The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-07-31
CASE OF JEFFERsON DAVIS IN con-
GRESS.
THE REPORT ON THE SUBJECT.

The Committee on tho Judiciary to whom was
referred the resolutions Of the House OF Repre-
sentstives Of April 9th and April 30th, 1866, in
structing the committee to inquire into the
nature Of the evidence duplicating JEFFERSON
DAVIS and others in the assassination Of President
| LINCOLN, and also whether any legislation ia ne
cessary in order to bring suoh persons to speedy
and impartial trial. il it should appear that there
was probable cause to believe that said persons,
or any of them are guilty of melting, concertipg,
or procuring the assassination OF the late Presl-
dent OF the United States, and also whether any
Legislation is necessary in order to bring said per-
sons to speedy and impartial trial for the crime
OF treason, submitted report to the House on the
27th, as our kilograms have already announced
The report is very long and contains number of
letters and documents belonging to the Official
records Of the late Confederacy, now in posses-
sion of the War Department, relating to what was
| termed the "secret" service Of the Confederaoy.
With regard to the trial OF Davis, the commit
tee are OF the opinion that there are obstacles
to speedy and impartial trial which can be re-
| moved by legislation. The evidence in possession
| OF the committee connecting jeff Davis with the
assassination OF President Lincoln justiies the
committee in saying that there is probable cause
| to believe that he was priyy to tho measures
! which led to the commission Of the deed, but the
investig ations which have been made BY the War
Department m and by the COMMITTEES have not re:
all the facts in the case. The committee are of
the opinion that further investigation will re.
suit In S full development OF the whole trsnsac;
archives, though not complete, has gone far
enough to throw light upon the general policy Uf
the rebel authorities which in many particulars
OF the usages Of civilized war.
The committee, in this connection, give de-
tailed history Of the course pursued By the Oon-
fen6rRtA (3OV0rnmant tnwQrna al founl Tn kbo
ranks OF the Union army. Most OF this is taken
from the published orders of tho rebel War De-
partment.
In summing up this part Of the report, the
committee says: "The declarations made, and the
| acts done in pursuance OF the declarations, are
conclusive proofs as Of IT. the brutal and malignant
we're controlled, and rendered It not only possi-
BILE, but probable, that they would at once en-
Of Ss the destruction of the chief
A considerable portion Of the report OF the COM
mittee is devoted to the evidence in the case OF O.
Q. Clay, Jr olay's letter to President johnson,
dated November 23d, 1865, is quoted wherein he
| denies having been in Canada at the time OF the
| assassination. This the committee says is shown
ssy bs to before
far to chow that he has some reason for attempt
Canada; and nAsmuch the statement was n M ,afs
in order TO relieve himself from the charge cuhe
| strong tendency to connect him OF completely In
| the deed. A number Of letters are produced to
chow that CLAY was in Canada at the time, and
| also that he Was the originator of the various
raids on the northern border OF the United States.
| The first allusion In point of time made to the
presence Of Clay In the South among all the papers
letter dated at Richmond, March 8, 1855, and
written by 81. L. Clay to O. O. Clay Jr. The state-
ment OF Clay that he has never known any OF the
the assassination OF President Lincoln Is shown to
be false by the evidence before the committee.
Clay, while in Canada, acted under the following
R1onMosD, Va, April 81, 1s64-Hon. Q. Q. Clay,
Jr., &C., 90. Sir: oonfiding special trust in your
| zeal, discretion and patriotism, hereby direct
out such instructions as you have received from
me verbally, in such manner as shall seem most
likely to conduoe to the furthersnoe Of the interest
| Of the Confederate States Of America which have
been entrusted to you.
very Respectfully "na JEFFERs6N iFSIH fSase, DAVIS.
The committee say it is well established by let
ters and documents derived from rebel sources
that Clay, under this commission, was instrument
tai in organizing and executing, with more or less
tho border the plans for the introduction Of pesti
lence, the organization of conepiracies to iberate
the prisoners confr ed in Camp Douglas, Chicago,
| to destroy our commerce on the rivers lakes, and
ocean, and finally to thwart and overthrow the
Government by melting new rebellion in the
North. 1t is also ascertained that Jacob Thomp-
Cleary, Bennett d. Young, and r. J. Stewart were
all employed In Canada as secret agents for the
Confederate authorities.
| In proof OF this the committee produce large
number OF letters, orders, and dispatches which
paosed between these men and the officers Of the
Confederate Government at Richmond, showing
that they were acting directly under It's authority
and that they received orders to make the raids
and other offensive demonstrations on the north
ern border Of the United States.
/ Testimony taken at the trial OF the assassins,
together With that taken by the committee justi-
fes them In the inference that tho murder OF
l President Lincoln was procured by the use oi
money furnished by the Richmond Government.
The remarks said to have been made by Davis, on
the receipt Of the intelligence Of the death OF
President Lincoln, Is In harmony with the CONVEX
sation of his agents Thompson, Tucker and others,
as given by Richard Montgomery, o witness who
was before the committee, and also witness in
the trial OF the conspirators.
Thompson told Montgomery, In 1864, that he
could have the tyrant Lincoln put out Of the way
at any time. He said he had his friends all over
the Northern States, and 1t required but his nod
10 said to have tslKed in similar vein about the
assassination OF Lincoln. Tho committee say
there Ia substantial harmony between the evidence
furnished by ths Official documents found in the
hands Of the rebel authorities, and the testimony
OF the various Witnesses brought before tho COM
mittee, as to the participation OF Davis, Thomp-
Bon, Clay Clesry and others in the scheme for tho
assassination Of the President.
With reference to the testimony In possession
Of the bureau OF military justice, taken by Judge
Holt, and on which President johnson based his
proclamation, the committee makes the following
statement 'sWhen the committee entered upon
this investigation in April last, the evidence in
, the War Department, If accepted as true, was