St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1868-07-24
The Baltimore Plot to 4sSoSSin-
ate .ibrdhdm Lincoln.

lifted from the evidence disclosing the
plot to assaSsinate Abraham Lincoln. ON
his contemplated passage through Balti- !
more, on the 23d of February, 1861
Considerations affecting the personal safe
ty of those by whom the conspiracy wls
detected, prevented 4 disclosure at the
time. The subsequent assassination of
Mr.. Lincoln, and the disclosures connect
ed with the trial and conviction OF
/ Booths associates, removed any doubt
i'll regard to the real existence OF the
plot.
The truth now may be disclosed. and
! the public desire TO know the exact facts
upon which Mr. Lincoln acted, may now
| be gratiiicd. The circumstances detailed
in this article are taken from the records
of Alien Pnkertou. the chief detective.
and are selected from the reports written
out daily at the time, by those engaged
i'll the investigation, and they are be-
lieved 10y the writer of tLis article 10 be
true.
The election of Abraham Lincoln 10
the presidency was Immediately seized
upon by the reckless conspirators, who
had long been plotting the overthrow of
The Union, rs 4 prctcXt upon which 10
consummate their designs. They ut once
employed all the machinery of popular
agitation to create public opinion. and
fire the southern heart, so that it would
sanction the deeds OF violence and out
rage which they contemplated. Through
the press, by popular meetings. public
speeches, and IN social intercourse. and
in every possible WAY they painted the
ALLEGED wrongs OF the south. the outrage-
past and anticipated OF the north. TO in
flame and cNclt, tie Iutilmmahc south
,rn temperament, uniIl The ~IavchoidiuE
. STATES became 4 great scclhlmg Volcano.
Especial efforts were m;,;,c 10 render -ir.
Lincoln personally olioue anI, ,coai,mp.i-
Die 10 ial-.Eood was too @.u>-, no lie
TOO infamous, no statement too cAag-'rr-
atcd, TO bc used for this purpose. l,lcse
meaus were rCsortcI 10 with systematic
comccrt. until the m;;~- Of i,ic people in
the slave states were made 10 bcIicsc ih.t
his pure, patient, humane, Christian
statesman was IA monster, whose vices
and passions made him olious. and whose
habits made him an object OF just aDhor-
renee.
Marvland, a border state, occupied 4
position OF peculiar Importance. and
treat efforts were made to Ulng her
within the control OF secession. Enis>a-
rics were sent TO her from South Carolina
and elsewhere, and nothing left ndonc
to secure her cooperation Ill their
revolutionary movements. These efforts
were too successful; still there were
- many bold spirits who gathered around
that intrepid leader, Henry Winter Davis
resolved to stand by the Union at all
hazards But majority of the wealth.
icr classes, and those in office, with few
exceptions, were in sympathy with the
rebellion, and the spirit of tcason for Il
=, time swept like Il tornado over the
state.
On the l1th Of February, Mr.. Lincoln,
with a few of his personal friends, left
his quiet, modest home TO enter upon
that tempestuous political career whIcI
carried him to martyrs grave. Will
a dim, mysterious foreshadowing of the
X, future. he uttered to his friend and neigh.
bors his sad farewell. He seemed 10 bC
conscious that he might see the place
which had been his home for Il quarte
=, of Il century, where ''hls children wer
ed born" and where one of them lies burl
81 :, ed, no more. Conscious of the grca
duties which dcvolved upon him, create
n; than those devolving upon any preslden
since Washington, he humbly eXprcsse
his reliance upon "Divinc Providence
! and asked his friends to pray that h
might receive the assistance OF Almight
God"
As he iourneyed toward the Capitol
received everywhere with earnest sympa
,hies of the people, his spirits rose, an
u when he pronounced good bye TO tn
Prairie state, at the state line, he said
..Behind the cloud the sun is shinin
still" And on he sped through ii
c preht free States OF Indiana, Ohio, Penn
-, sylvania and New York, to fulfill h
ss great mission.
There was living at this time in Gu
hS cago a man by the name OF Allen In
kcrton, one OF, ,.the boldest, most shrew'
- t. and skilltul detectives OF any counlr
, G lie had always been thorough ant
slavery man, superintendent OF II
''undergrounI Il. r., friend and con
panion OF Lovcjoy and the ''oid guard
u OF early abolitlonists in Illinois. Wi
his ;nti-sla,ery character well know
such was his reputation as a de.ec.i
that Mr. Guthrie, when secretary Of I.
ing treasury, had, Notwithstanding, el
ployed him as Il government detectlv
In 1850 and 1861 he was III the empl
of the railroad companies OF the mort
west
/. In the winter OF 1861, General SEQ
seeing the gathering storm, called
lei Washington a few national troops. !
WI passage of these over the Northern Ce
sides trail and Philadelphia, Wilmington, Il
Baltimore railroads greatly exasperat
e, the conspirators in Baltimore and ell
very where, and threats were openly mac
y. and organizations effected, to destroy
- railroad tracks, burn their bridges, a
the great steam ferry-boat by win
itGiI iopE. the Susquehanna was crossed at Ha'
- de Grace.