The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-08-16
The COnover Controversv.

IL
uuIy sworn, says that he has read the afidavits
OF Oharles A. Durham, Nathan Anser James
IL Matterson, Francis McFall and John Martin,
PuDllshed In the New York Daily Times of
Ihls morning (August 10Th, 1861, in which
ueponents name is implicated with others in
an alleged conspiracy therein set forth. The
ueponent says that the statements embodied in
these effidavits, so far as concerns the depo-
nent, are false in each and every particular;
tnat the deponent TO his knowledge never saw
either one of the persons aforementioned; that
to his knowledge neither one of them was ever
lndeponents office or elsewhere In his presence;
that the transactions set forth in the affidavits
OF tnese persons never occurred, to the know
ledge of the deponent; that deponent never had
any knowledge, directly or indirectly, of any of
the matters exhibited or mentioned in those
afhdavitsj that the Hon. BENJAMIN Wood, to
deponent's knowledge, was never in deponent's
othce at any time or in any place; that depo-
nent was never present with the said Wood any
where at any such or similar transactions or
transaction as are recited in the above mentioned
athdavits; that to his knowledge no word ever
passed between him and said Wood as to the
release of Jefferson Davis; that deponent has
had no intercourse, direct or indirect, with
said Davis during the past three years, nor
had anything to do, directly or indirectly,
nor attempted to do anything touching said
Davis's release; that deponent has had no
eral Dick Taylor within the past five years,
in regard to the release of said Davis, or on
any other subject that deponent has had no
communication, direct or indirect, with PTesi-
dent Johnson or any other official in Washing
ton, In regard to the release of said Davis, or
on any other subject; that within the past five
years deponent has not had any communca-
tion, direct or indirect, with A. ]. Rogers,
William Radford, W. f. Niback, G. A. Ed
ridge, f. @. LIE Blond, or George B. Latham,
or either OF them; that deponent is utterly and
entirely Ignorant of any attempts to procure
the release of Jefferson Davis except so far as
he has been informed by publications in the
newspapers; and this deponent says finally that
the statements contained in the above men
toned affidavits, so far as deponent is con-
cerned, are in the whole and in detail absolute
and unqualified fabrications, and that in each
and every particular they are utterly and en-
tirely false and untrue. ROGER A. Pryor.
EeSworn to before me this 18th day of Au-
gust, 1867. GEORGE G. BARNARD,
E'Justice Supreme Court"
The following letter appeared in the Boston
Traveller of Wednesday:
'sTo the editors of the Traveller: Thinking
might throw some little light on the Sanford
Conover affair, having had charge of him, as
warden of the Jail, in Washington, during his
Imprisonment, you will please permit me to
make some statements, which think are due
to General Butler and also the Hon. Mr.. Ash
ley.
believe what Gen. Butler has stated, that
he never saw Conover, nor any of the wit
nesses that came from him, and never had any
communication with him. l know Gen. But
Ter never visited the jail to see CoDover, nor
ever conesponded with him in any way what
ever, as my orders were not to let any one visit
him or communicate with him without my
consent. AS regards Mr.. Ashley, did give
m ad Init n COnOVAr. the
friends of Mr.. johnson, while complaining of
Mr. Ashley having interviews with Conover,
say nothing about Hon. Jack Rogers, of New
Jersey, and Hon. Mr.. Radford, of New York,
calling to see him repeatedly, both of whom
are we'll known friends of the President.
considered had no right to make any distinc-
tion in the admission of members of Congress
to the Jail.
1 have been abused by certain journals in
Washington for keeping this Conover from
the Albany penitentiary, after he had been
sentenced; and, as they say, for the purpose of
allowing Messrs. Ashley. Butler and others to
get from him evidence to impeach the Presi-
dent, and, in the belief of this charge, was
removed by the President the 18th of July
last. Conover was kept back after his SEN
tence at the request of Hon. Mr.. Riddle, the
counsel for government in the Surratt case,
and by order of the Court, in order to get in
formation concerning certain witnesses in that
case, and not to give opportunity for the enc
mics of the President to get evidence to i'm
peach him. was present at the interview of
Mr.. Ashley with Conover on number of oc-
casions, and neither saw nor heard anything
wrong. Conover repeatedly sent for Mr.. Ash
ley to visit him at the Jail, and on one such
occasion perfectly recolect Mr.. Ashley tell
ing him not to say anything that was moi
strictly true.
To show whether this man Conover is worthy
of belief in his affidavits, let me state that he
was not only convicted ofperury by Jury o.
his countrymen, but that he has other charges
hanging over him equally as bad. Besides
he had not been committed to the Jail one
month before 1 detected him in cutting thu
iron bars of the window, and took from hin
the knife made into saw, with which he wa
attempting to make his escape. And again
since his conviction, and only one week befor
being taken to Albany Penitentiary, he wa
detected in saving the iron bars with com
plete steel spring saw, smuggled in to him b.
his wife. He is a notorious scoundrel, an
his affidavits were given by him for the pur
pose of obtaining pardon from the President
as his associate and brother prisoner, Mi
Rabbe. had been pardoned before him.
1t will be recollected that this man Rabb
was sentenced to the Jail for two years fo
fraud on the government, and when he ha
partly served his time out, conceived the idea
from seeing Mr.. Ashley visit the jail, of gel
ting his pardon by representing to the Pres
dent that Ashley was visiting the jail, by m
permission, to obtain evidence to have hiI
impeached, and that If he was pardoned an