The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1866-09-08
THE AssAssINATION PLOT.
Exeu1pafiOu Of Jefferson Davis
Minority Report OffEae Judiciary
ee-AstOunding Deyei-
OIlmcnfs o. COrrupfiOn- tslsbOrn-
alton OF Perjury Demand for the
Trial Of Mr. Davis.
rcoNrrNuEp FROM FIRST PAGE !

said, according TO Merritt, that Booth was
heart and soul in this project, because Beall.
hung in New York, was his cousin. San
ders thought dsposing of the leading men
would satisfy the people they had friends in
the North, and incline them to grant the
South better terms.
Merritt says also, that on tho 9Th Of April
last, in Toronto, he met Harper and Ford.
Next morning Harper, Caldwell, Randall
Holt, and u man called Texas, met him ut
the Queens Hotel, and said they were going
to the States to kick up tho damncdcst row
that had ever been heard Of An hour or
two after meeting Harper again, Merritt
says Harper told him if hc did not hear Of
tho death Of old Abe, and Of the Vice Prosi.
dent, Of General Dix in less than ton days,
he, Merritt, might put him down as q
ID fool. This was tho 9th Of April.
Booth was mentioned az being in Washing.
ton. On tho 9Th Of April, Merritt says he
found that Harper and Caldwell had started
for the States.
Merritt says he then went to Squire David.
son, justice Of tho peace, to have them
stopped, but Davidson thought the thing too
ridiculous to notice.
The only justice Of the peace Of that
name In Canada denies any such information
being given him by Merritt mt all
Merrltt says that, in February, 1865, Clay
told him, in Toronto, that he knew all about
Tho letter Sanders had exhibited at the meet.
ing in Montreal and on Merritt's asking
what he thought about, replied, he thought
the end would justify the means. Merritt
swOro 10 Aiken, in rOss.cxamnaton al the
trial, that he had never received one dollar
from the Government for furnishing any in.
formation from Canada, nor had he received
anything "from tho rebels for services ren.
dercd them
To all This Merritt sworo. | cross
incd him under oath, and in that examina-
tion lie contradicted all the foregoing, and
admitted that he had received in actual pay
an aggregate Of six thousand dollars for his
information from the Government Of the
United States, through the War Depart
mcnt. For his testimony and services tht
sum Of six thousand dollars in the aggregate
And that cross examination. fully disproy.
ing his testimony in chief, the committed
would not allow the reporter to translate
from his notes.
The testimony Of Conover, being wholly
invnlidated by his contradictions, would
amount 10 nothing unsupported, with it,
evident perjuries unexplained. When Mr..
panied the whole with an explanatory argu
ment whose every sentence is redolent with
the logic Of prosecution, and, to me. il al
most seemed as If il revealed something ot
personal motive in the conviction. There il
certainly nothing in it of the amicus curia
spirit, nothing Of the scarcher after truth
itary prosecutor. The sending Of any argu
a. al
a step Of doubtful propriety, as the commit
tee were supposed BY the representatives o
the nation to be able 70 draw their own con
clusions from the testimony, and hence were
appointed 10 do 40, and the House, bY ap
pointing them, had given the strongest eyi
denee that they did not desire 10 adopt thos'
Of Mr.. Holt, already rendered. The send
ing Of an argument might be explained "a
the natural effect Of that habit Of directing
verdicts acquired in the Bureau Of MiIitar,
Justice; but the sending Of such an argu
ment feel compelled to attribute 10 dcsir'
20 place his own views 80 before the commit
tee as to render investigation n mere matte
Of form and believe this was done 10 hid
| the disgraccful fact that the assassination o
Mr.. Lincoln was seized upon as pretext 4
hatch charges against number of histori
| cal persouagcs, tn blackcn their priyat
characters, and afford excuse for their trim
through the useless forms Of a military com
mission, and through that ductIe instrumcn
Of vengeance in the hands Of power, mur
der them. do not say that Judge lIol
did himself originate the charges or organ
ize the plo! Of the perjurers, because / d.
not know that he did. | merely say that
| plot, based On the assassination, was formct
against Davis, Clay, and others, and that tn
plotters did and even yet operate through
the Bureau Of Military Justice, and that tia
argument forwarded by Mr.: Holt to the com
mittee on the Judiciary looked to me like
shield extended ovsr the plotters--extended
1t may be, from no personal animosity 4
Messrs. Davis, Clay, and the others ex
| tended, it may be, with desire 10 save Ger
tain officers Of the Government from tn
charge Of having been betrayed into tho mis-
take Of vague apprehension, the bIuuder
of an excitement which il was their PROVING
to allay or control, not TO increase or share
but still extended over acknowledged, self
i. convicted, most wicked perjury and tn
fact that Mr.. Holt did himself pay money
to more than one Of them, to those who nc
knowledged they swore for money, ma,
awaken suspicion that there was bribery a
we'll as perjury; perhaps not consciou
bribery, but the payment for false testimon
was committed ; though it may have bee
Ipone innocently, il produced the usual effec
of subornation Of perjury.
For the sake of humanity and Justice,
would in this report press upon the House
request that the ross-examination Of Mer
ritt be translated and published. | al
aware that the Executive, acting under th
advice Of Senator Wilson, of Massachusetts
and other gentlemen of loyalty no les
known, has released Mr.. Clay on parole, an
that the release is in itself an acknowlede
, ment that the President disbelieves, not onl
Mcrritt's testimony, but also that of ever
one of the members of the plot. But thi
, is not sufficient. 1t is due to all the accuse
that the nation at last SEQ and recognize th
fiimsiness and malice of these monstrou
perjuries.
Let it be recollected taat Conover's ow
exposition of his perjuries was made in Car
ada during the trial, and then how are v
: to account for this mans not only being lie
e at large, but being sent as competent wi
ness to testify before Judiciary Committ'
@ of this House, and this testimony, alread
disproved, accompanied by an argumei
from Judge Holt shaped to induce belief
it?
IHe testimony OF Ilenry flneSaS gong
a implicate George N. Sanders and William
2 Cleary led me to investigate his charact
. and credibility. find hewas almost rear,
! by q man named Price, in Boston, now r
siding in Washington, and known as a gan
bier and prize fighter; that Finegas ador
: ! ed and followed the professions that
d went with Buffers expedition to New
: leans, entered the service, held commissio
:, left the service on account of misdemeano
e known to General N. p. Banks that Fin
gas next appears detectiye in Norfolk, al
for certain crimes is axnelled tha Dann,