American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-06-14

seeking items; they supposed l was a
rebel and | was in their confidence the
proposed Ogdensburg was printed ia the
Tribune | did not communicate this
matter directly to the government, for the
reason that | supposed the communica-
tion in the Tribune would be seen by the
government officials, aud | did not choose
to have the information go to the govern
ment directly frosl me; | requested Mr.
Gay, of the Tribune, to give the infor-
matt n to the government, and | believe
he did so.
| saw Surratt in Canada three or four
days iu succession in April last. had
conversation with him personally about
Richmond. | was introduced to him by
Sanders. l was expected to participate
with these rebels in the raid on Ogdens-
burg; / never received any pay from
them for any services / heard the cap
ture of the President talked of in Feb
ruary. When Mr. Thompson first sug-
gested the assassination to me, | asked
him if it would meet with the approba-
ton of the Government at Richmond ;
he said he thought it would, but he would
know in few days, This was early in
February.
Thompson did not say in April, when
these dispatches were delivered, that this
was the first approval they had received
of this plot from Richmond, but know
Of no Others; | only inferred that that
was the first approval; Thompson said, in
his conversation with me, that killing a
tyrant in such a case was no murder, and
asked me if / had read letter called
"Killing no MURDER" addressed by Titus
to Oliver Cromwell this was in Febru-
ary as one of the victims of this scheme;
in April, the persons before named were
mentioned, but Mr.. Hamlin was omitted,
and Vice President johnson put in his
place | ran the blockade from Rich
mond; these commissions We're all blank
but the signature they were to be given
cover, so that in case of detection the
parties employed could claim that they
were rebel soldiers, and would, therefore,
claim to be treated as prisoners of war ;
it was understood that they would be pro-
tected as such Thompson said if the
men who were engaged in this enterprise
we're detected and executed, the Confed-
crate Government would retaliate; that it
was no murder, only killing; | think j.
Wilkes Booth was specially commission
ed for this purpose | saw Booth IN Can
ada in the latter part Of October, with
Sanders, at Mr.. Thompsons, at the St
Lawrence Hall, where he was strutting
about dissipating and playing billiards;
have heard these men talk Of the burn
ing of New York, and other enterprises
which they have under consideration
now.
There was proposition before the
agents of these rebels in Canada to des-
troy the Croton Dam, by which the city
of New York is supplied with water 1t
was supposed it would not only damage
manufactures, but distress the people gen
orally. Mr.. Thompson remarked that
there was plenty of force, and the city
would be destroyed by general conha-
grafton, and if they had thought of this
sooner, they might have saved great
many necks. This was said few weeks
ago.
Thompson, Sanders, Castleman, and
General Carroll were present. They had
arms concealed, aud large number Of
men concealed in Chicago-some eight
hundred-for the purpose of releasing
the rebel prisoness there. The Doctor
Blackburn, charged in Nassau with i'm
porting yellow fever into the country, is
the same person referred to by me as
intimate with Thompson in Canada;
saw him in company with G. N. Sanders,
Louis Sanders, Castleman, VIM Cleary,
Porterfeld, Captain Magruder, and num-
Der of other rebels of less note Black
burn was recognized there as an agent of
the Confederate States and so repre-
sented himself; in January last Doctor
Blackburn employed person named
Cameron to accompany him for the pur-
pose of introducing yellow fever into the
Northern cities, to wit New York, Phil
adelp lphia and Washington /; he went from
Montreal to Bermuda about year ago
last fall, for the purpose Of getting the
clothing infected with yellow fever; /
saw him after his return, in Canada, and
heard Jacob Thompson and VIM. Clcary,
say that they favored his scheme.
About the same time it was proposed
to destroy the Croton Dam, DR.. Black
burn proposed to poison the reservoirs,
and made a calculation of the amount of
poisonous matter it would require to i'm
pregnate the water, so as to make an or
dinary draught poisonous and deadly
He had the capacity of the reservoirs,
and the amount of water generally kept
in them. Strychnine, arsenic, prussic
acid, and number OF other things do
not remember, were named. Mr.. Thomp-
son feared it would be impossible to col
lect so large a quantity of poisonous mat
ter without suspicion and leading to de-
lection. Thompson approved of the en-
terprise, and discussed it freely. Mr..
Clealy did the same; it was also spoken
of by Mr.. Montrose A. Pallen, of Mis-
sissippi, and by person who had been a
medical purveyor in the rebel army; Jno.
Cameron, who lived in Montreal, told me
that he was offered large compensation
| think Mr.. Thompson was the monied
agent for all the other agents; / think
| thau all Jra,,, n,, b;,, Gov oil tba ,,,ono,,