Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1865-06-09
5Nistellaneuus.
The Conspiracy Case.

We have not published the evdienc,
which has come out in trial in the grea,
conspiracy case, because VIC could not
but we give below from the Boston Adrer
tiser, an admirable statement of the case
the parties, and the evidence, so far. L
is deeply interesting, aud elaborate
statement OF the whole matter as it pre-
sentcd itself a. the time of the writing o.
the article. We are sure We cannot pre-
sent our readers with any thing more
interesting this week.
FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.
WASHINGTON May 20. 1865.
Doubtless every man, woman and child
in this country who ever reads at all
has read some report or abstract Of the
evidence taken thus far before the
military commission now sitting in thi;
city for the purpose Of investigating the
great rebel conspiracy which resulted six
weeks ago in the murder of Abraham
Lincoln. But the pcrusal Of testimony
at best is not like hearing it, and when
one loses the hesitaii0ns. the emphasis,
the gesture Of the witness, and has to
Judge of his credibility by what he says
without the aid Of knowing how he says
it, the process Of following the course of
the trial becomes much like grouping in
the dark. Nor are the reports which are
furnished to the public at large by any
means complete or always trustworthy,
the abstracts Of the testimony made up
for the Associated Press often uninterl.
tionally slurring over the most import
ant facts brought out, and omittins for
the sake of condensation statements forum
ing indispensable links in the grand chain
OF circumstautia! evidence Perhaps it
may be well, therefore, for one who has
watched closely aud carefully the actual
proceedings iu the courtroom, and who
has given some study to the developments
made and the inferences to be drawn
from them, to give as briefly as possible
a summary Of the actual situation at
this stage Of the case, when all the evi.
dence for the government and very little
Of that for the defence has been brought
forward.
We cannot yet judge fairly. however,
Of the evidence fixing the inception and
responsibility of the great plot upon the
rebel leaders at Richmond aud their
emissaries in Canada, because a large
portion Of the most important testimony
on this point was takea 10 secret session,
and cannot be diyul ged at present. The
time will come when all these revelations
will De made puolic, but their publication
at this time would only endanger the
lives Of the witnesses, but would deprive
the government of the future usefulness
Of some Of its most valuable channels Of
secret information. Enough has been
proven in open court to make it morally
it not legally certain that the great
reasonable plot which has existed for
many months past. Of overthrowing the
national government by coup d'etat at
Washington, was known and cherished at
Richmond, aided pecauiarily from the
treasury Of the rebel government, and
through the means Of its agents in
Canada. The leader of this conspiracy
IN the United States was in confidential
intercourse with the Sanders junto at
Montreal, and through them, if not dir
ectly, his schemes were known and ap.
proved in Richmond.
These facts are amply sustained with
out calling in the aid Of such testimony
as that given by Won Steinacker, Mrs.
Hudspeth, or Fincgas. The statements
of the Grst-named person that he, an off.
Ger on the rebel Johason's staff, talked
over the assassination project with John
Wilkes Booth in the Valley of Virginia
in August, 1868, and that secret meet
ing of rebel officers was held then aad
there to mature with Booth the details Of
the plot. made somewhat startling story;
but unfortunately they do not coincide
with other testimony for the prosecution,
asr will they bear the slightest examina-
tion. The late eonfederacy has no coun-
sci in court,-but if it were made an
object for any one to defend tho rebellion
at large from completely with assassiua-