The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1865-06-15
sTROUDsBURG, MONROE COUNTY, PA JUNE 49, 1866.

Ccu W Iue ITlDune the l0CenOeQ raid o.
st. Albans and the proposed assassination
: OF the President; but they refused to pub
llsh the letter. did this in March last
as to the Presidents assassination ais
in February, l Enthusiastically befor
the 4th of March. Surratt delivered th
dispatches in Thompson's room four O.
i've days before the assassination. Th
, whole conversation showed that Surrat
! was one of the conspirators to take tht
Presidents life. That was the substanc,
OF the conversation. 1t was also under
stood that there was plenty of money
when there was anything to be done
The conversation indicated that Surrat
had very few days before left Richmond
that he was s.just from Richmond"
While [ was in Canada, l was a cor.
respondent for the Tribune, and received
no compensation except from the Tribune
have not received one cent from our
own Government, nor the promise.
They never supposed l was cores.
pondent for any paper I only said was
seeking items they supposed [ was a
Rebel and l was in their confidence the
proposed Ogdensburg raid was printed in
the Tribune 1 did not communicate this
matter directly to the Government, for
the reason that [ supposed the commu-
nication in the Tribune would be seen by
the Government officials, and [ did not
choose to have the information 60 to the
Government dire city from me l reques-
ted Mr.. Gay, of the Tribune to give the
information to the Government, and [ be-
lieve he did so. [ saw Surratt in Cana
da three or four days in succession in A
pril last. [ had conversation with him
personally about Richmond. was in
troduced TO him personally by San
ders. was expected to participate with
these in the raid on Ogdensburg; | nev-
er received any pay from them for any
services. heard the capture of the
President talked of in February. When
Mr.. Thompson first suggested the assas-
sination to me, [ asked him if it would
meet with the appreciation of the Govern
ment at Richmond; he said he thought
1t 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 l know
Of no others I only inferred that that
was the first approval; Thompson said,
in his conversation with me, that killing
a tyrant in such case was no murder,
and asked me if | had read letter called
killing, no Murder" addressed by Ii
tus to Oliver Cromwell this was in Feb
ruary Mr.. Hamlin was also named in
February as one of the victims of this
scheme; in April, the persons before nam
ed were mentioned, but Mr.. Hamlin was
omitted, and Vice President Johnson put
in his place | ran the blockade from
these commissions were all
blank but the signature they were to be
given a cover, so that in case of detection,
the parties employed could claim that
they were Robel soldiers, and would,
therefore, claim to be treated as prison
ers of war it was understood that they
would be protected as such; Thompson
said if the men who were engaged in this
enterprise were detected and executed,
The Confederate Government would re-
taliate that it was no murder, only kill
ing | think booth was specially commits
stoned for this purpose; | saw Booth in
Canada in the latter part of October, with
at Mr. Thompson's, at the st.
Lawrence Hall, where he was strutting a.
bout, dissipating and playing billiards I
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 a.
gents of these rebels in Canada to destroy
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
generally. Mr.. Thompson remarked that
there was plenty of force, and the city
would be destroyed by general confa-
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, and large number of
men concealed, in Chicago-some eig bit
hundred-for the purpose of releasing the
rebel prisoners there. The DR.. Black
burn, charged at Nassau with importing
yellow fever into this country, is the same
person referred to by me as intimate with
Thompson in Canada; / saw him in COM
pany him, G. N. Sanders, Louis
Sanders, Castleman, VIM. Cleary, Por-
ter6eld, Capt. Magruder, and number
of other Rebels of less note; Blackburn
was recognized there as an agent of the
Confederate States, and SO represented
himself in January last DIR. Blackburn
employed person named Cameron to ae-
comp pany him, for the purpose of intro
ducing yellow fever into the Northern
cities to Wit the cities of New York,
Philadelphia, 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,