Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1865-05-11
TIE CHICAGO CONsPIRA-
TORS.
Report OF General J. d. Sweet.


of the trial which was published last Mon
day. The report of Gen. Sweet says:
That Jscob Thompson, Of Mississippi
Secretary Of the Interor, during the admin
istration Of Mr.. Buchanan, went to Wind
sor, Canada, some time in May or June last
under the assumed name Of Capt. Carson
and having been supplied by the rebel gov
ment with large sums of money for the pur
pose, commenced operations 10 organize il
Canada an expedition to release rebel pris
oners Of war at different camps in the North
west, and aid the Sons of Liberty" with
money and arms, to raise an insurrectioh
especially In the States of Illinois and lndi
ana, against the Government ef the United
States.
About the 25th day of August last an ex
pedition was organized at Toronto, Canada
under the immediate direction Of Captain
Hines, formerly of Morgans command, com
posed of one hundred and fifty to two hun.
dred escaped prisoners and rebel soldiers
accompanied BY Col g. st. Leger Grenfel
at one time Morgans Chief of Staff and
afterwards Inspector General on the staff
Of Gen. Bragg; Col. Vincent Marmaduke,
Of Missouri; Col. Ben. Anderson, of Ken.
lucky; Captains Castlemnn aud Cantrll,
| vi uuofRd1 COuadUuy anu OtUeI
rebel officers. This force was armed with
pistols at Toronto, divided, and its mem.
bers, in citizens dress, came to Chicago by
different routes, in the same trains which
brought the thronging thousands who as.
sembled on the 29th of August to attend
the Chicago Convention, and which made it
difficult to detect their presence.
1t was to have been assisted by large
numbers of ''Sons of Liberty and other
guerrillas, who came armed to that conven-
ton, gathered from Kentucky, Missouri,
Indiana and Illinois, and were to be under
the immediate command Of Brig. General
Charles Walsh of the "Sons of Liberty"
| The presence Of these officers and men
for that purpose was suspected by the Gov
ernment, and re-enforcements we're made to
the garrison at Camp Douglas, which
thwarted the expedition, and its members
dispersed, some of the rebel officers and
soldiers to Canada, Others to Kentucky, and
and yet others to Southern Indiana and H.
linois, and the "Ssns Of Liberty" and guer-
rillas to their respective homes, to await a
signal for the general uprising which, it vas
determined, should soon take place in the
States Of Illinois and Indiana against the
Government.
The danger supposed to be passed, the re-
endorsements sent to this garrison were or
dered elsewhere, leaving barely force enough,
with the most rigid economy in the use of of.
6cers and enlisted men, to guard the pris.
oners Of war, and perform ether necessary
duties at this post.
About the first Of November another ex-
peditien of like character was organized in
Canada, to be commanded by Capt. Hines,
and composed Of the same elements as that
which had failed at the time of the Chicago
Convention. 1t was determined that the
attempt should be made about the period of
the Presidential election, and the night Of
that day was finally designated as the time
when the plot should be executed.
During the canvass which preceded the
election, the Sons OF Liberty" secret Or
ganization, within, and beyond all doubt
unknown to the better portion and majority
of the Democratic party, had caused it to
be widely proclaimed and believed, that
Government, and great danger that such in
tention would be carried into effect, to in
terfere by military force at the polls against
the Democratic party, as an excuse under
which to arm themselves, as individuals,
and had also obtained and concealed at diff.
ferent places in this city, arms and ammu-
milton fol, themselves and the rebel prison.
ers of war, when they should be released.
On the evening of the 5th day of Novem-
ber, 1t was reported that a large number of
persons Of suspicious character had arrived
in the city from Fayetteville and Christian
counties, in Illinois, and that more were
coming.
On Sunday, the 9th day Of November,
late in the afternoon, it became evident that
the city was filling up with suspicious char
scters, some of whom were prisoners Of war
and soldiers of the rebel army, that Capt.
Hines, Col. Grenfel and Gel. Marmaduke
were here to lead, and that Brig. General
Walsh, of the "Sons of Liberty" had or
dered large numbers ofmembers Of that Or
der from the Southern portion of Illinois,
to cooperate with them.
Adopting measures which proved effective
to detect the presence and identify the per-
sons of the officers and leaders, and ascer-
tain their plans, it was manifest that they
had the means of gathering force consid-
ersbly larger than the little garrison then
guarding between eight and nine thousand
prisoners of war at Camp Douglas, and that,
taking advantage of the excitement. and the
large number of persons who would ordi-
narily fill the streets on election night, they
intended to make night attack on and sur
prise tnlS camp, reiease ana arm tne prlS-
oners of war, cut the telegraph wires, burn
the railroad depots, seize the banks and
stores containing arms and ammunition, take
possession Of the city, and commence a cam
paign for the release Of other prisoners of
war in the States of Illinois and Indiana,
thus organizing an army to effect and give
success to the general uprising so long con-
templated by the ''Sons Of Liberty"
The whole number of troops for duty at
Camp Douglas on that day were as follows:
sih regiment Veteran Reserve Corps, Lieut.. Col
L. @. Skinner, commanding ................ 273
18th regiment Veteran Reserve Corps Lieut.. Col.
Martin Flood, commanding ''''''.''''..'... 3T
2&th Ohio battery, Lieut. James w, Gamble, com
manding' .''.'''"'''''''..'''.-.. 146
Making total Of. ef..................,.... 766
To guard s, ,352 prisoners of war confined in
the garrison square at this camp, by fence
constructed ofinch- boards, twelve feet high.
The election was to take place on Tues
day. the 9Th, two days thereafter.
By doferring action rill the night of Mon
Day, the 7th inst, probably all the officers