The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1867-06-06

n
Mrs. Surratt-The Burial of Booth-Mrs.
Cobb and the President. ~1 vs-
General Lafayette c. Baker, the well
known Chief of the Bureau of National
Detective Police during the rebellion,
has published a portly volume presenting
record of the operation Of his force, SO
far as it is proper to make them kn0Wn
to tue public. We surrender a large
part of our space 10 eopious extracts
from his narrative.FfE-g- r.
General Baker is native of New York
but at the outbreak Of the war had been
for some years resident of California,
where ne was q. prominent member Of
the Vigilance Committee, in 1858. I'm
mediately after the attack on Fort Sum
ter, lie went to Washington to offer his
services to the Government His exper
fence as 4 detective in California sug-
sested the nature Of his employment,
and having been introduced to General
Scott by the Hon. Hiram Walbridge and
the Hon NJ. D. Kelley, he was authoriz-
ed by the veteran Lieutenant General
to undertake secret expedition to Rich
mond. 1t was essential to the success
of the enterprise that his character
should be concealed not only from the
enemy but from our own troops, and the
passage of the Union lines was not the
least part of his task. He failed twice,
but was more fortunate the third time,
when he crossed the Potomac near DUN
fries, and alter making his escape from
two Confederate soldiers who had arrest.
ed him as spy, pushed on afoot toward
Manassas Junction. He WAS again stop
ped BY the rebels and sent to Brentsville
and after having been examined by Bon
ham and Beauregard, was forward 10
Richmond and Imprisoned in an engine
house
lie was in very tight place for sew
eral weeks, but after three different in
with Jefferson Davis, succeeded
in pulling the wool over The arch traitors
eyes and was dis s-harged on his parole
He made good use of his liberty in
and after series of hair
breadth escapes, made his way back
through the Confederate lines and cross
I'd the Potomac in safety.
The following is the Generals account
,f the first conspiracy to assassinate
President Lincoln:
In the month of January, 1861, n gen I
lemen holding position in this city
which made him proper agent to act
on the Information was waited upon bv
lady, who stated to him her suspicious
or kno nowledge-whence derived we are
not able to say-of plot to assassiuate
Mr. Lincoln when on his way from his
home, in Illinois TO Washington, to be
as President. The active
parties, Or some of them, in this bust /
ness, were understood to be in Baltimore !
At all events. the gentlemen considered
that tie intelligence had sufficient foun-
dation to make it his duty to satisfy him /
self whether it might be cor! ect lie !
accordingly employed a detective officer /
a man who had in his profession become
notable for his sagacity and success, to !
go to Baltimore and adopt his own course |
to detect the parties to and plan of the /
The officer went to Balti-1
more. and opened an office as some sort
NJ Il broker or agent under an assumed t
name. Being supplied with needful funds |
he made occasions to become acquainted |
with certain classes of Secessionists. /
and by degrees was on free and easy |
terms with them He took each man in
his humer, aiined and sapped with some |
sambled With others, treated, and
seconded dissipations in more ways than
need be expressly stated, until he had
secured enough of their confidence to be
familiar with the particulars OF their
schemes Meanwhiie it had been as
ccrtainesl that on the line Of the Balti-
more Railroad there We're men engaged
in military drilling. Several other de
tectiyes We're employei by the chief to
discover the purpose OF these organizl-
tions, and. disguised as laborers or farm
hands, they got themselves mustered in.
One of the military companies proved to
be loyal in its purpose; another under
rretense of being prepared to guard one
or more OF the bridges north of Baiti-
more, was assigned for quite an opposite
It will he remembered that
some time bstore Mr.. Lincoln set out
from his home for Washington, his in
tended route thither was published. A
part of the Programme was that he sloull
visit Harrisburg and Philadelphia- We
believe that Mr.. Lincoln was not advis-
cd especially of any personal danger
until he was about to go to Harrisburg,
and then. st the instsnce of sthe gentle
man referred to, he was urged to proceed
without delay to Washington. A special
train was provided to bring him secretly
from Harrisburg to Philadelphia After
dark. in the former city, when it was
presum ID he-had retired to his hotel, lie
accordingly took the special train, and
came to Philadelphia.
As Mr.. Lincoln passed. through the
gate. the man attending Is it rem arked,
.-Old fellow, its we'll for you the train
was detained tonight, or yon wouldn't
have gone init" No one aboard the
train but tae agent of the company and
the officer knew OF Mr.. Lincoln's being