New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-10-10
THE GREAT coNsp1RAcY.

The military commission, in its report, de-
elares its, opinion as follows
Before describing further operations, the board
would call attention to the evidence concerning
the character of the mob acting in SUPPORT and in
concert with the police, and the reason there ap-
pears to be to infer that some organizations or
bands of Confederate soldiers came by some
pre-arranged purpose to the attack. =
The board cannot but think thatany person exam
ming the evidence must come to the; conclusion
that such associations were present in pursuance
Of prerarranged and pre-concerted programme.
Precisely sol The evidence taken by the
commission and examined without reference
to the witnesses, might, perhaps, lead to such
conclusion. But who in this community
believes the witnesses? Everybody knew
that the commission could prove anything in
the world and it is only wonderful that they
did attempt to substantiate the wonderful
story of the capture Of Coy. Wells BY two
Confederate flags, and Mr.. Durants assertion
Of his remarkable escape from phantom
bowie knife Nov We will venture to say that
the gentleman who told the flag story to the
reporter of the New York Tribune was, and is,
a far more credible witness than any of
those on whom the commission rely to estab-
fish the position taken in the above extract.
The fact that the story is only little more
absurd makes it only little less probable.
As probability, however, seems to be the last
thing aimed at by the report, this objection
would be but trihing in comparison with the
immense effect that so brilliant a stroke Of
Judicial prowess would produce.
But if there really were Confederate mill
tary organizations present, why not first es-
tablish the existence of such associations
Ii they were engaged in conspiracy, why
not first ferret out the conspiracy? Why not
cell the suspected members Of these hypo-
:thetical organizations and question them on
the subject? Why not examine the young
gentlemen who sport the Washington Artil-
lery cross cannon? Why not call up the
members Of Hayss brigade, and General
Hays himself? Surely the legal acumen Of
the gentlemen of the commission; the admir-
able sagaeity which has detected conspiracy
in a cross cannon, and treason in a blue
ribbon, could have extorted the truth from
even the most unwilling witnesses. And then
they would have lost nothing by the most
emphatic testimony in the negative. The
conclusive method of the report could have
been effectually applied in such cases-that
is to say the method of believing all testi-
mony that proves what you desire, and de-
claring all other testimony to be lie. If the
gentlemen with the blue ribbons and cross
cannons had admitted that they were engaged
in an anti-loyalist conspiracy the thing would
have been settled at once, If they had de-
MED it nothing would have been easier than
to declare that their testimony was discred-
tied by witnesses who eontradcted them.
For instance, Mayor Monroe says one thing,
and General Heron says another thing;
hence the commission is very reluctantly fbdt
very logically compelled to. discredit Mayor
Monroes testimony
How fine "a thingi it is to be judge of evi-
dencel especially when you can make the
evidence to suit yourself Truly the ways
and uses Of military commissions are. adnira-
Bile. # Munehausen had only been a major
general he could have proved that he blew up
the, bear with a couple ofSfints, and if we had
the same chance we could. show that every
radical in tie land has a guillotine ready to
commence cutting off heads of Southern
g rebels. "