Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1868-09-03

tie; in Washington. reveals the fa(
that Yallandigham took passage, an
which affidavit, recently received by th
authorities at Washington, reveals tn
fact that Vallandigham came North &
the head OF a party of rebel emisarie:
charged with the mission OF fomentin
riots and instructions in the North.-
The draft riots of July, 1868 followe
Immediately on the arrival of those EN-
isaries. The full affidavit is as follows
THE AFFIDAVIT.
81, Francis Johns. of No. 81, Shar
deloes Road, New Cross, in the couut,
of Kent late captain iu her Majesty
merchant service, do solemnly and sin
cerely declare that | commanded tn
steamer Harriet Pickney, "a blockade
running vessel belonging to the late so
styled Confederate States of America
and used for the express purpose OF car
rying heavy and valuable cargoes from
London and Liverpool to Bermuda anC
Nassau, y. p. that about the middle o
June; 1868, | arrived at st. Georges
Bermuda, from London, with a full
cargo OF munitions of war for the said
Confederate Government.
about two days after my arrival in
said port, | was hurriedly dispatched by
Major Norman 5. Walker, the Confeder.
ate Agent there, ON to Halifax TO con
yey certain number of Confederates
then at Bermuda, some twenty eight OF
thirty in all, most of them officers ol
various ranks, among whom remember
the aforementioned, e. L. Vallandig-
ham, Colonel Thoburn, Colonel PrinZle,
Colonel Black, Colonel Sweeney, Cap
tain Hurtslein, Captain Styles.
'"The names of others / am at present
unable to slate, as there was no list OF
passengers made or allowed to be made.
Before setting out / had several con-
versations with Major Walker, relative
to this expedition. He stated definitely
and positively that it was a secret mis-
sion organized at Richmond, which
Vallandigham was at the head of; that
that they were to have mob meetings i'll
the cities of Boston and New York to
create diversion in favor of General
Lee, and the Southern army then about
to invade the North
~ was expressly directed by Major
Walker, to proceed without a moments
delay as Mr.. Vallandigham and others
were bound to be i'll Boston and New
York before the 4th of July, the day on
which the mob meetings were to take
place in those cities. So hurriedly was
[ dispatched that | was obliged to take
on with me to Halifax two thirds of my
cargo, consisting of rifles, powder, salt
peter, and various munitions of war,
which L had not time to discharge.
''In reply to my suggestion that | had
on board very valuable cargo to be
risked in such an enterprise, Major
Walker said he did not care for the vessel
Or cargo, thai L had the best and fastest
steamer, and.must risk everything to
get these men there in time, The man
ner of doing it he left entirely to my
II advertised an excursion of naval
and military officers, offering a free
to Halifax and return. Some
torry fifty English military and naval
officers and men availed themselves of
5he offer. The object in having them ON
board was the protection of the shipand
largo, and especially the Southern pas
During. the passage the objects of the
expedition were constantly and freely
and plans laid for carrying
,ut the same. Their purpose was to in
cite mObs in the cities to raise revol
ltion in the North, fpossible, and there
,y create diversion i'll favor of Cen
'ral Lee and the Southern army.
''Vallandigham wasthe dcknoN ledged
read, or CHIEF, and all the arrangements
we're made under his immediate super
vision. He arranged everything and
'rdered everything, end was clearly the
moving lever in the whole affair, having
ome direct from Richmond, by way Of
for the express purpose of
it.
Il had veral private chats with him
n regard to the expedition. He said il
vas one of vital Importance 10 the Con-
and was undt rtaken underth |
anction and by the authority OF the
Government; that he himself
vas at the head of il.
81 recollect particularly a conVersa-
ion had with him sitti together on
he bridge un the morning of the 18th of
une, two days before we reached Hall |
ak. He spoke of the dangers attending
he enterprise, but said That orce in
3os on he shou d be safe, for he would
hen be among friends-men that he
new. He then showed me his letters
# authority under w ich he was acting,
nd which gave him the super vision of
he whole affair. 1t was addressed to
;. l.. Vallandigham, and signed by Mr..
dallroy.
"About two hundred mics off Hall
ak | was intercepted by the United
states frigate AleXon. | Immediately
with Coionei Luckey, one OF
he English naval and military officers
N board, to give orders to all his officers
md men to appear on deck in uniform
BY this means, and others which | was
compelled to adopt, the captain of said
rigate took me to be an English trans
,Ort ship elOnging to her Majesty's
ervice, and allowed me to pass unboard-
ID, by reason of which ship, cargo, and
We're saved from seizure. I'm
nediately afterward got into the usual
og banks which prevailed off that coast
n the summer months, altered my
course and after proceeding three or four
niles in the opposite direction shaped
ny course for Halifax, at which port |
arrived on the following morning.
previous to the frigate's approaching
Is, Vallandigham suggested to me the
of having all the Confederate
'fficers slowed away under the cabin
loOr, in what was called the half-deck, /
-t
md they Were concealed acc. rdingly.-
He also requested me to take charge /
# all letters and documents in their
and spoke particularly of
heir instructions from .the Richmond
government, and said whatever become
f me and the ship, these letters must be
as they would reveal the
Whole secret Of the expedition.
at topl. oil Iattarc ond 1Oc,p,n,>+, =,
heir possession, put them in bag,
landed them down to the CHIEF engineer
n the engineroom, and gave orders that,
n the event of being boarded cy the
ruiser, on q private signal from me,
e was to put them in the furnace and |
urn them. After evading the frigate
y the ruse as above stated, and liberat-
ng the passengers, Vallandigham rush |
d from his place of concealment, en-
raced and kissed me upon the quarter
eek rlra nf tla