Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-08-15
COLUMBUS, O., THURSDAY MORNING.

and when sent for to come here and repeat
them (but not under oath) to such persons
as 1 should indicate.
After allowing my friends sufficient time
to learn their parts, the Rev. Mr.. Match
ett (B) was sent for them in order that il
might be said that he, agent for the i'm
peachers, had found the witnesses, and that
their character for veracity was above sus-
picion. ".
: On arriving here, these persons were in
spected by Ashley and Butler, and were
found to possess the requisite qualification
as to intelligence and personal appearance;
but, unfortunately for the impeachers, it
was deemed necessary to make some chang
es, notifications in some, and additions to
other portions of their statements before
presenting them to the luke-warm radicals
it was their intention to infiame. ni o..
1t being impracticable for the men to
see me at the jail on such business, and
equally so for me to communicate to them
the desired changes and necessary eXpla-
nations in writing to enable them to incor-
porate those changes in their original
statements without leading to confusion
or contradiction, it was found necessary tor
somebody else to take my office of precept-
or, &c. This, with slight hesitation, was
done by Mr.. Ashley on my assurance that
the parties were radicals, died in the wool,
repose confidence. 2 .-i2i'i II
I have learned both from Ashley and the
parties themselves what was said and done
by and between them in the matter. The
statements they were desired to make were
revised and corrected by Mr.. Ashley, and
they were assured by him that in case it
should be determined to exame them be-
fore the committee they should be splen-
didly rewarded.
Ashley also discoursed to them on the
propriety and justness of the course it was
proposed to pursue, to make certain OF the
impeachment of the President. He declar-
ed that YOU were traitor to your party
and country, &C., &c. That there was no
doubteof your completely in the assassina-
ton conspiracy, but that the evidence was
in the hands of your friends, and could not
all be got at. That enough, however, had
been secured to satisfy most reasonable men
of your guilt, but that in order to satisfy
the most exacting, the statements of these
persons before the committee would be
requisite That the end fully justified the
means, and that every man who contributed
in this way co the impeachment of the
President would deserve well of the coun-
try, and that he (Ashley) would see them
rewarded tenfold when your successor
should come into power. 5-C
Subsequently the parties were presented
to Butler, and after being inspected and
passed by him, were introduced by him
and Ashley to several Radical members of
the House, who, it is understood, had hith-
erto doubted the existence OF evidence i'm
plicating you in the assassination conspira-
cy, and who informally interrogated them
instructed. AL 81
Butler desired to have taken the deposit
tions of these men at the time, but would
not consent to its being done until should
be released, as at first agreed.
These facts can be proved by these three
persons, and also by my wife, whose char
acter for truth and veracity is not inferior
if at liberty, in producing them before any
committee or tribunal for the impeachment
of the impeachers. -a-
But the evidence of this conspiracy does
not depend entirely upon one proof. The
letters from Ashley herewith enclosed, in
themselves,speak volumes. What statement
TBl from me could lie have wanted. and for
what purpose? Anything it was in my
power to state to him could have been
stated to him orally dozen times during
his previous visits to me.
the statement he wanted was this, and
for this purpose:
There were many prominent Radicals,
and especially among his own constituents,
who were lukewarm on the subject of i'm
WIN WClC uOb ptOpotCo w OO'
lieve that you were privy to the murder OF
Lincoln, and whose cooperation was
greatly needed. Ashley, therefore, desired
to be able to place before them assurances
that the most -unquestionable evidence oi
your guilt could be produced. He, there
fore, requested me to prepare an elaborate
paper setting forth that such and such per-
sons could be produced who knew and
would testify to this, that and the Other
thing, including the pretentions that Booth
had been seen in your room several times
that you had corresponded with him and
with parties in Richmond; and that the
persons who could testify to these fact:
were of the most respectable standing, anC
would come forward and tell all they knew
if protected by the government. He wish
ed me to put it in a style and tone tina
would be sure to carry conviction with it
He desired that in addition to the points o.
evidence we had conferred about, my state
ments should contain others, and he CAV,
me a memorandum of other points which
he requested me 10 incorporate in my state
ment TB]. This memorandum L enclose
and believe it is in Matchett's handwrit
| ing [A]. After preparing the statement
sent it to him at Toledo, where he wishes
| to make use of it. [Cl
There is another note from Ashley, en-
closed, worthy of attention. 1t is in pen
Gil, and was written at the office of Judg
Cartier. e. FL After the failure, through
the laundering of Matchett, to secure my
release at the time promised, 1 became an
CRY and used pretty severe language t
Matchett. He went to Ashley and Butle
in alarm. and reported that l was going
expose the entire scheme to you.f After tn
persons had sent for to New York, as wit
nesses, had returned, Matchett endeavored
without my knowledge, to persuade them
come here again, and in his letters to two G
them he thoughtlessly suggested some ad
ditions that it was desired they shoul
make to their statements. He made thes
statements by letter, as his letters explain
ed, because he was not certain that h
| should be here when they arrived, or the
might meet Judge Bingham or some othe
person they had been introduced to whe
previously here, before he could see then
and give them points, and therefore wan
ed them ''posted."
After my talking to him so severely O
account of the failure to have me release
at the time promised, ID. FL Matchett b.
came frightened, and seemed to get tt
idea that 1 had his letters to those partie
and had sent them, or copies OF them,
you. Possibly, in my anger, then utte
ed as much. He, therefore, made know
his fears to Ashley and Butler, and Ashle
endeavored by this note to obtain the lie
tiers.
L have just been ordered to get ready ft
the Penitentiary.
Very respectfully,
CHAs. A. DUNHAM.
The following are the several pape
which accompany the above. The lette
of reference inserted in the foregoing, al
annexed to the succeeding, are not upC
the originals, but are introduced solely fl
your convenience in perusing this r
port:
The subjoined paper, headed memoral
dunn by the hand that wrote it, bears inte
nal evidence of having been furnished as
guide to some person or persons who WEI
expected to fa5ricate corresponding test
mOny:
= TAT Memorandum. Shortly before II