and fixing completely
upon JEFF. Davis, with them, in the Pre-
sident's murder.
One of the witnesses, Mr.. Sanford
Conover, who has resided in Canada
since last October, having previously
been conscript in the rebel army. testi.
fes that while in Canada be was intimate
ly acquainted with George N. Sanders.
Jacob Thompson, DR.. Blackburn, Bsver-
ly Tucker. and other rebel agents; also
knew j. w. Booth and Mr.. Surratt, and
fIequently saw them in Canada. at the
quarters of Mr.. Thompson, and in COM
psny with Sanders and other rebels there.
He swears that "Mr. Thompson convers-
ed soiM him upon the subject Of the plot to
assassinote President Lincoln and has
Cabinet" and he "vas inuitsd By IHomp-
son to participate in that enterprise" On
the 9th or 7th of April be "saw Mr. Sur
|rstt with thompson. Sanders and Booth"
At that time he (Surratt) ''deliUered to
Thompson in his room" in the presence
of the witness. "dispatehes from Rich
naond 10 Thompson from Benjamin and
from Jefferson Davis, the latter either q
cyph.r dispatch or letter." He says:
"When Surratt delivered these papers
from Davis. Thompson laid his hand up
on them and said. ''refsrring to the assas.
sination and to the assent of the rebel au:
Mo1ties, THIS MAKES THE THING ALL RIGHT.
The dispatches mentioned the persons to
be assassinsted as-Mr. Lincoln, Mr..
johnson. the Secretary of War, the Sec-
retary of State, Judge Chase and Gener-
al Grant. Mr.. Thompson said on that
occasion, or on the day before that inter-
view, that the assassination proposed
would leave the Government of the
United States entirely without head"
Again, talking with the witness in re-
ference to the proposed murder, MIR.
Thompson said:
"Killing tyrant was not MURDER"
that "Ae had commissions for this 0ork
from the rebel authorities, and conferred
one on Booth, or would confer one; that
everybody engaged in this enterprise would
be commissioned, aud if they escaped to
Canada they could not be successfully
claimed under the extradition treaty."
The witness says that the rebel emissa-
ries in Canada supposed be was one Of
them, and the dissemination ,oas spoken
of as commonly as the weatker." Sanders
saked him if he knew Booth well, and
expressed some apprehension that booth
,0ould make a fzzle Of It."
The witness also states that the DR..
Blackburn charged with an attempt to
import yellow fever into this country,
was intimate with Thompson in Canada,
and ,oas recognized there as an agent
ofMe Confederate States. And he heard
Thompson. Cleary and others say they
favored his scheme and ,oere much inter.
ested in IT," About the same time DR..
Blackburn proposed to poison tile Croton
reservoirs at New York. and the scheme
was favored. and when Thompson said it
would be difficult to collect so much
poison without detection, q DR.. Pallen,
of Mississippi, "Mought it could be man.
aged in Europe"
The testimony OF James B. Merritt is
also given, and is equally explicit as to
the parties engaged in maturing the as
sassination plot. He was intimate with
the rebel emissaries in Cansda, and heard
Sanders. a Mr.. Geo. Young and Colonel
Steele say that Mr.. Lincoln should never
serve another term. He states further as
follows:
"In Montreal, in February last, heard
Sanders name number of persons ready
and willing to remove the President,
Vice-P President, the Cabinet, and some OF
leading Generals of the United States; and
be added that there was any amount of
money to accomplish this purpose, mean
ing the assassination of these PERSONS
He then read letter, which he said he
had received from the President Of the
Southern Confederacy. meaning Jef. Da-
Wis, and whieh letter justi6es him tn ma.
king any arrangements that he could to &C.
complish such object. There was q meet
ing at that time, of these rebels, and a
letter was read to them, the substance Of
which was, that if the Southerners in the
Canadss and the United States were will.
ing to be governed by such .yrant as Lin
coin, he (Davis) did not want to recog-
nize them as friends, and that be approx
ed the proposition to assassinate him.
Col. Steele read the letter, also Captain
Scott, Geo. Young and Hill, all rebels.
This meeting was about the middle of
February. At the meeting. Sanders
named some of the persons who were to
accomplish the assassination. and among
them named j. w. Booth, whom I bad
seen in Montreal in October. He also
named Geo. Harper. Charles Caldwell,
Randall and Harrison. Harold went by
the name of Harrison. heard Surratt's
name also mentioned, and Harold
There was person named whom they
called "Plug Tobacco" saw Harold
in Toronto. Sanders said Booth was
heart and soul in this matter; be was
cousin to Besle who was hanged in New
York. He added, that if they could dis
pose of Lincoln, it would be an easy
m altar IN dicpoea of NJ Tahoeon IN eonna