The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1867-06-13

gress that preceded his death was an
investigation of the cotton frauds, and
out of great number of permits to
steal, throe-fourths were signed by the
President.
We know that any quantity of timid
men will demonstrate at this, as likely
to injure our party We think differ
emily, and firmly believe that the only
hope we have to hold our Government
in the hands of loyal men, is to OK
pose the rascality and drive ont the
thieves. To remain silent is to con-
nive at the frauds and protect the ro.
gues.
To return, however, 10 our mutton
very tough and tainted at that. We
open Brevet Brigadier General Bakers
book with the same feelings we take
up dying speech and confession, be-
heving that all that is interesting is
not true, and all that is not true is not
interesting, and find it from tegining
to end about the dullest performance
1T has been our misfortune TO meet
with.-We turn at once to that part
which treats Of the assassination. In
it VIC find, If any whore, the uses Of
our national police, and the net pur-
port and upshot of the much vaunted
detective system. And the result, to
use slang term, is "nix." If, rs 1s
claimed, great conspiracy existed,
originating at Richmond, and encour-
aged in Canada, 1t went on undor the
nose Of Brevet Brigadier General Ba.
ker, and engaged his attention only
when the President was killed in the
presence Of great crowd, and the
Secretary OF State was hacked to
pieces at his own residence. If on the
other hand, no conspiracy had being,
tho subsequent coil with the hanging
Of one woman and several nbeciles,
were outragcs on our common sense,
TO say nothing of that neglected god.
dcss called Justice. This is all-and
for this little all, we have paid dear
ly.
For the book itself few words are
requisite. 1t abounds inl bai e-faced
lies. One requires little experience in
this sort Of literature to recognized the
ialsehoods at once. 1t reads very
much like second-rate tale in the
Ledger. 1t has all the marks of Il
mean, poverty stricken Imagination.
Each series Of adventures eliminates
in an impossible escape, where success
turns on the not very brilliant smart
ness of the hero and the utter imbecil-
Ity Of the enemy.
In the escape from Richmond, fol
example, il we are to take as trnth the
account of Dpis, Toombs and Brock
we must accept Davis, Toombs and
Brock as tho vericst iackasses the Lord
ever set on end. Brock is unknown
to fame, but Davis and Toombs have
rather impressed this age with con
fidenco in their sagacity, and so long
as this confidence continues Brevct
Brigadier General Bakers attack Oh
their brain must be ut q discount.
The evidence of falschood, how
ever, is to be found in the fact that
throughout the narrative the author
not only gives the minutcst details
but the accompanying conversation
The moment II story-tcller undertakes
to give the "says he, and says she,
and says !, he passes into the region
Of romance. Let any one try this iol
himself. Make an effort to remember
the words ofa conversation held yes
|. terday, and mark the result; and theI
Judge Of the reliability Of conversa-
ton running through an entire volume
and extended ovOr years IN the past
In this connection we call attention
to the asserted confession of Mrs. Sur
ratt.--The simple rules governing cvi-
dence force us 70 Il consideration frs
Of the character ofthe witness; second
ly, to tho probability of the story. ii
either view this proposed confession
falls through. Our l'rovet Brigadiel
General has been convicted of lying
and he tells us that q woman VIII,
made hard fight for her wretche,
life, forfeited that life TO man tina
she loathed and dispiscd. 1t will d,
for such noodles as the editor of III,
CieueiaRd Herdtd to reproduce this alb
surd story-but no man possessed o
thImblciull of brains believes it,
There is one thing that strikes II
forcibly, and that is the remarkabl
similarity between the style of thii
book and that of the so-called Boot
Diay. To any one of ordinary 50
gacity it is difficult to distinguish OIL
from the other, In tho history Of thi
remarkable diary we learn that i
passed from the hands Of Breyet Brig
adler General Bakor to Mr., Stanton
OF all the possessions Iound on tn
body of the assassin, the diamond pil
and diary are the only two not &C
counted for. We recognized tho dis
tinguishod detective in the fact. Blu
the world is puzzled to know why th
able Judge Advocate General, in hi
effort to identify the body of Bootf