The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-07-14
suited MS purpose to seek me he had no trouble in

! nndinR me.
What was to seek him for? I had no
business with him. Whilst l regarded him
as having committed great error, a most
inercusable Uunder, yet having then no
reason to doubt his moral tirmness to resist
the force of public opinion; having then nc
reason to doubt the fidelity of his profes-
sons of loyalty to the Union, or of his
firmness to maintain with manly dignity, in
defiance of all opposition, the faith he
avowed; having then no thought or reason
to suspect that in week (or three days
believe it was) from that time he would bc
in the military service of the cause he had
so strongly condemned, and fighting against
a government he had so well defended
my synpdthieS uere nH in his behalf. Still
there was no reason why should have
sought personal intercourse with him.
whom | knew to be personally strongly
hostile to me. He continues:
| That there was nothing in our relations to pre-.
vent him from communicating with me, Is manifest
| from the fact that when he was arrested oy the
Confederate authorities In 1852 he selected me al
| counsel for his defence.
Mr.. Baldwin seems to have travelled
considerably out of the record to bring the
fact to light that had applied to him for
|
taken in the time, circumstances, and rea-
sons for this application as he is in every.
thing else he has said on the subject.
did not select Mr.. Baldwin or anybody
else to defend me at the time of my ar
rest. Nor should I ever have thought OF
addressing Mr.. Baldwin on this subject
but for the circumstances now to be men,
toned. was arrested on the I'd of March,
hurriedly conducted to an unswept negro
Jail thrown into solitary confinement; cut
off from all communication with the out
side world not allowed to seek counsel ;
kept in a state of profound ignorance OF
the real charges or suspicious upon which
my Imprisonment was based. Benjamin,
the dirty little creature, under whose ad-
ministration of the War Department had
been arrested, was transferred to the De-
partment of State, with nothing to do but
receive the peoples money, play bluff,
and write prOclamations in the name
of his master for thanksgiving days, on
which to pray that the Lord would
be son oar Side"; which the Lord
decidedly, wisely, and graciously declined.
Mr.. George W. Randolph had succeeded
the immaculate Benjamin, and | had ad-
dressed him letter demanding an invcsti-
CATION of any charge they had to bring
against me. I had then been confined for
some three or four weeks, and had no one
friendoM of prison that was not afraid OF
| pttimy into one by urging my right to a
trial. About this time Mr.. Baldwin, a
member of the Confederate Congress, Of
fered some resolution, declaring in effect
that citizens who had been arrested and
| imprisoned (of whom there were at that
time from one hundred and fifty to two
| hundred in the same prison with mel were
entitled 10 know the charges against them,
As well as To speedy trial. | never had
an idea that il was offered i'll reference to
me particularly; indeed, had more rea-
son 10 believe that if had been the only
one confined, no such resolution would ever
have been offered but as. he seemed, by
! his resolution, to feel an interest IN the
general effect of such confinement of Citi-
zcns without charges preferred or trials
granted, thought he would be suitable
| person to engage professionally to obtain
| for me all asked and wanted; and that 'rnS
a trial. Upon the trial had no counsel,
and did not want any, ercept for Single
day, when, by the sudden exposure after
such long and close confinement, ! was
seized with violent neuralgia in the head,
which untitled me for any duty, and SEM
| out to get some one to take my place: but,
strange 10 say, after making some dozen
applications, / did not find one that was
not SO oreruhelmed ,ciM business, or from
motives of deijcacy declined the JOb. In
! this situation | had to attend to my own
/ busincss-whcthcr fees were so abundant
or public opinion and prejudice so strong as
10 forbid their attendance in such case
! this deponcnt is not prepared to say; he
only saith it was very singular exception
to the general rule and practice of law
yers. However, it was under the clrcum-
stances before related Ton seeing this reso-
luton offered by Mr.. Baldwin, that / sent
! him a note requesting his professional aid
| in procuring me trial, which he declined
/ for the reason given in his pamphlet, which
! did not then, nor do / now doubt, were
honest and sincere but he took occasion
| to say to Mr.. Charles II. Lewis, by whom
nv note was sent, that "Mr. Bolts was
under no obligation to him for the resolu-
ton, as it was intended for general appli-
cation, and had no particular reference to
him or his case" of which / was fully
satisfied before so that he was really more
indebted 10 me for the compliment | paid
him than l was to him personally for the
resolution.
Why any parade should now be made O.
my forgettulness of the circumstance, o.
if had shown great want OF gratitude, Il
beyond my comprehension. he says: =" l.
what passed between us in this connection
has been forgotten by Mr.. Bolts, certainly
have no disposition to remind him OF 1t =
notwithstanding this disclaimer be goes
| somewhat out of his way TO do it) 'but
must admit that it was brought freshly te
nv mind when ! heard, pending my ap.
plication for pardon, that Mr.. Bolts had
declared in Washington and elsewhere thai
sif the President knew me as well as he die
he would not pardon me at all, as | wa:
more responsible than any other man tol
all the blood that had been shed in tht
war; -
In this | can plainly see the hand of
mischief.maker if anybody told Mr.. Bald
win that | ever said this during the pen
dency of his application for pardon, or tha
moved q finger to defeat the pardon, n
was told what was absolutely untrue; ant
this could be verified both by the Presl
dent and the Attorney General if | chos
to trouble them about it. | have otteI
said, if any application had been made I
me to endorse the memorial for Mr.. Bald
wins pardon, would not have refused il
Notwithstanding what l thought OF MI
Baldwin's responsibility, which at tina
time ! ascribed more to a want OF SCUM
Judgment and discretion than anythin
else. That might have made this remar
utter the pardon ,cas granted to the frien