Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-08-14
.:secrets OF the Prison House."


One VIM. H. Reed, q Government Oetee.2
tive, has made and sworn to the following a.
fdavit: ~ u,..t
lev. Government detective, to come to WASH
ington from Boston, Mass. In answer to that
dispatch, I arrived in Washington on the 9Th
Of March, 1868. [ joined Il. G. Whitley he
took me to Chapman & Hosmer's office, on
Fourteenth street, aud they told me they, wan
red to employ me as u. S. Government detec-
tive in the impeachment Of the Presldent.
Hosmer took me up stairs, IN the same build
ing with his Office, to one-legged# man rooms
whom they called Doctor. .Hosmer told me TO,
20 around the hotels ard make my report
every day to the Doctor. In few days Hos
1ner sent ME to Gen. O. 0. Howard, command,
ing Freedmen's Bureau. He the Gen. too
me to make my report to Major Mann; j.! dld
so, with several other detectives. including q 3
number of negroes, to the l4th OF lotn OF
April, and was paid by the Doctor ana MAJOR
Mann three hundred dollars. Gen. y u how
ard then ordered me to 20 to Atlanta, Ga''
and report ito Gen. Meade, to, work up the
Ashburn murder case, He [Gen HoWardl
saws YOU 90 there by order of Gen. Grant. He
Howard sent me to Major Mann, who
Maid me one hundred dollars Gen. Howard
cave me q letter to Gen Meade, in Atlanta,
Ga. stating that came as a Government de-
tectjye, and he Gen. Meade] to pay my ez.
penses.j / arrived there about the 18th OF
April. Gen. Meade referred me to Major
Smythe, that he ISmythe knew about the
Ashburn murder case. Before l arrived IN
Atlanta there had been several arrests made 10
Columbus, Ca, and Major Smythe informed
me that he had discharged them for the want
OF evidence to implicate them with the murder
of Ashburn. He told me / could not make
ANYTHING by going to Columbus, but hoped l
could make up a case. Gen Meade ordered
me to 90 to Columbus. l staid there two or
three weeks in this time. / felt it was neces.
sarv for mo to arrest several parties, &. G.
Whitley having been sent for by Gen. Meade
at nv request. Gen. Meade desired l should
not make any arrests until the arrival OF Whit
lev, Gen. Meade telegraphed to Washington
to have the Government telegraph to Whitley,
who was then in Kansas, for him to come ln-
mediately to Georgia. He arrived IL few
days. Whitley came to Columbus and met me;
we had an interview with Capt Mills, the
commander of the post at Columbus,
Georgia, and recommended him to make
several arrests, which he declined to do with
out on order from Gen. Meade. Whitley got an
order from Gen. Meade that Capt. Mills should
arrest five or six parties, to be pointed gut by
myself and Whitley, and they were to be Sent
TO Fort Pulaski We, before the arrests were
made, wentlo Atlanta and got an order from
Gen. Meade to the commander or the post at
Savannah to give us-myself and Whitley
full control of the prisoners after they arrived
10 the fort the following arrests were made in
~ R1rhnr
white mcu, and John Stapler and John Wells,
two negroes and sent to Fort Pulaski. Whit
lev and myself met them 1.-THE prisoners a.
Savannah, and proceeded to the fort with them
At the fort one of the negroes. John Wells,
was taken cut OF his cell and put into chair
in one Of the classmates, with cannon pointed
at his head, and soldier hold Of the string,
ready to snap the cap, apparently, to shoot the
gun. A barber lushed his head full OF lather,
and pretended to be ready to shave bis head.
This was doae to have him give evidence In re-
gard to killing Ashburn, the negro all the time
contendng he knew nothing abont the murder.
This farce was kept up about ten minutes.
Finally they put him IL his cell, with the un-
Outstanding that if he did not tell something,
it would be worse for him. They took the other
negro john Stapler, and puthlm before the gun,
with no better success; he was afterwards
put in the sweat-boX, and kept there IN
great punishment for at least thirty hours, 10
til his legs swelled, and took him out OF the
box, being convinced he knew nothing about
the case. At Whitley's and at my request, the
following other arrests were made ::
Daniel Betz and Amanda Patterson, who
were sent to Fort Pulaski. Stevens and
Barber were put in one cell. Whitley and my
self secreted ourselves in the adjoining cell, but
we could hear no conversation between them
duplicating any of the prisoners Amanda
Patterson was considered an important witness,
and was put in the officers quarters. Whitley
and myself talked with her frequently IN regard
to the murder, but she earnestly declared she
knew none Of the parties, as they were masked
and painted. She acknowledged being in the
presevered in questioning said Amanda, and
said to me that he would in time get enough
evidence out of her to implicate some of the
prisoners and other parties, so as to give Whit
ley an opportunity to make more arrests
Whitley then went to Columbus and arrested
other parties. A man was arrested named
Bennett, and sent to Fort Pulaski 10 see it l
could not draw some evidence from him IN re-
gard to the murder. In my frequent CONVEX
sation with this man Bennett, and his preyarl-
cation convinced me if any one was guilty OF
the killing OF Ashburn, this man Bennett was
guilty. After this Bennett was put in the
cell with Bctz, to see if he could not draw some
evidence from him. Afterward he {Bennett)
was put in room with Betz and Stevens, with
the view of still obtaining evidence from both
of them together. He (Bennett) admitted to
me that he was in the crowd that done the
shooting at Ashburn, and persuaded Betz
and Stevens to acknowledge the comrli-
city Of the prisoners arrested with the muir,
der. Whitley and myself placed Bennett
with Betz and Stevens for the purpose of work
ing Betz and Stevens up to testify against the
prisoners. We, Whitley and myself) promis:
ed Bennett, Betz, and Stevens, if they would
come out and ex pose the whole story, if they
we're guilty themselves, they should be proteo-
ted from punishment by the Government.
Amanda Patterson, Bennett, Betz, Marshall
and Stevens were all OF the prisoners that pre-
tended to know anything about the murder