The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1867-02-23
10. Holt aud his Companion Conoyer.

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10. Holt and his Companion COnOver.i j
It has been kindly teegraphed all over thell
country from Washington that the arrest of
Conover, the peljurer, and the suborner ofI
witnesses against Mr.. Davis, was affected by
orders eInanating from. Judge Advocate Geni
erai Holt. Tue object of giving this infor-
nation 10 the public is donbtless to screen
Judge HOLT from that condemnation which
his conduct IN the matter so justly merits by
ascrbing to him the part of an injured inno-
cent. 1t is too late ia the day for Judge Holt
to seek to remove by such transparent means
the staiu that rests upon his Character. HIS
published correspondence with Conover and
Others settles that matter conclusively TO all
intelligent minds not warped to q partisan
bias, and yet retaining some regard for good
morals The conspirators testified to all he
desired, aud for the sake of the rewards he
SO lavishly dealt out to- themswere prepared
TO swear away the life of Mr.. Davis, aud to
Justify, so far as their, evidence could do ii,
the vindictive course pursued against him by
Judge IIolt-a course which, to many per-
sons. seemed 10 take the color, not of calm
Judicial feeling, but Of personal animosity.
That Judge Holt should seek to .repudiate
Conover bis accredited agent in the dsrep-
utabie business, now that the whole Of the
testimony against Mr.. Davis is known to have
AIeen false is quite as natural as thathe should
yhHve endeavored TO shield him from public
execratiou until the damaging revelations
that subsequently, startled and astonshed the
public. uade the ABureali of Military Justice
4 synonym for all that was base or cowardly
or treacherous or cruel. Hisswhining appeal
"tO all loyal men, TO believe that he was the
dune of Conover, was sufficient, Of itself to
cast doubt upon the truth of bis declara-
ton. That this d-blooded, astute lawyer
should be forced to acknowledge himself a
fool to escape the imputation of knavery, was
but q proof of the desperate shift 10 which he
had been obliged to resort in the endeavor 10
rid himself of the baser appelation. 1t was
no marvel, therefore, that his confession that
he had been tricked, hoodwinked, bamboozed
and cheated by Conover, was received, even
by the especially loyal" men, to whom be
condesceEded to make the explanation, with
mute surprise, and by those who knew the
character of the man who affected to have
been CALLED with shouts of scornful laughter
1t is alleged that, at the time of the inyeSti.
CATION Judge Holt ssrefused to admit any tes.
timony that tended to expose the alleged per
iuryof Conover." The charge has been made
before, and it is entirely inkeeping with many
of his acts, since he had held the office o
Judge Advocate General, that he should hav
undertaken to do so. One other damninl
fact is patent. Whilst the investigation wa
going on before the Congressional Committe
written paper, reciting all the particular
relating to the assumed completely of Mr.. Da
Wis with the assassination of Mr.. Lincoln, wa
nut in evidence Ii was the Identical pape
drawn up by Conover and handed by him
the man Campbell to learn by rote and to re
peat afterwards before Judge Holt. 1t was
by competent witness, proven that the pa
per was in the hand writing of Conover, an
vet this man was not only again putupon th
stand and allowed to perjure himself, but wit
all the knowledge that Judge Holt and tn
Committee had of his villainous practices, b
was allowed to leave for New York, ostens
: bly, under guard and was permitted-or,
that phrase is too strong to escap
by the way. Not one Of the many suborne
agents who were engaged in this conspirac
to murder, by judicial process, an innocer
man, was arrested at that time, either by OF
der of Judge Holt or at the instance OF til
n. Committee of Investigations All of thos
agents acknowledge they had received lare
sums of money from Judge Holt, by the hanC
OJGOuOV6Ts Iuc SuOS6u OLuAS UOuut
and that everything they had previously te
tilted to was invented by Conoyer, who a
signed to them the several parts they were
play in the terrible drama. They were a
lowed, nevertheless, to go at large, and as Fl
as it could be done, the whole matter WI
hushed up.
The fragrant indecency of the conduct
Judge Holt in becoming party to the iuye
tigation, and acting as the legal adviser
the Committee in Il case in which his ov
character was concerned, was not the lea
= suspicious part of this infamous affair.
this tardy arrest Of Conover, Judge Holt e'
IDENTIFY desires to make it appear that t
grossest deception had been practiced up,
him. But UNANIMOUSLY as Conover is know
to have acted, his punishment cannot Gle
: the skirts of Judge Holt, from the charge
being privy to the arrangements made
Conover, and TO the utterly disreputable cha
acter of the witnesses brought forward
him. Nor can it well be doubted that Jud
Holt prostituted his official authority in me
tban one instance to shield those witness
from, the penal consequences to which tn
had rendered themselves liable.