The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-04-30
who Planned she Assassination ,

rebel leaders COutrlved, authorized, or
viii openly approve the assassination
of President Lincoln, j. s. cues uCu 10
which we cannot yet give o. direct an
swer. The evidence IN the case ls col
lateral and illustrative rather than
positive When Preston S. Brooks, Of
South Carolina, assaulted and tried 10
murder Charlie Summer. we OF JAc
North said The south W-L aenOuuce
/ that act as coWarGly sla Infamous but
on the contrary the Sogtl ny her news
| papers and public uHL without one
exception applauded lL Since, then,
| beside making war on the Republic tIe
South has eviuced It's -s-sisu hatred
Of the North by the atrocities CONT
| ted on our dead soldiers at Bull Run,
by the massacre at 3fiiGEen's Bend
and Fort Pillow, by the systematic cru
elites inflicted on our pTisoueEs, by the
Alabama outrages, by the st. Alhlns
and other piracies on the border, by
| the hotel-5urning plOts And so fsr as
threats went, there has been abundant
| evidence that assassination "as deem.
| ed an equally legitimate and Jus-lhsble
method of warfare. The acvea.ae-
ment and editorials, appearing repeat
ed unreouked in Southern papers, pro-
posing rewards for the murd s- or kid
mapping of Mr.. Lincoln, show that the
| rebel leaders did not object to such
! schemes, though they may r0J-or
may-have melted them.
The event reminds Us Of certain let.
ters published in our columns last year
from a correspondent who he'd for some
| time been On duty inside the wgr otLlc-
atRichmond, and whC, escaping TO Wash.
! ington, sent US thence O great deal of
valuable and timely information. He
wrote subsequently from Canldar dis
| closing and thereby preventing more
| than one scheme for a murderous tOray
across the border. He toretoid the
Mot which eliminated ia New York Ia
the attempt to fire the hotels And be
revealed the particulars Of @ c00spirs-
| cy to kidnap President Lincoln, which
! the following details viii show TO have
been considered and approved by the
rebel President, Secretary Of State
| and Secretary Of War. We quote ~ full
a passage from a letter published IN
| the Tribune of March - 1904
an a former communication / stated
that a plan had been submitted to the
Rebel Wa Department boy Col Mar
grave, who had been for q considerable
time an EN- ss}ry in the North, 70
kidnap President Lincoln aud carry
! him to Richmond or II 30 should ba
found impossible 20 escape with nlm 20
the rebel lines, to ossasslnata him. oT.
ing to q change in the position ia the
armies about this time the plan p-o,
posed was rendered impract.ca5le.
In the early part Of November, and
only q few days before ne was sent
north, Col MarErave submitted auoth
er plan, the details of which may bS
interesting to the reader To give J1s
plan in minutia would occupy JoC
much space, and digest OF it val
prove quite ineligible.
One hundred and Fifty picked mel
were 10 go secretly North and tax,
quarters in Washington, Georgetown
! baltimore end Al xlndrIs, so as 10 b,
able to communicate daily with each
other, and, upon a day fixed by theu
leader, were to assemble IN Washing
ton for the purpose Of making the se.z
ure. The President, 10 was clsimed
could be easily seized sc d private hJu
at the White House, or IA going 70 o
returning from church, or on som,
other favorable occasion, and tLrug
into 3 carriage and driven off Tit
carriage was 10 be Joined s. few mile
out Of the city by p or 80 armed mel
) on horseback. IL was proposed 70 driv
] to Indian Point, about p miles souti
! of Washington, on the PJr0naC-.v,
or three relays OF feet horses be.0.
stationed on the wGv-whe7s q boa
was TO bo in waiting 10 cross the river
; and land the captive @ few miles sou-
, ! Of Occoquau, when j, would ue au ezs
p matter for his captUIs 20 work their wa
with him through the woods by nigh
, into the rebel lines To prevent pm
2 suit, every bridge between HCsblag
! ton and Indian Point Yves 10 be wlla
, | beforehand, sud blown up ss soon g
the captive and his c1p.ors had eros
sed. Huge trees were also % be read
S cut and thrown across the road IN ".
2 rious places as soon 8s they had passed
, by men stationed along Tor tire pui
pose, who were afterwari 20 ssparat
and escape Sc best they could
E The Secretary Of War thought tbi
!. scheme might succeed; but he ooubte
whether such 8 proceeding would be q
a military character and ius.ta6l
, under the laws Of war Ee pr0mises
q however. to consult the President en-
o Mr. BENJAMIN; bat Whist c1uclus-J
, was arrived az I am unable with ce
!. tainty to say. About 6 week. howeve
after the plan was submitted. and th
e same day that Col Margrsve lets %
{ the North, asked Er Wexford. VII
Is familiar with all the secrets Of tL
Department, If the plan had bee
adopted, and be answered, "Eou VI
; see Old Abe here IN tbs spring a3 su.
+ as God A few DAYS afserWard / vi
e, sent to Atlanta, sndnever returned
= Richmond 70 hear about the matter
:, But this ia not the only scheme I
q any means that hss been devised
b kidnapping our President Last Sul
d mer club or society OF wealthy cit zei
4 Of Richmond was formed Tor the 90
pose Of raising fund for this objr,
= Circulars we're sent 70 trustworthy ci
Is zens in every other city and iownln :.
le COnfedersey,in inviting gc0operauOu II G
q grand undertaking, aud an immeu
sum Of money was subscribed T.
4 firm Of Merry & Co, bankers, ia Ric
y mond, subscribed $1,000, and SUNNI
,r a Arents, auetioneers, subscribed $50
a. and / have heari on good author.
that there were several ia the capit
l' who subscribed more literally than :
d, parties named, but who they were
- aiS -. iaer,, Or,a raaF, Of lg,arlastr