The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-07-13
angular Disclosures An Washington-
Ttne Assassination OF President Lin.
colu-sub0Fning Witnesses 20 Prove
the Consplictty Of jeff. Davis, re.

the CompIictty Of Jef. Davis, re.
| Correspondence Of the New York Herald.
The investigations OF the Judiciary Com.
mittce Of the House of Representatives in
relation to the alleged completely of jeff.
Davis, Clay, and others, in the murder OF
President Lincoln, have developed one OF
the most villainous conspiracies ever con-
cocted in the civilized world. Strange to
tell, it is not the conspiracy for the assas-
sination of President Lincoln and his
Cabinet, but an equally bloody and far
more cowardly and cruel one, TO murder,
| through the forms of law, cX-Prcsldcnt
Davis and others Of the detunct Coincide
racy.
This revelation will no doubt astound
the public. and well it may; but to none
who have observed the malignant and
ficudish spirit of the Radicals in Congress
and other high places will it seem lncredi-
bic. The Judiciary Committee, anxious
as most of its members are to suppress Inc
evidence it has deduccd, and screen the
conspirators from the opprobinm they
! Justly merit. will not venture r. deny my
aycrmcntS.
Whence or from whom derived the in
formation | am imparting need not, and
with propricty could not, be spcclilcaiiy
disclosed; but | may observe, for the &C.
neral interest of your readers, that at tins
carital there is no time equal to Il holiday,
and during Il session of Congress no hoii-
day equal TO the Fourth Of July for elicit
ing State secrets.
But to return to the conspiracy. The
Judiciary Committee, as soon as authorized
to investigate the charges against Mcssrs.
Davis, Clay, and others, sent for such per-
sons and papers as they had been led TO
believe would furnish eliminating evil
dcncc. The principal persons sent for had
already been examined Cr paftc in the Bu-
rcau OF Military Justice.
Immediately after the execution OF Mrs.
Surratt and her lcllow-culpritS, the Judge
Advocate General set TO work in dead
earnest to procure evidence for the con-
viction of Davis, Clay, and others, as CO.
conspiratorS. Several detectives were EN-
ploycd to hunt mp and hunt down every
person supposed to lave had any CORE
spondcnce or communication with the slls-
pcctcd parties, or any knowledge tending
directly or indirectly to connect them
with the conspiracy.
But, after week, OF industrious labor
and research, the detectives failed to dis
cover anything Of the slightest consc-
uucncc bearing upon the subject. This
result was communicated To the Radicals
in the Cabinet, and by them coniidcd 10
the leading Radicals-thcn about to as
scmblc-in Congress, and probably TO
many, certainly to Il few, celebrities Of
their faction not in any Office.
Another agent of great experience and
shrcwdncss was engaged to perform the
work which the others had failed 10 accom-
plish. lie was charged to find the ncccS-
sary witnesses at all hazards 10 proceed
q Ia Forncy, or in any way he deemed best
calculated TO insure success, but on no ac-
count 10 fail. He in Il few weeks pro-
duccd nearly dozen witnesses, who de-
posed under oath, i'll the Bureau Of Mill
tary Justice, to matters and facts enough
to hang both Davis and Clay higher than
Hannah.
One Of these witnesses, calling himself
William Campbell, dcpo&cd that he was
native of New Orleans, and had been
Confederate soldier; that in the latter part
of March or first Of April, 1860, he was
called on at Richmond by John III. Surratt,
who bore letter of introduction from Will
liam c. Cleary, then in Canada that said
letter requested him 10 introduce Surratt
to Judah p. Benjamin, Secretary of State,
with whom he (dcponcnt) was intimately
acquainted, and assured him that Surratt
would unfold grand scheme, in which he
(dcponcnt) was earnestly solicited to par
ticipate; that Surratt did on the same
day disclose to him the plot to aSsaS-
sinatc the President and Cabinet further,
that in compliance with Clcary's re-
quest he introduced Surratt to Benjamin.
The fellow then told 4 long yarn about
an interview with Mr.. Dayisand Bcnian!!E,
and what tl!2y SAX, !aI1tt us ne Few says the
whole story was made up, ii is not ncccs-
sary to repeat it.
And here We come 10 the most as,ound-
ing part OF my disclosure. This man
civilian Campbell" and his friend -
"Sncvcl," whose first name, or rather
alias, do not remember, Oh being brought
before the Judiciary Committee for exam
nation, acknowledged that the above names
did not belong TO them, but were fictitious;
that they had never been in the rebel ser
vice nor in Richmond that they had never
seen Davis, or Ben amin, or Surratt, III their
lives; that they had never heard of any
plot to destroy Lincoln until after his
death; that there was not word OF truth
in the dispositions they made for the Blu
reau Of Military Justice, but that they
made such dispositions for pecunary re-
ward, being first furnished with the state
Al, Ia. 4, Ia,
committing it 10 memory for the purpose !;
and that OF the other parties, some seven
or eight in number, who made dispositions
for the Bureau referred to, every one OF
them dcpoScd under false names to false
statements for pccunlary considerations.
The dispositions Of the other witnesses,
under the assumed names OF Wright, VIII
liams, Pattcn, Douglass, Meredith, Knapp,
ETC., accused Davis OF completely in the
assassination just as positively, and We're
as ingeniously coucoctcd rs those OF Camp
bell and Sncvcl. Having accomplished so
much in the way of procuring evidence,
the Radical conspiratorS urged President
Johnson with all their force to appoint a
commission for the trial OF the distinguish
ed culprit. Campbell and other witnesses
were taken before His Excellcncy and the
Cabinet, in order that their frank dcmcan-
or and honorable appearance could be OBJ
served, and were asked few questions by
the President, and examined at considcra-
bic length by Mr.. Seward, to the apparent
satisfaction of all that they were telling the
truth and nothing but the truth. The
President, as is known, did not at once
appoint the commission, but he was pre-
vailed on to call for the opinion Of the At
,orp.,- General nc IN the legality and prO