The Portland daily press., 1867-08-17

AbO thstouhuiuS iCNCidUiOuS IcSpcCtluk tLt
Democratic conspiracy to break down the Blu
reau Of Military Justice and its distinguished
chief, which were alluded to in the telegraphic
column of yesterdays Press, are given q
length in the New York Times. We have al
ready published the recommendation for Con-
overs pardon, drawn up by Rogers and en-
dorsed by Radford, Niblack, Eldridge, LIE
Blond and Latham, which entirely DESTROYS
the force of the Assistant Attorney Generals
argument against Ashley and Butler The
additional evidence which has been discovered
in the offices of the Attorney General and
Judge Holt, can hardly fail to destroy what
poor remnant of good reputation Hon.
Benz. Wood may possess. 1t convicts him of
plotting with such ex-rebels as Roger Pryor
and Dick Taylor to fasten upon Judge Holt
the crime OF subornation of perjury.
1t appears that during the summer of 1864.
Gonover, who was employed by Wood, Pryor
& Co, approached certain adventurers named
Anser, Matterson, McFall and Martin, repre-
senting that Judge Holt was endeavoring to
crush him, and that they must assist in avoid
ing the consequences of that officers hostility
He thcn brought about an interview between
them and his employers. What they were ex-
pected to do is explained in the following ex-
tract from Ansers affidavit. sworn to before
q notary public in New York: -'7iH
+ Deponentssays. that after being introduced
to said Pryor and Wood, the former proposed
to read and did read to deponent two affida-
Wits which had been previously prepared for
| deponent to swear TO-. That one OF said afada-
Wits alleged and set forth at great length that
.deponent had in February, 1856, been taken
by said Conover before Hon. Joseph Holt.
Judge-Adyocate General of the Armies of the
United States, and had been requested and
urged by said Conover and said Judge -Advo-
cate-General to make false and fabricated
| deposition, under the fictitious name of George
| Waddell, duplicating Jefferson Davis in the
assassination of President Lincoln; that said
affidavit set forth that deponent, when request
ed by Conover and Judge Holt to make the
dispositions as in said affidavit alleged, ex-
pressed fears and conscientious scrpplos IN OPP
position thereto. and that Judge Holt assured
deponnnt .sat the proceedings would not be
attended with any danger, as the making of
such a. deposition would not amount
TO legal perjury, and could scarcely
be said to amount to moral perjury;
that it g, would at most be what is
sometimes called white le," and
found it necessary to do little evil in order
that much good might come; that it was not
expected to use the deposition in any proceed
ing against Davis, as it was evident from the
| Souhoo pCiHS pul5ucu ny but EfcSlQent that he
would never order q trial for Davis on account.
OF his completely in the assassination: that ali
that was left of the rebellion was conferred in
Davis, and that dispositions he (Holt) was COL
lectlng would go upon the files of the Bureau
of Military Justice, and torn u solemn mart of
the history OF the rebellion, SO that, although
Davis would escape with his life, he would he
branded in history as an assassin and COW
cred with everlasting infamy. Deponent fur
lher says that the other of said affidavits
read To him nv Pryor mr. 10
requested to subscribe and swear,
set forth the testimony which demo-
nent had given before the Military Com
mission ON the trial of the assassins in regard
to threats and violence by rebels toward Como
yer for having given testimony before said
Commission, and that said affidavit alleged that
the testimony given by deponent as aforesaid
was fabricated and false, and was fabricated by
Judge Holt to be false in every particular, and
WAS given by deponent before the Commission
as aforesaid at the instance and request of
Judge Holt, who having helped to fabricate it
ised to pay and did pay deponent literally for
SO doing. Deponent says further that af.e said
affidavit had been read to him by said Pryor.
he said to said Pryor and other present that
there was not word of truth in either of the
papers, and that he did not see although Con.
over had attempted to explain to him. what
good was to come to any one from his swearing
to such pack of - lies. That PRYOR reniied
that much good would come from it. That
Judge Holt was attempting to fasten the fault
ConOver, and that the affidavit deponent was
required to make would therefore protect Com
over, and fasten the outrageous business on |
Holt. That in the next place the affidavits |
would aid in the movement then being made |
for the release of Mr.. Davis, who had been ont |
rageously treated, by bringing condemnation |
upon Judge Holt and the Bureau of Military
Justice, which would induce the President to |
pardon MIR. Davis OF release him on parole;
and also that it would save deponent much |
pain and trouble, Us it was known that demo-
nent had assisted in hunting mp and inducing |
certain parties to make false dispositions in the
Bureau Of Military Justice against Mr.. Davis. |
and It has been determined by the friends OF |
MIR. Davis to prosecute for perjury and subor- |
nation Of perjury all engaged in that business |
who did not come forward and confess under |
oath that all they had done had been done |
with the knowledge and procurement of Judge |
Holt, for the avowed purposes of branding |
Jefferson Davis as an assassin and covering
his name with infamy. That at this point |
Benjamin Wood interrupted Mr. Pryor. saving
Yes and you benefit yourself still further by
taking the money which you will receive for
making the affidavts" Deponent further
says that il was then stated to him by Wood |
and Pryor that deponent would receive $500 |
upon swearing to said affidavits; and if it
should become necessary to publish them, or
e..net OF them, or make any public alusiOn
AiSh ucpOHentS name Sl0ulQ be
mentioned, he (deponent) would receive $500
more; ana IN the event of his being called up
on to sustain the averments in bis affidavits
or either of them, in a Court of Justice or any,
legal proceedings, that he should receive n M
in addition to the sums SO promised or maid to
him. .l-sF HH r a1l. 0.l
Anser refused to become a party to the pro-
ceedings, as did MeFall and Martin who testi- I
fy to the same facts; but the money was too
strong temptation for Matterson and he sign.
cd the affdavit that had been prepared for
him.
Inc documents showing the infinite depray- |
lty OF these Democratic politicians are all
sworn to while those embraced in the Assis-
tant Attorney Generals letter were mere as
sertions. -.
THE Star, as we expected, declines to give
my Authority for its statement that the
Press demanded the advertising under the
law "as q matter of course" The
public will draw its own inferenees The fol-
owing paragraph from the Oxford Democrat,
is to the point:
Inc Star makes weak point in heading our
note relative to bankrupt advertising, "disap-
pointed grumbling." The whole business of
Inc DISTRICT was offered to us if we would print
Al