Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-08-16
Conspiracy and subOrnatiOn OfPOrjury.

Hdce OeeH MdHufdctuToU .J0' "e I'M
pedchmem of The Ereeutire-Rd
Hafamy shoVn up--A most GstOnish.
ing Document
The report OF the acting Attorney Cen
eral of the United States, made to the
President on the application for pardon
Of Charles A. Dunham, alias Sanford
Conover, who is imprisoned on couvic-
ton aud sentence for perjury, being an
important official document, has been
published in full by our morning cotem-
poraries in all its shocking details. We
have not room to reproduce it, and shall
content ourselves with giving a copious
outline Of the more material facts,
The application, made on the 9th of
July, is predicated in part on technical
grounds, and also on a claim for aiding
the cause of justice in the prosecution
and trial of John Fl. Surratt for murder.
The application is indorsed and sustained
bn letters from ]. NJ. Ashley, the noto.
rious NJ. c.; A. G. Riddle, formerly q
member Of Congress- and now member
of the Washington bar and counsel for
Durham on his trial and conviction, and
Joseph Holt, formerly Of the Vicksburg
and Kentucky bars, and now Judge Ad-
yocate of the bureau of military justice.
Ashley thinks Durham CLEARLY entitled"
to pardon for services rendered in the
effort to convict Surratt, and hopes he
will be aided to procure it. Riddle says
that, having been retained to aid the Gov
ernment in the trial of Surratt, he had
taken the general management in the
preparation of the case (which means
here the dirty and villainous work of pro-
curing testimony to convict an innocent
mani; that the Government is under
great obligations to this perjured Dun
ham, for UaIuable Information leading to
the conviction OF Surratt; that although
in jail, he (Dunham) managed to keep
informed of the progress of the case, and
from time to time from his cell in the
prison working from patriotism and love
ofjustice] communicated important facts
and suggestions, and seemingly for the
sole purpose of fair investigation of the
case, whether it would work for his own
benefit or not What q remarkable
and disinterested perjurer this is j And
for these services in this behalf the Gov
ernment should mark its appreciation in
a way not to be mistaken" further adds
Riddle. He does not propose that do.
nation should be added to his pardon, or
what other reward.
Next comes the letter of Joe. Holt, as
cruel prosecutor, and as heartless and
unmitigated a scoundrel as Durham can
possibly be, we are sorry to say, for we
knew him once in Vicksburg, and thought
him q rather cold.blooded though true
gentleman. He concurs with Riddle
in his estimate of the "value and
Importance Of the services" of the said
Durham. he thinks governments should
encourage disclosures by criminals in
order to the conviction of greater often
ders, and that such disclosures should be
generously appreciated. He thiabs the
said disclosures OF Dunham " have been
performed without solicitation, and in
the interest of truth and justice, and
should be accepted as proof of his re-
pentance and as an atonement 20 the
law, for whose violence he stands con
demned" Holt, it will be remembered,
has been long suspected and openly
charged with suborning Conover, to the
very perjury of which he stands con-
vieted.
Durham himself, in petitioning for
his pardon, trusts to technicality
mainly, and never even thinks of these
great and meritorious services of ma
tional Importance" which his friends
Ashley, Riddle, Holt and Butler have
trumped up for him. He does nothing
more, except to deny his guilt, which
felons are not slow to do.
Now, this Charles A. Durham, alias
Conover, who is thus remarkably csrti-
fed to have rendered valuable services
in procuring proof etc, and as having
such penchant and violent passion for
the suppression of crime, as to act the
clairyoyant in his cell, and urgently
transmit intelligence to the aforesaid
Riddle from pure love of justice, and
who must be necessarily truthful, if thus
he could render service T" of great ma
tional importance in such circum-
stances, despairing, probably, Of pardon,
on his simple application, with such
suspicious indorsers, appears again on
the scene three days later. With his
power Of clairvoyance he doubtless
looked out agaia from his cell and saw
that something new must be done, and !
that he could never be pardonsi with the
aid Of his trio of friends, whom he /
doubtless knew ought to be with him in
The same peniientiary. And so it turned |
ont that on the 29th, and three days after /
his petition with its accompanying let |
ters had been sent forward, there was
Hadyentiliously received at the |
Executive Office another batch Of papers l
- t.f s.t Il Z