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


w 1he Ruriurer-The Efforts for his
ParlOn1 10 Prccsre Witnesses
IA gslinst Surrattilglfs Prison In.
terviews with Ashley, the Inn
'9Pencher---The President and ahe
AssassinaiiOn: 4PIot-ConOver 20
a., Procure Testimony Against Him
se'-Attenpt to Associate the Presi-
dent with Booth- -CoIlection OF
the Papers by tine ASSISTANT At
tOrneyi General, SC. e 81 s,r'7 9i.I - /
.Ysi .sdaH y -. s't ~ iif. cd o. p. " ,
hsrssi s1a sbsod hsisliaa aaioaA ngiIJ sel III +
s. The following most surprising document
reached US, from Washington last evening,
and its alleged disclosures given without
other comment than that supplied by the
Assistant Attorney General: l'gffr.ai -, g I
sE,r'i fsa ,Bod4iGW WAsHINGToN,f Aug. 9, 1867. I
The following document has been OBJ
tanned from official sources: 80
osad eFsf ArroRNEY GENERAL's OFFlcE.l
--t9 j sia ,s1a q 9TH August, 1867. :.
Mr.. President The application of
Charles A. D1nham having been referred
to this office, in the customary order of ex-
ecutive business, for the examination and
advisory action OF the Attorney General,
1T has become my duty, during the indis-
position and absence of the distinguished
Incumbent of the law department, care
fully to consider the case. In respectfully
declining, as I do, to offer at present any re-
Scommendation in the premises, beg to
submit, for your consideration, the reasons
(which constrain me to reserve advice and
suspend Judgment until L shall have been
further Instructed by your Excellency.
Dunham, the person applying for pardon,
is the same who has become notorious un-
der the name of Sanford Conover. He was
recently convicted Of perjury i'm the Dis
strict of Columbia. and Isl as lam informed,
now ineareerated in accordance with the
sentence of the COURT His application
seems to be predicated,a In part, upon a
supposed technical irregularity in the con-
,stitution of the, Jury, and iss supported
mainly by the services which he is alleged
to have rendered the cause of justice in
aiding the prosecuting counsel in the col
lection Of evidence and otherwise, upon the
trial of John H. Surratt for murder. e
The papers upon which his application is
grounded, and by which it is sustained,
consist of four in parcel, which,, by in
6iorsement, appears to have reached the
Executive office on Saturday, the 9th of
'Juty,, 1857. The first is dated the 22d of
July, and is written upon the ordinary note
paper used by members of the House of
Representatives, with an engraved vignette
caption. The following is a copy:s
~ EvoI FoRTIErH CONGRESS q. s,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
10 WAsHINGroN,D. G., July %, 1S67.)
GentlesiaeR: Il suggest that petition some
thing like the enclosed, be prepared and
signed by you for the pardon of Mr.. Dun
ham. | think he is clearly entitled to it,
and hope you will aid him all you can.
faHEd Respectfully, j. NJ. ASHLEY.
Hon. y. HoLT. 10 s3-
2 Hon. A. G. RIDDLE.
1t would seem from an expression used
I'm this note that draft of petition was
n
swas sthus designated.
The next paper.is the following, from a
late Representative in Congress, from Ohio,
now a member of the Washington bar:
WASHINGTON, July %, 1867
To the President of the United States-Sir !:
was, early in April last, retained to aid
the Governmehtin the prosecution of John
HI. Surratt, and took the management of
the preparation, of the case. 7rFe.r
The labor and dificulties of the case were
great, and the Government is under great
obligations to Charles A. Dunham for much
valuable information, both as to the facts
and witnesses tor the United States, and
witnesses called for the defense. Although
In Jail, he managed to keep informed of the
progresssof the case, and from time to time
communicated important facts, and sug-
gestions, and seemingly for the sole pur-
pose of a fair, investigation of the case,
whether it would work for his benefit or
not. It seems to me that for his services in
this behalf the Government should mark
It's appreciation of them in a way not to be
mistaken. Respectfully, -: ~,
eoBbot4 % 81 20 E 12ta A. G. RIDDLE
Nothing is among the papers from the
Offfee Of the District Attorney, or from any
of the counsel in the Surratt trial, except
ing Mr.. Riddles letter.
The ceXt recommendation is from the
Bureau of Military Justice (:
seahaiz "a WASHINGTON, July "a, 1867.
I concur with the Hon. A. G. Riddle in
his estimate of the value and Importance
of the service rendered by Charles A. Bun
ham, as set forth in the foregoing letter tc
the President. A principle of public pol
icy leads governments to encourage, by all
honorable means, those charged with crime
to make disclosures which may and often
do result in unmasking greater offenders
than those who make them; and hence
when they are found to have acted yolun.
tarily and in good faith, the highest pub
lie considerations require that their con-
duct shall be generously appreciated.
The service of Dunham, with the detail:
of which Mr. Riddle must be entirely ia
miliar, as one of the counsel in the case
seems to,have been performed without so
1icitation and in the interests of truth anl
justice in connection with one of the mos
important criminal trials which has oc
although his disclosures were not directly
connected with the criminality of which
he himself has been convicted, yet it is be
1ieved that they do not the less bring hi
case within the spirit and reason OF tn
rule of policy referred to, and hence it j
tor the Executive to determine how ia
they shall be accepted at once as proc
of, his repentance, and as an atonement Il
the law. for whose, violation he stands con
demned. - "a I;.r. - ,fg5--r y li j. HoLTs
1t may be proper to remark that the rec
ommendation of the Judge Advocate Gen
eral is written upon one leaf of the sam
sheet with that of Mr.. Riddle, and not upo
official paper. 1t will be observed that not
withstanding this man stood condemne,
for perjury, Mr.. Riddle, by actual expert
ence, and Judge Holt upon satisfactor,
grounds of belief, have fully realized hi
usefulness in promoting by his co-opera
ton with public agents of Justice the caus
of truth on the occasion OF an investigation
of national importance; and also, that tn
latter intimates his opinion that he had fair
1y atoned to the offended law, and had sal
isfaetorily demonstrated his repentence.-
1t is remarkable that Dunham himself,
his petition (Which purports to be in h
grounds, but trusts mainly to a technical
tty. His petition is as follows:
WASHINGTON, July %, 1867.
To HIS E1celLency Afdre,o johnson, Pres
dent. of the United States The petition
Charles A. Durham respectfully shows tn,
in the month of January last he was triet
convicted, and sentenced to the peniter
tiary for perjury, alleged to have bee
committed before the Judiciary committe
of the House of Representatives during tt
Investigation by said committee of charg,
against Jefferson Davis of completely
the conspiracy to assassinate Presidel
Lincoln. stS.45s.St
That the perjury assigned in the indict