Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1866-08-09

A. Campbell, A. s. W.
The Committee also call attention 10 the
letter Of w. s. Oldham, addressed to JET.
ferson Davis. at Richmond. Feb. IL, 1865.
and reported at length in Pittmsn's Assss
sinstion Of President Lincoln, page 4s.-
The following are the Inducements upon
the letter Of w. s. Oldham, referred 10
above Hon. W. s. Oldham, Richmond,
Feb. II, 1865, in relation TO plans and
means for burning the eDemy's shipping,
towns. &c. Preparations are 10 the hands
of Prof McCuoch. and are known to only
one other party. Axis the President TO
have an interview with Gen. Harris. for.
merly member Of Congress from Mary.
land, on the subject. O. u
Second Endorsement. Secretary Of State.
st his convenience, please see Gen. Harris,
and learn what plan he has for overcoming
the difficulty heretofore experienced. Signed
j. D., February 20, 1865. Received Feb.
ruary i7,- 1865. -lSee Assassination of
President Lincoln Ben. Pi,tmsn, page4S J
These documents are conclusive upon the
point that Davis. and Benjamin. and Walk
er, in the years '6l. '62. '63, GA and '65,
received, entertained and considered, pre-
positions for the assassination Of the chief
men Of the Government of the United
States. and therefrom a probability arises
that they took steps to accomplish the pur-
pose which for so long period OF time they
entertained and considered.
The testimony thus far. adduced by the
Committee renders it certain that Surratt
was employed in the secret service OF the
rebel authorities of Richmond that he
probably received money in bis capacity as
agent from the State Department, and
hav I'd n tkot q ka
ceived by him were paid to Booth for the
commission of the crime of assassinating
the President.
Documentary Evidence in the possession
of the Government shows that the secret
service fund was in the sole custody and
under the exclusive control of Davis, and
that no money was paid from that fund ex-
cent by his authority.
This fact appears from the correspondence
Of Benjamin and Holcom6e, and it is con-
frmed as the settled policy of the rebel Gov
ernmeut, by correspondence between Ben
jsmin and Seddon, in JaDuary, 1865 Sed
don wrote a note to Davis, in which he says
he has received dispatch from Gen. Har.
dee requesting that he be furnished with
funds far secret service. - .--.
It thus becomes satisfactorily established
that no money could be drawn for the secret
service fund except by Davis himself.
The faot that Surratt was in the secret
service nf the State Department that be
was in Richmond on the 25,h of March
that be then had an interview with both
Davis and Benjamin that he returned to
Washington on the 81 of April and there
had in his possession a considerable SUM Of
money in gold; that he left for Canada and
returned again to Washington on the 18th
of April, and that his connection and COM
plicity with Booth in the assassination does
not admit of doubt, and presents mass of
connected testimony duplicating Davis di-
rectly in the assassination OF the President.
which in an ordinary trial for murder would
go very far toward the conviction Of the
person accused 1t il also a significant fact
that Booth, at the time of the assassination,
had in his possession the same cipher. which
was used by Benjamin. as appears in the
testimony given by Messrs. Dana and Eek.
ert. upon the conspiracy trial. rage 49,.
II is, to be sure, possible that Booth might
have obtained it from some agent OF the
Rebel State Department. But, connected
as he is by the testim ony with Davis and
Benjamin directly by his own visits 70 Rich
,mond, and indiEectly through Surrstt, the
circumstance that he was in possession of
the cipher used by Benjamin, in the Office
of the Secretary of State. leaves no room
to doubt that he obtained it from Benjamin
or Davis, and that it was the means by
which the secret correspondence between
the parties was carried on.
1t is not unimportant in this connection
to quote the words used by Davis when the
dispatch OFF ohm Q. Breckenridge. announce
ing the assa~ination of President Lin.
coin. was read hy him. Lewis +, Bates tes-
tilted that Davis remarked: well. Gener-
al, do not know if it were to be done at all,
it were better that it were well done; and if
the same had been done to Andy johnson,
the beast, and Secretary Stanton, the job
would then be complete" These are not
the words of man who was either grieyed
or surprised, but rather the unpremeditated
declaration of one who realizes that a crime
which he anticipated had been committed
but in part only. at a moment too late to
save a cause already rendered desperate by
the conflicts and disasters of war. .-..!
The testimony of Richard Monteomeryis
another of the witnesses here adduced. -
Montgomery said he had conversations with
Thomrson in 1864, and that Thompson
beasted that he could at any time have Lin
coin or his advisers put out of the way
ne nUutgOHtIyB y J &c pOeASu thc opu'SiSoNSu
to Clay. The latter EXPRESSED his concur
renee and approval Of the utterance. Meet
ing Tucker, after the assassination, the lat
ter said it was pity Mr.. I,incoln had net
been killed long ago; and Clay, Thompson's
confidential Secretary, intimated that they
intended to kill more than had been assas'
sinated. ss. a-. r., .1
They failed, however, to state to the com
mi tee any insucement or consideration
which seemed to the mmittee reasonable
explanation for the course they pursued, and
the committee are not at this time able tc
say, as the result OF the invest cations they
have made. whether the original statements
of these witnesses were true or false bui
the retrsotions made by some Of them de
ptive them of ali cloims to credit, and theil
statements so far impeached er thrown ont
I upon the evidence given by other witnesses,
whose afidavits were taken by judge Holt,
that the Committee, in the investigation:
they have made and 10 this report, have
disregarded entirely the Testimony of all
those persons whose standing has been SO
i'm mpeached. 'H oh.
On the other hand. the Committee have
relied very largely upon documents found IN
the rebel archives, aud have introduced only
the testimony Of those persons whose repu
tation for truth and veracity has not been
\ impeached by any of the Investigations tina
1. 90 h.o, ,nadaf Nor has II been the nur