, 1865-06-04
TIE TRIAL OF TUE ASSASSINS.
The Completely II JEFF Davis in the
Muldsr Of Pre,ioent Lincoln.
EXTENT OF TUE CONSPIRACY DEVELOPED


SANFORD Conorcs tcstined ~ follows: I
sm Iatsvc oi New IbrA: hayc resided in
Canada s!Ic: Octoovs last; was C 'nscrlpted
In 10 tho Confederate army, AVID detailed to
Etryice in the war depsrtlnrut Of the Conf J.
c1acy, a. Hithmond, under Jants a, Scddon,
Se&rttAry ut Wxr. "utlc fu Cabu5n, WAS In
t.uatcly acquainted With G. n. S.urd ,rs,
+Jnclb b Ttu,i,l .s.,n, Or. k:as k'urp, Tuckrr,
YIN. 9. G'rary: csr,ain Ca.tlein4o. Mr.;
tthcrs. Ia'to In, " cl,m nj C. Clay, and
G,nrra1 Gu roll. Of Tennessee. Ikpew Mt.
SurTatt, ulsu, ss1sd j. W. BosIth. aud visited
,htfc Gent'emtu 10 Csn~da. Saw surr1.s
there OF several occatiope, last April. in Mr..
Jstot 1htmpson's room elsa in Company
C.usda. surratt l. about five feet ne or
ten inthes b Gh, q fair complex optd man with
lpht hair. eAw lin about the 9th or 7th Of
April. w1'h Saunders AID Boob. At that
time be delivered 10 Thompson in bis room,
in my piest nee, dispatches from Richmond,
to 1ht mpson, from Benjamin. and ir.'m Jet
ferfcn Day6; The Litter either cipher dis
patch or litter. BenJsmn was Secretary IF
State Of the Confede erncy. Previous to tnis,
Thompson tonyrrsed with me upon the subject
e a plot to assss.nate President Lincoln and
bis Cabinet, of which gave notice hefDre the
assassination, In the Nrw York 1ri5vne, the pa.
Fer for which l corresptnded. had been
}
Tint enterprise. Wien Sunatt delivered
these dispatches from Dayis, Thompson laid
bis hand upon The papers and said, referring
to the ntea eaEeipatitn md to The assent of the
1tbel authorities, This makes the thing all
right" -. ,--.
assaEs.nated: Mr. Lincoln Mr. Johnson, the
Eecretary Of War, thc Secretary Of Safe,
Judge Clatc and General Grant. Mr. Thomp:
ecn tald on that occasion, or On the day br.
tore that interview. that tue ASSASSINATION
proIostd would leave 1hr Government Of the
Gnilcd States entirely without head that
there WAS no provision In th. Constitution Of
nnettcr President. ME. Welses wns nlso
named, but Ms. Thompson 81 It was not
worth While to XII him he was Of no con-
sequence. My lre: 1Ltcfr,ew with Thomps IN
on this suijrct OF assass:nstfon was In the
early part Of lost February, in Thumpson's
tlen spoke OF raid eu Ogdenshure, New
York. 1t was abardnued, hut that was be-
cause the United Sta ce Govcinmt ut received
iptornatt Of 1t. HE eald be would have to
11ol. 1t for Iiue, hut added, ''Wc'll catch
item asl.tp get" aud 10 u,e be said. There
self. AID save your country" meaning the
Co, fede:acy. told them was ready to do
a1sthirE 10 eayc the country. md asked
Them what was to be done. lie said. Some
OF our boys are going 10 play grand joke on
abe und andy" which he said wast to kill
them :; bis words were ''!emoye them IRON
flee" Bnd be taid that the Killing Of ty-
1aut was not murder; teat hc bad commis-
sions tor this work from tue rrtel auihozl-
1Its, d conf RED one on Booth o. would
confer one that everybody engaged In this
enterprise wauld BE- commSssi ned, and II
they cecapfd 70 Canada they c nld not be
successfully claimed under the Ext.ad,tion
Treaty. l know that ThcmpFon and the
others held their commissions in bank. They
Commissioned Bennett Young, the St A1taus
r,ilrr, II was a blank commission, slll.d up
and conferred hy Mr. Clay. AS II came t,
tEtm from Richmond it was only signed
Flames A. seddop, Secretary Of War" Mr..
so 1hut might testify TO the gcnuincnrss Of
Scddnn's signature ID The case Of Bennett
Young, before Judge Smith. The signature
WIS genuine. In subs qus Mt conr.rsation,
alter the t1rst referred to In February,
TEomps.n told me that Booth had been COM
n,iEsiontd, and every 1Ran who would engage
in 1t would be. had a conversation With
VIM. c. Cltary, on the day before, or the day
Of the ASSASSINATION, at st. Lawrence Eall,
We were speaking OF the rejoicing In the
Stntce evcr the surrender OF Lee and tue cap
,prc Of Richmond. Cleary said they would
mouth 10 day or TWO. think this was the
Cay before The assassination. He koew was
In the E,cfct OF tho conspiracy. It was Ia
that nc rcftr1sd. The assassination was
spoken OF among rs as commonly as th.
weather.
Kciure that, Sanders asked INC If knew
Honsl very we'll, and exp.essti aomr arptc.
lrus;on that Booth. would make tlzzls oft
that he WIS desperate aud reckless, and he
was nlruid that the whole thing wn,,ld be o
tn!Iurc. communicated to the Tribune the
intended rntd IN St. A!lnus. and the proposed
assassination Of the Pr sidcut but they re-
alto, In Fehrna1y, tlipk: certainly before
the 4tti Of March. SusIott delivered tht
dls,atchcs In Themp.ou's room four or flvs
days before the assassination. The Who'll.
| conversation showed that SurEatt was one q
the ccnsp1raiore to take the Presidents life
| was also understood that there Was plenty o
| money, when ttcie was ANYTHING to be dane
| The conversation Indicated flat Sutralt had
a 1ery lew days before, lett Richmond thai
| he was Just from R'chmand."
While lwas IN Canada, was correspond
| cnt for tie 1iiounr, 4nd received no co1npen
sation except from She Tribune. I hare no
received one cent frum our own Government
nor tue promise.
They rcrrr supposed was correspondent
for any paper; only said WAS seekin!
itsms. They supposed vas rebel, and
arrsburE raid was printed in he 1r;1une.
| did not cou munIcnte this matter dircctl,
to tht GaTtinmcnt. for the reason that sup
posed the Communication IN the 7flbua
would he seen ,t,y the G"vernnen
etlicia1s, and did not choose 70 hav
MN, directly from me. ! requested II,
Cry Ct the Tribune, 10 give tho information
to the Government, nn.i l,tlevc he did So
saw Surratt in Canada tbrcc or four Days Il
successtcn in April last. ! had convcrsaiio
with him, personally, ab b'ut Richmond.
cxpt c.ed to participate with these rebels I
tho raid on OGdensbu1gh. I never receive
my pay from ihc1o for any services. hra1
| tLe capture Of The President talked Of in Eel
| 1uary. Nhsn Mr.. 1homps IN ilrst succes,c
the aseassinutfon to mc. | asked h,m If
e1nm Mt ut Richmond he said be thought
". mid, INIT hr would know in few day;
This was early in February.
Thompepn did not say In April, when thes
dispatches were telise' ed, that this Was th
first app.csal they had received Of this pic
fltm Kicllmrtd, hut know Of no others.
only inftrrtd that tha. IVES the first appyova
Thompson said, In Ills conversation with mt
slat killing d tyrant III slich 4 case was n
n,u,d.r, and afked me If had read n lei
ter called "'k'l!ing, no Murdes,h address,
hy Titus to Oliver C:omwcll. This WAS
February. MIR. Hamltn was also named
F.arunry rs onr Of tbc victims If this sche,ut
n.s,.ti' II, Il, hut Mr.. lIamlin was omitted nn
! Vicc President johnson put in his place.
ian the blockade fr,'m Richmond. Thes
commissions Wrre oil blank hut the si.n1
tuse: they were tu tc given US cover, s
that in casr OF detection, tlc parties emp OF
d could c1niin that thly were rc5e1 soldier.
ind would. therc:crc. claim to be treated a
prisoners Of war. 1t was understood tbs
| tl.vy weuld ne protected as such. 7hompso
| said If tue mttn who were engaged in this en
trlrisc werr detected and executed the cor
Geeratr government would 1ttal'atc; that
vas no mn,der, only killing. think Boot
WAS slnci4!l, con,niss' ored for this p ,r{ % (
OrttfcE, with Sond.re, at Mr.. Thompson
ut tie 81. Law renee Hall, where be was s,ru.
t,rg shout, dsesipatirE ard playing billiard
have hrnrd ttcse men talk ot the hurn!llg Q
New York, ahd o. her cnt.rpris.s " hich the,
hare untltr nsidc!at.on now.
There was proposition hcforc the agent
OF fhcst rctcss IN Eapada to destiny the Gro
1tu Dam, by which The city of New York |
SUI rii,d ~,tn water. 1t wss supposed
w,'ni.lr ot on,S 1au,s:e m manulaetnrrs, bn: dis
II ss the people generally. Mr.. 1homrs J,
remarked II Ut there WAS Ilctty ocfo:cr, M,
itsra;lcn, aud. It they had Ih,nyh, OF ,hi
sctrer, they might have SAVED u great ula1,
n.Gks. THIS was sald few werks nea
| Thompson, Sanders, Casilvmau and Gtncfa
ca' ruil wt'e present. They had arm
and large Lumn.r Of men conc. .aled
IL ChicAsc--scme tight ud,ctl-:or IL
ru.rcee Of rtKasing the rebel prisoner
there.
t,lte nr. Blackburn rharssd st Nassau Wit
importing yellow fever Iuta this country, i
thr same ierst referred to by nc a. insinat
| with 7hoMl,sor. In Canada. I saw him i
eon.Iany with hic,. G. y. sanders. Ions SAT
l!ts. Castl.nlap. Wu'. {. Cl,ary, Portrr0rld
Carta Il Macrudsr, and number Of othc
.ystis OF lass note. Blackburn was Iecoc
piz.d there as An agent # the Conteierat
Stats. and 80 ltr:cstuted himself In Janl
AIRY 1ast pr. blackburn employed tesso
l IN. Al.