The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1867-08-30

writing to enable them to incorporate those
changes in their. original statements, WITH
out leading to confusion or contradictions
it was found necessary for somebody else to
take my Office Of prcceptos, &c. Thls WITH
slight hesitstiou, was done b. Mr.. Ashley,
on my assurance that the parties we're rad
jcals dyed 10 the wool, sad men OF honor,
in whom be could safely repoee confidence:
ST have learned both from Ashley and
the parties themselves, what was said and
done BY and between them in the matter
TIE statements they were desired to make
/, were received and corrected by Mr.. Ashley,
and they we're assured BY him that in case
it should be determined to examine them
before the committee, they shoald De
"splendidly rewarded"
''Ashley discoursed to them on the pro-
priety and business Of the course 1t was pro-
posed to pursue to make certain Of the i'm.
parchment Of the president. He declared
that you were traitor to your party ana
country, &c; that there was no doubt OF
your completely in the assassination con-
! spiracy. but that the evidence was in the
hands of your friends, and could not all be
got at; that enough, however, had been Sc
cured to satisfy most reasonable men OF his
guilt, but that in order 70 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
to the impeachment Of the president would
deserve well of the country, and that he
ashley would see them rewarded ten fold
when your successor should come into
power. :.
subsequently the parties were present
ed 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 was understood. had hither-
to doubted the existence oil. evidence impli-
eating you in the assassination conspiracy,
and who informally Intercepted them as to
the matters upon whieh they had been in
structed.
Butler desired to have taken the depo.
sitions of these men at the time, but
would not consent to its being done until I
should be released, IS 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
to Mr. Ashley's; and I shall take pleasure,
if at liberty, in producing them before any
committee or tribunal for the impeachment
Of the impeachers.
''But the evidence Of this conspiracy does
not depend entirely upon oral proof The
letters from Ashley, herewith enclosed, in
themselves SPEAK volumes. What state
mcnt from me could he have wanted, and
for what purpose? Anything 1t was in my
power to state to him could have been sta
ted to him orally dozen times during his
previous visits to me.
1.-The statement he wanted was this, and
for this purpose There were many prom
inent radicals. and especially among his
constituents, who were lukewarm on the
subject ofimpeachment; who were not pre-
pared to believe 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 as
surances that the most unQuestionable evil
dence of your guilt could be produced. He
therefore, requested me to prepare an elab
crate paper, setting forth that such and
such persons 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 correspondent with him and
with parties in Richmond, and that the per-
sons who could testify to these facts were of
the most respectable standing, and would
come forward and tell all they knew, if pro-
tected by the government. He wished me
to put it into style and tone that. would be
sure to carry conviction with it. He de-
sired that, in addition to the points of evil
dence We had conferred about, my state
ment should contain others; and he gave
me memorandum of other points which ne
requested me to incorporate in my state
ment. This memorandum, / inclose, and
it is, believe, in Matchett's handwrit-
ing. After preparing the statement. sent
it to him at Toledo, where he wished me to
make use OF it.
There is another note from Ashley in
closed, worthy of attention. 1t is in pencil,
and was written at the office of judge Car
ter. After the failure, through the blum
dering OF Matchett, to secure my release at
the time promised, became angry, and
He went to Ashley and Butler in alarm,
and reported that was going to expose
the entire scheme to you.
after the persons had sent for to New
York as witnesses had returned, Matchett
endeavored, without my knowledge, to per-
suade them to come here again, and in his
letters to two of them he thoughtlessly sug
gested some additions that it was desired
they should make to their statements. He
made these suggestions by letter, as his
letter explained, because it was not certain
that he would be here when they should
arrive, or they might meet judge Bingham,
or some of the persons they had been intro
duced to when previously here, before he
could see them and give them their points,
and he therefore wanted them posted.
"After my talking to him so severely on
account of the failure to have me released
at the time promised, Matchett became
frightened, and seemed to get the idea that
| had given his letters to those parties, and
had sent them, or copies Of them, to you.
Possibly, in my anger, / threatened as
much. He therefore made known his fears
to Ashley and Butler, and Ashley endeav-
ored by this note to obtain the letters.
II have just been ordered to get ready.
for the penitentiary.
Every respectfully,
"CHAS. A. DUNHAM.
That ASHLEY, BUTLER h Co., tried to
get CoNovER to once more commit perjury
and swear to falsehoods, the Radicals can
not deny, but after waiting sometime they