The Van Buren press., 1867-04-26
From Washington

In the supreme Court Of the United
States this morning Robert j. Walker
Gcd an amended bill in the Mississippi
case against the Secretary of War, Gen.
/ Grant, and Mai. Gen. Ord. Attorney
General Strawberry moved to dismiss this
and the Georgia bill, on the ground of \
want Of proper jurisdiction, and by the
consent of the counsel. the motion will be
argued next Friday week, the 10Th of
| April. This course was anticipated in
I last nights dispatch, and brings the case
up ut once, and will enable the Supreme
/ Court to render the decision at this term.
/ The result gives gr,a. satisfaction to both
parties The Attorney General enter
tans no doubt but tha, both of the bills
! will be dismissed f0rWnt of jurisdiction.
Unofficial information has been rccciy-
ell at Gen. Grants headquarters, TO the
effect that Fort BuIord has not been dis
turbed up u the l,JA Of April> As the
reported massacre is dated the 10Th, there
is some hope felt that it is, after all, TN
true.
Dispatches were received at the State
Department yesterday from Gen. Dix, ut
Paris, wherein he is represented as look
inc upon the commOtOn between France
and Prussia IS of most serious nature
WASHINGTON. April Il.
TIE evidence taken hy the House Judiciary
Committee relative to the discovery and pur-
suit of john II. Suratt is Just made public. 1t
contains testimony embracing a partial con-
ttsSion from Nurrdtt n To his completely in
the assassination plot. and ofhi, much di>put-
ed whereabouts on the day the assassination
took place.
1t appears from the evidence ofL.J. McMn-
Ian, surgeon of the steamer Peruvian. pNing
between Montreal and Liverpool, that sur
raft came on board in september 1865. booked
/ for Liverpool, and that, becoming intimate.
he confessed to Mcmillan who he was. The
supplemental evidence together with the
Official >pondCncc Of the State Depart
mcnt with our foreign ministers and consuls,
shows that the confession Of identity to Nc
/ MILAN was the original and sole cause which
/ eventually led to Surratts arrest.
! DIR. Mcmillan tc>ticS that Surratt came on
| board the Peruvian at Montreal on September
| llth, 1865, and was introduced to him under
| the name Of Carthy that becoming well
| acquainted in Il few days. Surratt confessed to
| him that he had been in the confederate States
service. carry ing dispatches between Wash
| ington and Richmond and also as far as Mon
| treal; that he and Booth had planed at first
| the abduction ofPresidcnt Lincoln: that how
ever they thought they could not succeed in
! that way, and they thought it was necessary
| to change their plan; after this, before the
assassination, Surratt was in Montreal. where
he received lcttcr from Booth ordering him
| Immediately to Washington; that it was nee
eSSary to act promptly, ana that he was to
! leave Montreal Immediately for Washington
| lie did not tell me he come to WASHINGTON
! but he told me that he came as far as Elmira.
in the State of New York. and from that place
! tcCgraphcd to New York, 10 find out whether
| Booth had already left for Washington and he
was answered that he had He did not tell
me whether he had gone further than Elmira
| The next place he spoke to me of was st. AL
! bans, Vermont, were he said he arrived early
| in the morning. at breakfast time and went
! to hotel there for breakfast While he was
! sitting there he heard several persons talking
about assassination. and he enQuired what
was up. They asked him if he did not know
! that President Lincoln had been assassinatcd
| He said: i did not believe it because the
| story was too good to be true" On that a
| gentleman pulled ont Il newspaper, and hand
| ed it to him. He opened it and saw his own
name as one of the a>saSSinS. He said this un-
nerved him 50 much that the paper fell out of
| his hands. lie Immediately left the room and
| walked out. and a. he was going ont through
| the house he heard another party say that
| Surratt must have been, or was at that time
| in st. AlbanS, because such Il person (men-
! tiOning the person, name had found pocket
! handkerchief on the street with Surratt's
| name on it. lie told me he had actually look
cd in his pocket, and found he had lost his
| pocket handkerchief. From that place he
| then went 10 Canada. and was concealed there
| from April to September. When he was on
| board the ship. he called me aside and AGAIN
! commenced 10 talk about the assassination,
one thing or the other. 1t was in the evening.
and we were alone together, and he took out
| his revolver which me kept in his pocket all
| the time, and pointed to the heavens, and said
" hope and wish to live Just few wears more.
| Two years will do me, and then | shall go
! back to the United states, and shall serve
| Andrew johnson as Abraham Lincoln has
| been served - / asked him why. He answer
ed, because hc las been the cause of my
mother being hung"
DR.. Mcmillan further tcstiies that he arry-
ed in Liverpool on September y. 1868. and
went before the American Consul Mr.. Wild.
and made affidavit to the above facts. An
! official letter from Consul Wild shows that
| this affidavit caused the commencement ofthe
| pursuit Of Surratt, which resulted in his cap
! ture in little more than year from that
! time.
Since sending previous dispatch in refer
ence to the Executive Session, it is learned
that the Senate this afternoon rejected the
| famous Cherokee Indian treaty. on which it
was proposed to sell a million acres of land
| held in trust by this Government. They had
two hours discussion on the subject
NASHVILLE, \ prl lG.
| The Conservative Union State Convention
met at the capitol to-day. Hon. Elijah Walk
cr, President. The number of delegates pres
ent was large, representing three tourths of
| the counties of the State. Much interest was
manifested and Il number Of colored delegates
were present and participated. 4 highly
Conservative platform wa, adopted and
Ethcridgc nominated for Governor