The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-06-22

How New York Was saved from the
Phosphorus Inceudiaries.
We publish this morning the report Of the
United States Senate Committee on Military
Affairs ON the claim of Colonel j. F. Jaquess
for important secret services to the govern
ment during the rebellion, embracing certain
facts connected with several distinguished
politicians referred to yesterday in our editorial
columns, and also an explanation OF the fail
ure Of the notorious rebel incendiary plot for
the destruction Of the shipping and some Of
| the great cities of the North. Turning to the
HERALD files we find that on the night of the
25th of November, 1864, incendiary fires in
the Belmont, Lovejoy's, the Tammany, the
Howard, the United States, the st. Nicholas,
the Metropolitan, the Lafarge, the Fifth Ave-
nue. and the ST. James hotels, and at Niblo's
and the Winter Garden theatres, and that in
every case the fire was discovered in season
to prevent any material damage. 1t was soon
discovered that here was rebel plot and
attempt to set the city in flames, and the failure
OF the Internal machine in every instance to
do the incendiary's work was regarded at the
time as something wonderful, if not providen-
tial. The explanation, however, which is
given by Colonel Jaquess reduces this gene
raj failure to an admirable trick of treachery on
the part of the very man at Richmond charged
with the revolving duty of preparing the COM
bustible composition to be used by the incen-
| diaries.
| According to the testimony Of Colonel
Jaquess we are indebted to him for the failure
of these Internal phosphorus machines to light
a destructive conaagration. He says that on
getting wind Of the plot, July, 1864, he re-
solved upon another visit to Richmond that
providing himself with the necessary pass
ports, beginning with the President, he under
took the expedition, got into Richmond with
out exciting suspicion, found out the chemist
employed by the rebel government in the
manufacture of the combustible compound to
be used In firing Northern cities and shipping;
found that this chemist was a man Of culture
and refinement, had no heart for this incen-
diary work, though compelled to do it, per-
suaded him to neutralize the proposed incen-
diary compound by some other chemicals; and
up first compound that was 80 very inham-
mable that it only had to be touched with
match when it went off like friction match y
that che then put up another substance in
ball about the size of hens egg, or larger,
which was enclosed in the outer or infamma-
- ,kckcn hot tS,r,ha &Io Gra uoly
the inside composition it would sparkle and
make a fuss very much like damp powder, and
extinguish itself at once" This is the secret,
we are told, of the failure in every case of
those rebel incendiaries who 50 mys-
teriously came and disappeared with
those mysterious looking black bags. The
rebel chemist at Richmond, in the interest of
humanity, had turned the tables against his
employers and sent those phosphorus incen-
diaries on fools errand.
The name Of the humane Richmond chemist
is not divulged, although we think it might
now be safely proclaimed from the housetops
over all the South without exciting any other
feeling than that of approval of his conduct.
We doubt not that even General Breckenridge,
charged with being an active party to this
phosphorus conspiracy, guilty or not guilty,
would not hesitate to approve the pious fraud
of said humane chemist. If the facts are as
set forth by Colonel Jaquess that chemist
deserves handsome pension from the govern
ment, as well as the Colonel himself, in addi-
ton to his indemnifcation for expenses
incurred in the delicate, dangerous and impor-
tant public services recited in his testimony
Nor have we any reason to doubt the substan-
tiaI truth of the Colonels statements, consider
ing the confidence reposed in him by Abraham
Lincoln from first to last, and the high
character for truth and veracity given him by
Senator Harlan. We are sorry, however, that
the patriotic Colonel found nothing in Horace
Greeley but violent temper and raging pro-
family in his conversations on that famous
Niagara Falls diplomatic mission to Jacob
Thompson and company.
We have seldom been given public docu-
ment which in so small compass has embo-
died such important inside facts for the histo-
rian as this brief report on the claim of
Colonel Jaquess 1t gives us some new
revelations of the impotence of Buchanan, the
practical loyalty Of Seymour and the weakness
of Greeley in the prosecution Of the war. 1t
shows us how Intimately associated were the
rebel conspirators in Canada, not only with
the Confederate authorities at Richmond, but
with some of the peace copperheads Of the
democratic party; and it shows us, too, how
snr--
and momentous were the duties imposed upon
President Lincoln, and how skifully he
managed them, as forinstance, with Governor
Seymour. We see, too, that the cry of 'peace,
peace, we are ready for treaty of peace"
from the rebel coterie in Canada, was trick
to divert the popular sentiment from Lincoln
in the prosecution of the war; while at the same