The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-08-15
CONFESSION OF A RADIiAL AraoCIrY.

One VIM. IL. Reed of Boston, has recently
made an affidavit before a justice of the peace,
in Washington, relative to his connection
with the imprisonment of certain persons in
Georgia On account of what is known as the
''Ashburn murder case" Reed is not
exactly Conover, but he is one of a class of
detectives which has sprung up, like poison
GUS fungi, in the murky, sickly night of Rad
ical domination. He is detective, that is to
say, whose business is to suborn witnesses Of
the Conover stripe, or of any other stripe, or
by intimidation or torture to manufacture
false testimony for the purpose of running po-
htical enemies or numbering, for partisan pur-
poses, innocent victims. 1t was to carry out
a scheme having an object such as last named
that he was, according to his sworn confess
sion, employed by the Radical firm of Grant,
Howard, Meade & Co., and set to work, under
instructions from one Ii. G. Whitley, another
government detective, on the "Ashburn MUIR
der case, )" with the assurance on the part of
Whitley that "the whole case was a political
move, and the conviction of the prisoners
would be a big thing" By order of Gen.
Meade, these two men had full control of the
Reed recounts how they operated on two COL
ored prisoners to extort testimony by terror
and torment: cat the fort, one of these ne
groes, John Wells, was taken out of his cell
and put into a chair in one of the easements,
with cannon pointed at his head, and
soldier hold of the string, ready to snap the
cap, apparently, to shoot the gun. barber
hn1 hoo ell e III
IN he ready m shave bis hAod- The woo done
to have him give evidence in regard to killing
Ashburn. The negro all the time contending
he knew nothing about the murder. This
farce was kept up about ten minutes; finally
they put him back in his cell with the under
standing that if he did not tell something it
would be worse for him. They took the
other negro. John Stapler, and put him be-
fore the gun, with no better success; he was
afterward put in the sweat-box and kept there
in great punishment for at least thirty hours,
until his legs swelled, and took him out of
the box, being convinced he knew nothing
about the case.
They made, according to Reed, more pro-
gress in the way of subornation; for he says:
Amanda Patterson, Bennett, Belts. Marshall |
and Stevens all of the prisoners III At pretend
to know anything about the murder. These par /
ties gave no evidence until they were imprisoned /
tired out, and the evidence was wrung from them |
by Whitley and Mayor Smythe by promises of re.
ward and security from punishment They
(Whtley and Smythe) had frequent couversa.
lions with Amanda Patterson, educating her in
the evidence she had to give, also Betz and Ste.
Vtns, making each one repeat the evidence over
aud over again to have them perfect, SO when
they were called upon to give their evidence they
would not contradict themselves, each one to tell
The same story.
"DuriDg the time was engaged in working
up this case in Georgia, drew money from
the paymaster by Gen. Meades order" re-
marks Reed in conclusion. Thus the mill
tary chest of the nation is made to pay the
cost OF vile and murderous plot undertaken
as "a political move, as s. a big thing" for the
party, by the central Radical caucus. 1t will
not do to say that Grant and the rest are
above the discriminating statements of Reed
because he is, by confession, villainous de-
tective. Having employed such man, he
became, morally, their equals, and they his
in criminality. He is good
states evidence.