New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-08-07

Hon. A. ], Rogers a member Of the judiciary
committee, to which was referred an investigation
IS to what completely, if any, Jefferson Davis,
Clement c. Clay, George n. Sanders, and others,
had in the assassination of Mr.. Lincoln, on Satur-
day made the following minority report to the
House of Representatives;
MINORITY REPORT OF A. j. ROGERS, MEMBER OF
THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, TO WHICH WAS Re-
FBRRED AN INVESTIGATION AS TO WHAT COM
PLIGITy, IF ANY, JEFFERSON DAVIS, CLEMENT c.
CLAY GEORGE N. SANDERS AND OTHERS, HAD IN
TIE ASSASSINATION OF Mr.. LINCOLN
When entered upon the duties OF this investi-
ration / did 50 with deep sense OF the impoT-
lance difficulty, and delicacy of the task imposed
upon the committee. The government, by the
offers Of enormous rewards and the wording of its
proclamations, spread over the landa belief that
Clement G. Clay, George n. Sanders, Jefferson
Davis and others, were, or might be, implicated
in the assassination Of the late President Abraham
Lincoln. The historic Importance and record OF
the accused were of character to make the truth
Of this charge disgrace not only to any one par
ticular section of the country but to the whole Of
it; and the additional crimes thereafter imputed
TO them were of that awful nature which when
thew are committed by men who have sat IN Its
high places blacken the civilization Of the nation
in which they were trained and preferred.
On the other hand, if it should turn out that
those charges had been lightly made, and without
satisfactory evidence as to q probability OF their
truth. the government so solemnly making them
must needs suffer in the esteem OF all good men,
as being lacking in GOODNESS during general eI-
element, and as sharing fear which 1t was It's
providence to dispel.
hSKnowinn the entire unreliability of any testi-
mony whose origin cannot be traced beyond
professional detective, especially when large re-
wards stand out in placarded prospective, deter
mined as far as in me lay, to give to every shred
of evidence presented as thorough an eSamlna-
ton as might be capable of hestowing upon it
aud IN this spirit, with desire to convict or tc
acquit anyone capable of mastering my wish tc
ednce the truth, tried to ascertain it; and this
report is the result of the effort.
For some reason or reasons not fully stated, the
majority of the committee determined to throw IN
my way every possible impeachment, not only IN
any assistance | might try to render them In
what considered a common task upon us by the
House. but even in my working out any conclusion
for myself when it became evident that IN TINS
thing they not only, would have none OF my assls-
lance or fellowship, but resented deeply any at
tempt Of mine to render any.
felt must work out my own convictions, rot
with the committee, butin spite of it, The papers
were put away from me, locked in boxes, hidden /;
and when 1 asked to see them, was told, day
after day, and week after week, that could not.
All sorts of reasons were assigned for this, some
times one, some times another; and, finally, was
told should not.
The House will reeollect brought the matter
before it and that the Speaker decided was not
entitled to see the papers on which my opinions,
as member of that committee must be based, till
such time as the other members of the commit
tee chose to allow me, by saying they were done
with them; and it was not till IL O'Clock yester
day that / was allowed freely to look through
them and derive any knowledge, based upon ex
animation, for the purposes OF this report. Il
was said the interests of the government required
4 that none should see these papers save and only
Mr.. Boutwell, the honorable member from Maasa
chusetts, who was preparing the majority report
felt hurt at this but should not have alluded tt
this strange action on the part of the committee
but that twas necessary to explain any lack Of
brevity and clearness thai may be apparent in por
tons in the whole, of this report, which, await
ing the right to see the papers, or rather, the
power / did not commence till too late. If
therefore, this report be longer than it need to
have been or if it be less clear than such report
ought to be- the cause must be found in those rea-
sons which induced my colleagues Of the commit
tee to endeaYOr to keep me in the dark till it was
too late for me to use the light.
As the members of the committee are members
Of the House, i will not presume to say they had
any fear Of Investigation of their dOugs in then
examinations. AS they are gentlemen, and bound
by that character not to hide the truth or any
part Of it, win not say that they kept me in the
dark till the last hour, to prevent my making any
report at all but this must saw in Justice to my
privileges from which they excluded me, this re-
port would have been of more benefit to the cause
of justice aud of truth than / can now hope to
make it, I should also have accompanied the de-
the testimony, showing eOnclusiVely the existence
and fostering the hiring and the paying of the
most 9ctcked combination Of pe,jlers the 1gorld
has eUeT kn0t111.
me main portions Of the testimony alleged to
connect Mr.. Davis and others with the sssassina-
ton of Mr., lincoln were all taken in the absence
of Mr.. Davis and of any counsel for him, and of
any person capable of cross. examining and ex
planning the testimony. In the words Of the late
attorney general Most Of the evidence upon
which they are based was obtained ca paite, with
out notice to the accused and whilst they were in
custody in military prisons. Their publication
might wrong the government mark, the govern
ment not the accused. The secretary of war
February Tth, 1866 writes to the President that
the publication of the reports OF the Judge adyo
cate general on this matter is incompatible with
the public nterests.n Thisreport in the testimony
he quotes, will show that the interests Of the
country would never have suffered by the dispens
ing with Illegal secrecy, but thattte Interests and
fame of TIE Judge allocate general himself would
suffer IN the eyes of all the truthaoying and jus
people on earth.
Secrecy has surrounded and shrouded, not to
say protected ,fevery step of these examinations,
and even in the eommitteeeroom seemed to be
acting with sort of secret council of {aqttisioR
itself directed by an absent vice ineusitor and
grand inquisiter too. f-
Hew,such an IN American mode of procedure for
the discovery and prosecution of crimes cogniza-
BILE by the civil tribunals of the country could ever
exist in i, lind it impossible fully understand
or explain.
The substance of the testimony rendered before
the committee, Uigd 0oce and documentary, is
fresh 10 my memory, and also the result fsome of
the investigations made into its credibility 1T was
IN ascertanng the latter that found myself forced
t9 travel over the nebulous and extended region
of the so-called ASSASSIN trialn t
There are two reports Of this trisl-one ap-
proved by Mr.. Holt, revised by Mr. Burnett, aud
the associated press report, published by Peter
son 4 CO., of Philadelphia. Whatever 0f suspicion
may naturally attach to the fermer, none can to
the latter.
twill be remembered by the House that fonr
persons were hung by the unconstitutional tFiba-
nal referred to- and that it before this house,
court commission, or whatever you may choose
to call it, that Jefferson Davis was after the naiii-
tary manner charged with combining, conted-
Grating and eonapiring with Booth, surratt ct al,
The specification to the charge went still further
for that accused them with melting ane eneouTag-
ing John Wilkes Booth ct al.
At this trial the first and most important part Of
long tissue of falseh6eds was introduced TO con-
meet Mr.. Davis with the assassination.
The parties U1e0Hstittti0HGLg killed through
the subseryient fundamentally OF this s0,ealled
eouEt or commission were all charged with con-
spring with Davis, and it did seem strange to me
that neither they nor their counsel made such ex-
emnauon OF the witnesses to this as might have
however. 2
IN the progress Of that trial every precaution
tanght ~ ages Of experience and sanetifed by
authority was set aside r. -54I
The prisoners, said to have been melted to muir
der, by bullet by Infection, by arson and BY moi
SON. by Jefferson Davis, were brought to hear
tnese charges and specifications with irons upon