The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1866-09-08


the powers and regulations Of which this
conspiracy to alarm the people and leopard.
izc tho reputation, liberty, and life Of limo.
cent men was fostered and partially con-
summated.
Among the affidavits taken since was that
of one Campbell acknowledged by him to
have been swOrn to at "the Bureau Of Mill.
tary Justice" Campbell was brought be-
fore us and asked if the contents Of that aft.
dayit were true. Hc said it was oil false.--
llo was then asked
why did you makeit?'
u was informed by C0nover that Judge
Holt had offered Il reward Of SlOO,OOO for
tho capture Of JEFF Davis but that he had
no authority really TO do it that now Davis
was taken, they had not enough against him
to justify them in what they had done; that
Judge Holt wanted 10 got witnesses to prove
that Davis was interested in the assassina-
ton Of Lincoln 30 as to justify him in paying
the $l00,000
~ never lived in New Orleans"
In his affidavit he had sworn he did.
~ never was in Richmond"
lie had sworn tn residing there.
~ do not know John Surratt, and never
saw him"
lIe had sworn to conversations with him.
II never saw Jefferson Davs. The eyi.
dence was prepared by Conoyer. never
was in tho Confederate service. never saw
Benjamin. Conoyer said should be well
compensated for my evidence. Ny proper
name is not Campbell, but Joseph Horne.
My evidence was taken in Judge Holts Of
fee"
Speaking Of the other witnesses, Campbell
swore
"Joscph Swivel 10 not his real name. His
name is Roberts"
''Farnham y. Wright is not his real name
it is John Waters -
John II. Patton is not his real name it
is Smith"
Sarah Douglass IL not her real name Her
name was Dunham." This is Conover' =
true name.
There was another woman sworn. She
gave an assumed name"
One of these women was Conoyer's wife /;
the other his sister.in law
money was my motive. Ireceived $G25.
went Ia Canada to hunt up n witness 10
swear false, who was to represent Lamar.
SneYel and Conover together arranged with
Inc 10 go to Canada +"
'Sncyel saw the written evidence was 10
swear to after Conoycr wrote it.
| now append extracts from the evidence
Of Snevel, sworn to May -, 1866.
The deposition he made before Mr.. Holt
was read TO him.
lie stated it was "false from beginning TO
end"
"Conover wrote out the evidence and !
learned it by heart"
Il made il Ia make money"
II received 1915 from Holt"
~ received 500 from COnOYer.' ~
"Farman Il. Wright name is really John
Waters"
John Mcliill IL Ell assumed name"
These witnesses of two names each were
witnesses who had been procured by the Blu.
reAu Of Military Justice, aud who had testi-
fed 10 corobDratc the testimony Of ConoTeT
aud Merritt as Campbell aud SncTel did.
Sneycl further says:
! told Con0ycr that | was coming on here
10 testify 20 the truth that had not had
any rest since | sworo 10 what ! did. lie
said would be in a worse fix then than
WAS now. This was last Saturday. lie
said things would be settlcd, and there would
he no further trouble. When the false eyi.
dence ] was to swear to was read over 10 me
by Conoycr, Campbell and Conover's broth.
cr-in.law, Mr.. Ansen, were present.
"Conover said he knew what Holt would
ask me, and Conoyer asked me the same
questions. | gave this false evidence before
Mr. Holt. When / got wrong Conovcr
would nod his head. Conoycr was present
when was sworn by Holt. When Como.
yer would nod would correct il as near as
| could. Campbell and | rehearscd at the
hotel in Washington"
Conoyer in his testimony said:
II was asked n such a sum would be sat
/ s-F,. 4 aafI 10 I "a ell
much | received" +"
"Conoyer was an agent Of the Govern.
mcnt 90 hunt up evidence"
Having but little time to end this report
| will not swell it with any additional cx
tracts from the confessions Of these people
Conoycr was present when Campbell ana
Sneyel testified thus plainly TO his villainy
] must inform the House that Conovei
alias Watson, alias Dunhum, etc, etc, wa,
not ordered into arrest that the committee
at his rcsquest, permitted him to go 10 New
| York 10 procure other testimony. One Off
Ger was sent with him, and Conover effcctec
his escape, of course; has not been heard o
since, and has probably left the country
| Whether any efforts have been made d
catch him | know not but as he was th'
teacher and guide of perjuries committed b,
the other witnesses procured through thu
| Bureau Of Military Justice il would seem tn,
solemn duty of this Government 10 appre
hend, try, and punish so foul criminal
and in his trial ascertain what temptations
aud through whom they came, led him to tn,
manufacturing Of so awful plot. Conoyel
it was who found Montgomery Conove
il was who found Merritt, Campbell, Snevel
and the rest who rehcarsed and taugh
them, and, as professor of perjury, watche,
his pupils in their delivery thereof Mt les
son time before Judge Holt.
Judge Holt himself was witness befor
the committee. He Of himself knew moth
ing, of course, but he swore to his own opin
ions, derived from the trustworthy testimo
ny of the parties described, for whose tes
timony they say the Judge himself pal,
them.
The testimony and revelations of Camp
bell and Snevel, the absconding of Conover
were not needed by me to aid in forming m
opinion of the value of Montgomery's per
Ijurics or those of Conover; still, when the
testified so clearly, when the females of Con
overs family were shown. to have also beel
sacrificed by him to this demon of falsehoo
for lucre, the cool turpitude of the Who'll
crew sickened me with shame, and made m
sorrow over the fact that such people couI
luc vi AHlcIlCdtis WuiIo Won
dered who the hidden arch conspirator bt
} hind Conover might be.
The transparency of the whole plot, tn
imbecility of the organization and manage
} ment, its ease of discovery by the poore,
tests of the cheapest logic, betrayed in th
farmer so complete reliance in popula
! credulity, so thorough an appreciation of Il
maxim that the masses of men believe in
} nrobable lies more readily than those colo
ed with an air of truth, that could scar.