Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1872-08-17
J. ?. DENJAMIN,
NSnrretarY of Stn;c.' D

very respectfully, your opouleh
servant,
J. P. DENJAMIN,
"Secretary Of State"
| At about the time of the rccop
ton of this letter the Confederacy
was obviously extinct.
| can only judge rs to the dispo
sition of the funds by the following
extract from a letter dispatched
from Naples in the subsequent yeal
by Mr., Jacob Thompson TO the com
pllor ofthis record:
My DEAR Sia--l am obliged &c
you for your letter. | have been
hore and in Rome for the last three
months. l shall go from here Ia
! Alexandria, and cannot say when
| shall return. AS for myself,
have not retained u dollar of Con.
fcderate money. Before left Mon
treal | received orders from Rich.
mond to turn it over, and retained
a portion ut that time, but seeing
Mr. Benjamin aitorward, and wish
ing to obtain his receipt in full, !
turned over what was retained.
have his receipt for all the
money in my hands, paid over in
performance ofordeys received from
Richmond, prior to the evacuation
Of the same. While l feel indepen-
dent, yet | do not wish to be Sian
dered and pursued.
travel very quietly y and cheap!y
and confess l would somewhat pre-
fer to return to America, for, in
truth, | find no such place or coun,
try as that.
Your own information from Mon
lreal was quito acceptable. There
are many tine people there | think
OF returning the next fall after |
have finished my wandering over
Europe.
Very truly, yours,
JACOB THOMPSON.
These letters are offered as tho
clcarest proof of tho motive under
which Mr. Thompson acted, and the
strict fidelity with which he obser-
we'd every Official order in his deli
cate position as Confederate agent
IN Canada. Something furthermay
be stated as to the three most sUri
Gus charges that have been laid at
his door, and even now, when the
dead issues Of the past are buried,
it is sought to revamp etfete rulnors
ty the production Of musty and
long buried documents. Tho utter
faIsity Of gfatuitous charges can be
contradictgd by " simple statement
OF facts
Mr.. Thompson has been accused
Of aiding and abetting tho assassina-
ton of President Lincoln, in having
authorized the burning Of the city
Of New York and Of being accessory
TO the ST Albans raid.
Let US examine each Of these char
ges in the grade Of their enormity
First, with reference to the St. AL
bans raid, the testimony that has
already been adduced before the
Investigating COMMITTEE in Con.
gress, proves incidentally not only
that Mr Thompson disapproved OF
it. but that he had ordered the load
er CT tho party to return 10 Rich
mond and report himself for duty
Whom this party showed q deter
mination to disobey the order, he
applied for relief from this order to
another commissioner. as vide Lieu
tenant Young's letter TO Mr.. Clay
udduced before the Congressional
Committee
This makes it clear that Mr.
Thompson refused 10 sanction the
raid upon St Adams, because he
was under the impression that the
movement was impoitic, 1t is true,
howe er, that when these yoGng
men were arrested under the Ex.
tradition Treaty, Mr. Thompson.
in generous compliance with the
solicitations of the friends of the
parties arraigned, stood by them in
their hour OF need in order to save
them from berg delivered to their
enemies, who, in their existing
state of excitement, would be inca
pable Of giving them q fair trial
In SO doing he discharged u simple
act ofjusticc in Difference to impul-
ses of philanthropy and dictates of
duty.
THE BURNING OF The NEW YORK no.
Tells.
And now 10 approach the pres.
cnt moro serious charge as TO the
burning of this city. Many fair
homes of the South had already
been desolated, burned and razed
to the ground Irritated by these
wanton acts of destruction, wild
and desperate young men assumed
an irresponsible lie nse of retalia.
tion. Mr.. Thompson never justif
ed the burning of private property,
but in n general order authorized
the destruction Of Federal stores
: herever they could be found.
The public property used as war
material in New York was immense,
and the public stores without limit.
Its Navy Yard was reflting ships
with rapidity, which were carry
ing desolalion to Southern homes
TO burn OF destroy these,was a JUS
tifiable war measure. War can on
Is be defined az licensed crime. To
take life in a state Of peace is mur-
der; to burn a house is arson; TO
pillage or take that which is not
your own by force is robbery; yet
belligerenis, as war measures, com
nit ali ,sese aeis from compulsion
ii circumstanscs SO Of many acts
committed daring the last unhappy
conflict. When the effort to destroy
public stores failed, Dir. Thompson
at no time and in no way sanction
cd any snbzequont effort to destroy
tine private property Of non-combat-
ants; for however much this might