Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1865-06-16

Sanford Gonover testified as follows
[ am native of New York; have resided
in Canada since October last; was con-
scripted into the Confederate army, and
detailed to service in the war department
of the confederacy, at Richmond, under
James A. Seddon, Secretary of war
While in Canada, was intimately acquain-
ted with @. N. Sanders, Jacob Thomp-
son, DIR. Blackburn, Tucker, VIM c.
Cleary, Captain Castleman, Mr.. Cameron,
Porterfeld, Captain Magruder, and 9TH
ers. l also knew Clement G. Clay, and
General Carroll, of Tennessee. knew
Mr. Surratt, also, and j. W. Booth, and
visited these gentlemen in Canada. Saw
Surratt on several occasions, last April,
in Mr.. Jacob Thompson's S room; also in
company with George N. Sanders, and
other rebels in Canada. SuFratt is about
five feet nine or ten inches high, a fair
complexiOned man with light hair. |
saw him about the 9th or 7th of April,
with Thompson, Sanders and Booth
At that time he delivered to Thompson
in his room in my presence, dispatches
from Richmond to Thompson, from Ben
jamin, and from Jefferson Davis; the lat
ter either a cipher dispatch or a letter.
Benjamin was secretary Of state Of the
confederacy. Previous to this, Thomp-
son conversed with me upon the subject
of plot to assassinate President Lincoln
and his Cabinet, of which I gave notice,
before the assassination, in the New
Y ork Tribune, the paper for which | cor
responded. I had been invited by Mr.
Thompson to participate in that enter
prise. When Surratt delivered these dis
patches from Davis, Thompson laid his
hand upon the papers and said, referring
to the assassination and to the assent of
the rebel authorities, "this makes the
thing all right" The dispatches spoke of
the persons to be assassinated: Mr.. Lin
coin, Mr.. J Johnson, the Secretary of War,
the Secretary of State, Judge Chase and
General Grant. Mr. Thompson said that
on that occasion, or on the day before
that interview, that the assassination pro-
posed would Leave the Government Of the
United States entirely without a head;
there was no provision In the Constitu-
ton of the United States by which they
could elect another President. Mr..
Welles was also named but Mr.. Thomp-
son said it was not worth while to kill
him; he was of no consequence. My
first interview with Thompson on the
subject of the assassination was in the
early part of last February, in Thomp-
sons room in st. Lawrence Hall, Mont
real He then spoke of raid ON Ogdens-
that was because the United States Gov
ernment received information Of it. He
said he would have to drop it for a time,
but added, "We'll catch them asleep yet,
and to me he said, ''There is a better op-
portunity to immortalize yourself, and
save your country" meaning the confed-
eracy | told him l was ready to do any
thing to save the country, and asked them
what was to be done. He said, ''some of
ON hoT fC,V nj in lya
on Abe and Andy" which he said was
to kill them; his words were remove
them from Office" and he said that the
killing of tyrant was not murder that
be had commissions for this work from
the rebel authorities, and conferred one
on Booth, or would confer one that
every body engaged in this enterprise
would be commissioned, and if they es-
capped to Canada they could not be sue
cessfully claimed under the Extradition
Treaty. / know that Thompson and the
others held these commissions in blank
They commissioned Bennett Young, the
st. Albans raider It was a blank COM
mission filed up and conferred by Mr..
Clay As it came to them from Rich
mond it was only signed James A. Sed-
don, Secretary of War" Mr. Thompson
called me to examine these blanks so
that might testify to the genuineness of
Seddon's signature in the case of Ben
nett Young, before Judge Smith. The
signature was genuine. In a subsequent
conversation, after the first referred to
in February, Thompson told me that
Booth had been commissioned, and every
man who would engage in it would be.
[ had a conversation with VIM @. Cleary
on the day before, or the day of the as
sassination, at St. Lawrence Hall. W ej
were speaking of the rejoicing In the
State over the surrender of Lee and the
capture of Richmond. Cleary said they
would have the laugh on the other side
of the mouth in a day or two. L thing
this was the day before the assassination.
He knew / was in the secret of the con-.
spiracy It was to that he referred.
The assassination .cdS spoken of among
as as commonly as the a0eGtheY.
Before that, Sanders asked me if |
knew Booth very well, and expressed
some apprehension that Booth would
make fizzle of it; that he was desperate
and reckless, and he was afraid that the
whole thing would be failure. [ COM
municated to the Tribune the intended
raid on ST Albans, and the proposed
assassination of the President; but they
refused to publish the letter. I did this
in March last. as to the Presidents assas-
sination; also, in February, think GER
tainly before the 4th of March. Surratt
delivered the dispatch in Thompson
room four or five days before the assas
sination The whole conversation show
ed that Surratt was one Of the cOnsplra
tors to take the Presidents life. That
was the substance of the conversation.
It was also understood that there was
plenty of money, when there was any
thing to be done The conversation in
dicated that Surratt had, very few days
before, left Richmond that he was "just
from Richmond
While | was in Canada, was cor
respondent for the Tribune, and received
no compensation except from the Trib-
une | have not received one cent from
our. own Government, nor the promise.
They never supposed | was CORES
pondent for any paper; l only said l was
seeking items. They supposed | was n
rebel, and | was in their confidence
The proposed 0gdepsburg raid was print
ed in the Tribune. l did not eommuni-
cate this matter directly to the Govern
ment, for the reason that | supposed the
communication in the Tribune would be
seen by the Government officials, and
did not choose to have the information
go to the Government directly from me.
| requested Mr.. Gay, of the Tribune, to
give the information to the Government,
and believe he did so. saw Surratt
in Canada three or four day in succession
in April last. had conversation with
him, personally, about Richmond. l was
introduced to him by Sanders. l was