Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-08-15
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Tho DEVELOPMENTS from washington OF
the last lew days are revolving and s'cAen<
;cv The surratt trial, the Stanton difficulty,
and the Conoyer Durham revelssions seem
all TO be interviewer In a maze which only
time can perfectly %nnravel. and which will
require keen analysts to penetrate, and from
the rccking mass Of corruption CLEAN the
TIRED OF truth.
1t seems tina. Durham applied 10 the Ex-
ecutivc for pardon, which application was
sustained j. NJ. Ashley, II. G. Riddle and
Joseph Holt. Ashley Is the notorious mem
Der Of Congress from Ohio. Riddle Is one
Of the counsel for the prosecution in the
Surra,t case. and Holt 10 the well known
prosecutor Of Mrs. Suriats. and the Judge
Advocate General Of the United Statss, and
The tool Of Stanton. Conover was one Of
the instruments Of Holt in the trial OF the
oonspirniors for the murder Of President
Lincoln, and was convicted fer perjury com
mittei upon that trial. He was engaged
in the same business, that 10 Of procuring
pefjngcd witnesses fer the prosecution in
the late trial Of Surratt, and while in prison
also was visited by Ashley and other Radi,
calls, to procure his valuable assistance in
procuring testimony against President
Johnson TO implicatc him in the conspiracy
states that it was his intention in case he
had been parioncd by the President to have
exposed Butler and Ashley, but the pardon
not having been obtained in season he was
hurried of TO the penitentiary, and be lcn
the papers relating to the conspiracy Of thu
impeachers with his wife. These were de-
liycred TO tho Presidential mansion on Jul,
3Oth, and were referred 10 the Attorney
General, to whom had been referred III
original application for pardon receives
three days before.
John N. Buckley, Assistant Attornc
General, in the absence Of his principal. ex
amined the papers and submitted the repos
20 the President. These papers implicit
Batter and Ashley in having procured ID
services Of Conover to procure the witness
Is required for tho connection Of the Presi
dent with tho conspiracy Of Booth. Conc
YER procured the witnesses, aud aided b
Ashley dictated the story to which the
were TO testify. These witnesses were ,
be tested before Conover was %releas,t
which was done with the following result
Subsequently, the parties were ~resontc
10 Mr.. Batter, and after being inspecte
AND passed by him, were introduced b
him aud Ashley to the several Radio,
mem era of tho House. who i, was understood
had hitherto doubted tho existence OF evi
dencc implic9ting you in the assassinatio
conspiracy, and who informally interrogate
them as 20 the matters upon which the
had been instructed.
"Mr. Butler desired to have taken the d
positions Of these men at TIE time, but
would not consent TO its being done until
should be released, as at frat agreed.
These facts can he proved by these thre
persons, and also by my wife. whose char
acter for truth and ,eracity is not inferior I
MIR. Ashley'-, ani ! shall take pleasure,
at liberty, ia producing them before An,
committee or tribunal FOR the impeichmen
~ the impcachers.'
This matter Of course will be thorough
investigated and whatever is the result
Conover ~ the peri ared tool Of The radical,
who has already been used by them and
has at last turned upon his employers. II
is no worse in this respect than Stanton
who, whilst he was occupying n confident,
position near the President, was like Con-
yer. merely n spy in the interest Of III
same radicals.
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