The New York herald., 1866-07-11

u
N darcc moth ngn That benjamin replied, "No II
any Af you captured and the Yankees threaten To
nag s9S we WIN give s a.naee ze @ ~ sseosa IN
retaliation" That Davis responded "Yes you shall DO
fully protected The UNDERTAKING proposoa Is, unae,
harmony @ sSs with he laws f Of war; And again he
illustrated with query @surrosc two or ihrea Yam
kecs should steal into my house and without warning
kill me, there be any doubt that their government
would applaud and protect em and feclare hsr onpot
again claimed in that Il was Just Ike falling upon and
surprising camp and putting the foo 70 the sword win
Out giving hlm lme 70 seize hs arms ana ge. 10 ino
bade The President and Secretary fare ana departed
Such, almost word for word. the deposition made by
statement OF what said aud done by DaTr and Ben
jamin after tho alleged presentation OF sneyei 10 tho
rebel chief fully coroboatod by sneve IN another
deposition made at the time, for the same Bureau
aud for the sarno end. A ssl
And here come to The most astounding part Of my
disclosure. This man William Campbell" aud Ills friend
- ''Sneve" whose first name, or rather alias, do
not remember, on being brought beioc she Judiciary
Committee for examination knoxledgod that the above
did not belong them but were actiiious that
they had never been in the rebel service nor In Rich.
mond that they had never soon Davis Benjamin, or
surrai in their lives; that they had never heard OF any
plot 70 destroy Lincoln until alter his death; that there
was not word Of truth in tho dspostons !hcy nads
for the Bureau OF Military Justice but that tbcy made
such dcposons for pecnnary reward, being hrst fur
nshed tb tho statement they desired to swear 10
and commttng II 70 memory for the purpose; aud thai
" the ether parties, some seven or eight N number,
who made dispositions for the bureau referred -, every
one OF them d0pOseL under false names 10 Idv hialo
men6 for pecnniary considerations
The depoaitions OF the other witnesses under tho
assumed names Of Wright Williams, Patten, Dougiass,
Meredith, Knapp, 30. accused Davis OF compicity IN
tho assassination Just positively. and az nge
niously conc0ced those OF Campbell and Sneyel.
Having accomplished so much In the way OF procur ng
evidence the radical coDspTatoTe urged President John
with all their force TO appoint commission for the
trial or the distinguished cuiprt Campbell and other
'witnesscs' were taken before his Exceency and the
Cabinet In order that Their fTnnk dcmeanor and honor
able appearance could be Observed and were asked few
quesons By the President and eSnfnnd at considerable
length by Mr. Seward, to the apparent satisfaction Of all
that they were telling tho truth aud nothing but tho
truth The President as known, did not AT once ap.
point the comm ssioD, but be was prevailed on TO
call for tho opinion OF the Attorney General as 70
the legality and proprety Of trying by military
court parties Implicated in tho assass snaiIon, and
the Attorney General soon after gave the op MON
and the argument upon wh ch he based IL that II would
military court bat that II would be clearly Illegal and
improper 10 arraign them b,orc cvil tribunal Tho
radical ccnspirators regarded Davis good dis
posed OF, and licked their Jaws with giee.
But unfortunately for tbon. the Prcadcnt would no;
be hurried into ordering military rlal HIS penetrat-
ing eye had probably discovered something about Camp
bell and others plrad cd be him suicen convince
him that they were faslfying He knew Davis Wen
enough 10 know that he would descend 10 conspre al
murder at ALL IL would be only with mon OF honor that
kind OF honor 70 be found among thieves and bold dos
pcradocswho would sooner die than compromise them
selves their chef, and not with men Of Ignorance and
low standing. and comparatively unknown 10 HIN, like
the witnesses paraded who were Wiling TO s@ear 20
tesr own shame and beray ther master for thirty pieces
of silver.
Finding II Impossible to induce The President 10
woke military court FOR The innloation q the rebel
chef the radicals wcrc bitterly dsappo MED and
of them were furious. Thov determined, how not
70 be beaten altogether not ', throw aide a. worthless
trouble and expense, but possible 10 turn II 10
account With Mathiagclan adIoitnssa they conceived
scheme whereby, II they could not hang sr Davis
tbey cnuld al least load him With namy, aud thc
same time wrcak exquisite Vengeance President
johnson for declining 10 ad theft narerons s.sqp.
The process relied for The contamination Of lhis
double headed project remarkable for ts simplicity
The depostons of the spurious wInesses 10 be
served IN The Bureau of Military Justice, aud at
proper tinc rendered acc ssible to the press and
tho historian. None Of the alleged criminal pso eed
ings Of Davis SET forth in the numerous depoa-
tions, with the exception "a those pretended to
have occurred in tho presence of Benjamin " being
accused par icips c.imais would not be liayed.
susceptible Of RECITATION. all hs criminal couYena
tons and transactions being, as alleged In either the
presence Of prominent rebels since deceased aud the
witnesses, IN the presencu OF tho Witnesses Glone.
Davis could and would, therefore, be published tue
world as a monster anil murderer deserving " DO
cursed like Cam aud driven from Chris,ondom; aud
matter how much ho might s,y to ytndrate himself
how cloqueniy his friends migt exPasate hid Chris
lan character and h sense ~ honor threefonrts Of
hs coanirymen, aud posierty generally, woald beeve
TUT the radical conspraiors thoagh would encisaliy
dispose Of Days, aud DO as srcAia pm shneni as he
pnt n nsS s,rc they 10 reach Mr. seasar 10 had
already Tor his lcneBcy tpvnfd The rebel
leaders, and with cndeayorng for poiistcss purposes 10
ing atiate himself siih the ssuth aud they woali now
20 before tho country "a the argument tina h's failure
put Davis his trial for the murder of Lincoln, ~
face or the overwhelnnR evidence thai could have ben
brought against kii app arod from tie deposill0
in tho Bureau OF tary Justice was ths result Of big
desiro aud schpme obsain Tho friendship aud favor OF
tho South and of bis gratitude 10 Mr. Davis for remov
ing hs predecessor aid thus eisva1ns him 70 she ch's
Magisiracy of the nation, 80,
could have besu made Of all this against Mr. Jtheon Jtha
tho North What ply that - bssa,iI., Of ne
old adage that murder viii out