Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-08-15


your Christian humility almost fully assures
me, propose, with your permission, to assist
in organizing q number 0f select men-say
not less than three to FIVE hundred-to 90 into
| the United States and assassinate the most
prominent leaders of our enemies-for in
| stance, Seward, Lincoln, Greeley, Prentice,
/ &c. Considering it unnecessary to discuss the
chances of success at this time, l will only say
| q few words as the opinion of its effect. l
made it point to elicit the opinion of many
men upon this subject, in whose good sense |
| have great confidence but while difference of
opinion is almost inevitable, most have conf
deDce in it's benefits 10 US. The most plaus-
Bile argument seems to be, that to impress up
| on the Northern mind that for men in high
places there to WELD their influence of the
barbarism they have been so cruelty practis-
| ing upon US is to jeopardiss their lives-for
designing leaders there to feel that the mo-
| ment they array hordes for our destruction,
| at that moment their existence is in the ut.
! most peril-would produce hesitation and
confusion that would lead to peace and our
| independence.
This letter was received August "a, 1863,
and is noticed follows g Asks permission
to take from three to five hundred men and
assassinate the leading men in the United
States. Respectfully referred, by the derec-
| ton of the President, to the Hon. Secretary
of War. j. c. Ives, Col. and A. D. G..
| August "a File
In addition TO the testimony thus pr sented
| upon the point, the COMMITTEES offsr letter
of Lieut.. B. Aston, which was produced at
the trial of the conspirators of the assassina
| tion of President Lincoln, from which the
| following is extract
81 now offer you my services, and If you
will favor me in my designs, l proceed, as
81
country of some of her desdliess enemies, by
striking at the very hearts blood of those
who seek TO enchain her IN slavery. l con
slider nothing dishonorable having such a ten
dency. All | ask Of you 's to favor me IN
granting the necessary papers, &c to travel.
[ am perfectly familiar with the North, and
| feel confident that l can execute anything L
| undertake.
These documents are conclusive upon the
point that DAVIS and Ben amin and w alker, +,
ln the years of 1861, 1862. 1868, 1864 and
1865, received and enter aineG and considered
propoeitions 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 purpose that tor
90 long a period they entertained and consld-
| cred.
The testimony at the trial OF the assassns
| justItes the Inference that the murder OF Mr.
Lincoln was procured by the use OF money
| furnished by the Richmond Government.
| Louis J. Welchman states that Surratt are
rived in Washington on the Sd of April, 1865,
| from Richmond that he there had an inter
view with DAVIS aud Benjamin, on or about
the 25th of March preceding that Surratt
| had in his possession at that time consider
able quantity of gold, and that he remained
| 10 Washington bat a few hours. Surratt Is
| connected with Booth and with the assassna-
ton by an amount of testimony which cannot
| be controlled.
| Samuel Knogg Chester stated upon the
I'conspiracy trial that he was acquainted with
| Booth, and that Booth on several occasions
tried to induce hun to take part IN kidnap-
ping or numbering the President. At one
time booth sent him by letter $50. When
| Chester hoally positively refused to ia Ike Fart
IN the crime he returned the money to Booth
| Booth saying as he received II, that ne WOMB
not allow Chester TO do 50, but that ms was
80 very short of funds, and that he or some of
| the party must go so Richmond and obtain
means to carry out their designs. TIE inter-
| view appears to have been late the
month OF February, 1865 and it is probably
| in view of all the facts that the visit OF Sur
| ratt to Richmond and his return with funds
| WAS in obedience TO the necessity disclosed by
Booth IN the conversation with Chester. The
|
the Richmond government is proved by the
testimony Of james \. Fowe. This witness
| was himself the secret service of the Con
iederate Government as agent OF the State
Department, and his appearance before the
| COMMITTEE obedience TO the authority OF
| the House of Represen tatives was against his
own wishes, and without any previous knowl
edge on his part. His testimony discloses the
fact that be is ID degree an unwilling wit
ness that he desired TO avoid inpIca ting the
leaders of the rebellion IN any criminal act
and that he Is still devoted TO the cause of the
rebellion. The Committee were assured
however, that he Is a man of truth. Fowlt
SAYS that he was first acquainted with John
h. Surratt in February, 1865, but that hs
mad heard of him before. He knew he Wal
an agent OF the rebel government, and hac
heard OF him as such from the l6ih Of May
1868. He says that he knew that Surrat
was a bearer of dispatches, and that he Wa
in Richmond about January OF February, '65
He states further that he thinks Surratt wa
secret agent of the State Department, bu
does not positively know 1t that each agen
waa kept TO himself he did L OF know abou
the others. Benjamin told him Surratt va
THERE and Quinron w Washington told him tn
same thing. This information from Benjamii
and Washington he received on the ID or 81
of March, 1865.
The testimony thus tar adduoed renders i
certain that Surratt was employed in the sc
cret service of the rebel authorities at Rich
mond that he probably received money in hl
capacity as agent from the State Department
and hardly a dou bl exists that the funds r,
ceived by him were paid TO Booth for the com
, | mission Of the crime of assasinatng the Pres
ident.
Documentary evidence in possession of th
Government show that the secret se vice fun
. was in the sole custody and uuder the execu
tive control of Davis, and that no money wa
paid from that fund except by Davis.
The fact that Surratt was in the secret ser
, vice of the State department !; that he was /
Richmond on the 25th of March that he the
had AN interview with both Davis and Ber
jamin that he returned to Washington on th
; Sd of April and there had in his possession
t considerable sum OF money in goldi that b
g left for Canada and returned again to WAIST
4 ing ton on the l4th OF April and that his cor
} nection aud completely with Booth In the a,
' sassinatlon does not admit of doubt, Or,
sents mass of the connected testimony in
r plIcatiDg Davis directly in the assassinatio
: of the President, which in an ordinary tris
g for the murder would go very far toward th
b. conviction of the person accused. Ii is also
significant fact that Booth at the time of th
assassination had in his possession the san
cypher which was used by Benjamin, as a,
pears in the testimony given by Messrs d n
aud Eckert upon the cons piracy trials, pas
0 49, 1t is, to be sure, possible that Boot
l might have obtained il from some agent
: the rebel State Department.. But conuecte
f as he is by the testimony with Davis and Bel
t jamin, directly by his own visits to Kichmon'
: and indirectly through Surratt, the circnu
: stances that he was In pos esslOn of the G.