The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1867-04-05
TO he CONTINUED
THE CONSPIRACY.
BOOTHS DIARY.
BUTLER's SECOND SPEECH.

We copy from the New York Tribune,
radical authority, the recent speech of
Butler. on the Surratt murder. That
Bingham is as great a rascal as Butler
seems agreed and the queer revelations
he makes will cause the people to be-
lieve the radicals made way with Lin
coin, as has always been suspected.
That Mrs. Surratt's execution was m1,T-
der, is now beyond doubt.
THE BUTLrR-DINGHAM CONTROVERSY.
Mr.. BUTLER (Rep., Mass, y asked and
obtained unanimous consent to make Il
personal explanation, the time being
| limited to fifteen minutes. He stated
that he had caused to be placed on the
desk of each member a copy of Mr..
Bingham's speech the other day on the
personal discussion with himself, show
| ing in parallel columns the speech as it
appeared in the manuscript of the re-
pOrters and the speech as published in
| THE GtOJe. The speech as written con-
tanned five hundred ard eighty-ninc
words as printed it contained one thou
sand and forty-seVen words, and in the
reporters manuscript there We're two
| hundred and eighty-two crasures and
alterations. lie (Butler) had understood
the rule to be that in Il personal debate
Il member had no right to make any
changes unless they were submitted to
the member affected by them. The rule
had been violated in this case. In the
matter thus interlopated was this sem
tence: "What does the gentleman
| (meaning Butler) know of the evidence
in the case, and what does he care for
the evidence when he thus assails the
official conduct of those men who con-
stituted the Court?" lie (Butler) would
state the evidence on which he had
made the other day the statement that
Mrs. Surratt was improperly convicted.
He held in his hand the printed report
Of the trial, and had examined it with
great care, because this was no sporadic
thought of his. 1t was the result of
careful anxious investigation foranother
and a different purpOse-to see who were
in the great conspiracy. The gentleman
! tBingham) had said that he was the
Advocate on the part of the United
States on that trial. That was great
mistake. lie was the special Judge
Advocate, who ose solemn duty it was to
protect the rights of the prisoner as we'll
as those of the United States, and tC
sum up the evidence within the gentle.
mans (Bingham's) knowledge which
he had not produced on that most mo-
mentous trial. When Booth was cap.
tured by Lieut.-Col. Conger there was
said Mr.. Butler, taken from his pocket
a diary like the one | now hold in my
hand holding up small morocco COW
cred pocket diary in which he Booth
set down day by day his plans, hi
thoughts, his motives, and his excuse
That diary was put into the possession
of the Government, but it was not laiC
before the Military Commission, III
though the gentleman (Bingham) did
lay before the Court Booths tobacco pipe
) spur, knife, and other articles found OF
his person. The diary was not produced
That diary now appears before our Ju
/, dietary Committee, and let me say herr
kthat ! did not obtain my information
t from that Committee about the eighteel
2 pages of entries made in the diary, prio
to the time of Mr.. LincOln's assassina
ton absent. The edges show that thes
pages were all cut out. What | wan
| to know is this: First, Was that diar.
{ whole when ii came into the hands o.
, the Government? Second, Whether j
:, was good judgment ON the part of thos
who We're prosecuting the assassins o
< Abraham Lincoln to put in tobacc,
pipe found in Booths pocket as cvidcnc