The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-08-03

dispatch TO Joan ". brecklnrluSS, d.
nouncing the assassination of Presl-
dent Lincoln, was received by HIM.
Lewis f. Bates testified that DAVIS
remarked, We'll, General, l don t
know; if it were to be done at all, 1t
were better that it were well done /;
and if the same had been done to
ANDY johnson, the beast, and Secre-
tary Stanton, the job would then be
comulete." These are not the words
of a man who was either grieved or
surprised, but rather the unpremedi-
tated declaration of one who realizes
that crime which he has anticipated
has been committed, but in part only,
and at moment too late to save q
cause already rendered desperate by
the conflicts and disasters of war.
The remark made by Davis upon
the receipt of the intelligence that
Mr.. Lincoln had been assassinated, is
in harmony with the conversation of
his agents, Thompson, Tucker and
others in Canada, as given by Richard
Montgomery, in his testimony in the
assassination trials. It is proper to
say that Montgomery, in the year 1864,
and the early part of 1865, possessed
the confidence of Thompson and
others, and was frequently employed
in the secret service of the rebel gov
eminent. He says in his testimony
Gin conversation L had with Jacob
Thompson, in the summer OF 1854 he said
he had his friends (Confederates) al over
willing to go any le myths to serve the cause
of the South; and he added that he could
at any time have the tyrant Lincoln and
any other of his advisers that he chose, put
out of the way He would have but to
point out the man that he considered in
his way, and his friends, as he termed
them, would put him out of il, and not let
him know anything about it, IL necessary,
and tn at they would not consider it a crime
when done for the cause of the Confedera-
cy. Shortly after Mr.. Thompson told what
sation TO Mr.. Clay, who said, THAT is so !!
We are all devoted to our cause, and ready
to go any lengths-do anything under the
sun to serve our cause"
Speaking of events that occurred
after the assassination, Montgomery
says:
81 have been in Canada since the assas-
sination. A few days after met Beverly
Tucker at Montreal; he said a great deal
about the wrongs the South had received
at the hands of Mr.. Lincoln, and that he
deserved his death, and that it was q pity
he hadn't met with it long ago. He said it
was too bad that the boys had not been
allowed to act when they wanted to-
"t His boys was an expression applied
to the Confederate soldiers, and others in
their employ, who had been engaged in
raids, and who were to assassinate the
President. / related q conversation had
with Mr.. Thompson to Mr.. w. c. Cleary
who is a sort of confidential secretary to
Mr.. Thompson and he told me that Booth
was one of the parties to whom Thompson
had reference, and he said, in reference to
the assassination, that it was too bad the
whole work had not been done, which
understood him to mean that they intend
ed to assassinate a. greater number than
they succeeded in killing. Cleary remark
whole work had not been done, they had
better look out; we have not done yet and
he added that they never would be con-
quered, and would never give up. Cleary
said that Booth had been there visiting
Thompson twice in the winter; he thought
the last time was in December he had
also been there IN the Summer"
The committee refer to the affi
davits of several witnesses who pro
fessed to have been in the service of
the rebel government, and who swore
to have been present at an interview
between Surratt, Davis and Benjamin !;
but, ON being examined before the
committee, retracted their previous
testimony, and declared it was false.
This testimony has not been taken
into the committees account. The
report adds:
On the other hand, the committee
have relied very largely upon docu-
ments found in the rebel archives, and
have introduced only the testimony of
those persons whose reputation for
truth and veraeity has not been i'm
peached by an Of the Investigations
that have been made. Nor has it
been the purpose of the committee to
draw unnatural or forced differences
from the trustworthy testimony which
they have examined, but rather to
present to the House truthful state
ment of the facts.
THE CONCLUSION.
The committee are of the opipion
that it is the duty of the Executive
Department of the Government. for a
reasonable time and by the proper
means, to pursue the Investigations
for the purpose of ascertaining the
truth. 1t Davis and his associates
are innocent of the great crime of
which they were charged in the
Presidents proclamation, it is due to
them that a thorough investigation
should be made, that they may be re-
lieved from the suspicion that now
rests upon them. If, on the other
hand, they are guilty, it is due to
justice, to the country, and to the
memory of him who was the victim of
a foul conspiracy, that the originators
should suffer the just penalty of the
law. The committee are of the opin-
ion that the work of investigation
should be further prosecuted; and
therefore, in conclusion, they recon-
mend the adoption of the following
resolutions: @
.Resolred, That there is no definite in
suf1clency to the present state of the law
to prevent or Interfere with the trial of j eff
ferson DAVIS for the crime of treason, or
any other crime for which there NAV he
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