Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-07-30
TERRIBLE THOMPSON.
A Friend who Knows Him Comes TO His
Defense and Explains.
His Completely in the Plots to Burn New
York and Murder President
Lincoln Denied.
His Character Cleared of any Taint Of
these Chsrges-A Full, Frank
and Truthful Statement.

lished what purported TO be copy Of q
dispatch to Mr. Benjamin, from Mr.
Jacob Thompson, one of the documents
said to have been sold by Colonel Pick
EFT to Mr.. Boutwell,, present Secretary o.
the Treasury, who proposes to Use them
in the interest of Grant. Below We ap.
pend defense of Mr.. Thompson, by &
former associate in Office, from certain
charges made by a friend Of Grant, with
a view to excite afFesh the war preiu.
dices Of tie Northern people, a work in
in which we believe he will ignomini-
ously fail:
To the Editor Of the New York Herald:
The report received in a Washington
dispatch that seventy-five thousand dol
lars has been paid for four trunks of pa
pers, embracing the archives of the late
/ Confederate government, appears an
ambiguous if not astounding rumOT.
/ The Herald sagely suggests that Ju-
dah ?. Benjamin hOnOrably destroyed
the secret service vouchers, and these
documents now offered TO the present
administration can only therefore con-
tain those military records and reports
Of action in the civil service that are IN
( teresting as historical records.
The writer proposes TO explain certain
matters which have hitherto been re-
garded as mysterious, and though be
| performed only subordinate part, yet
] he had access to those who were chief
actors, and, possessing their confidence,
/ became familiar with much that was
done or attempted on the Canadian
| frontier during our late unhappy civil
/ conflict 1t is a simple statement OF
/ facts due to those unjustly maligned.
( The brief recital will be fortified by doe
/ umentary evidence, drawn from papers
/ secured by the writer in Canada after
/ the war They are used by permission.
/ Every government has its secret
/ service. and sometimes the most
/ important results are effected through
| their agency. The secret agent in
/ the war of 1872 was Edwards, who had
/ access TO all the leading politicians of
/ that period, and through whose agency
/ the Hartford Convention was convened.
Daniel Webster, when Secretary of
/ State, made free use of agents in this
/ service, and Lord PalmerstOn did not
/ hesitate to send his agents TO America
and elsewhere to secretly watch the pO-
/ litical movements of foreign powers. 1t
/ is not surprising, therefore, that the
/ Southern States in their late struggle
! for a separate political existence, should
use every means recognized amO&g ma
tions as lawful and right to effect the
accomplishment Of their purpose. There
/ Is no reason when these events have
/ happily passed away forever that the
world should not know the truth, ana
I thus dissipate the miserable suspicious
and uniustifiable charges which mystery
enables -partisans or jealous enemies to
I throw around the unexplained conduct
Of those engaged in Canada in the Sc
! cret service Of the South.
The letters quoted were placed al the
disposal of the writer, TO be used at dis
! cretion, and there is therefore no breach
of confidence in their present publica-
/ ton.
The Herald has quoted certain DAM
aging charges against Jacob Thompson,
and il will be the object OF the present
article to give statement of facts.
TuprinliS: The writer first offers the
/ following letter from Judah Z. Benja-
min, addressed to Jacob Thompson in
Canada:
DEPARTMENT or STATE,
RICHMOND, NA- March >, 1868.
/ Hon. Jacob Thompson, etc,
SIR have the honor to acknowledge
! receipt of your several dispatches Of the
I fourth, eighth and twenty-second of jan
uary, as we'll as of your full report, from
/ hands of Colonel DenisOn. The Presi-
! dent instructs me TO forward to YOU the
I following directions on the various points
embraced in your correspondence:
First-In regard to our escaped pTis-
| oners, place in the hands of some person
/ in whom YOU have confidence such sum
l of money not exceeding ten thousand
/ dollars as you may deem necessary, to
/ be applied solely to the purpose Of as
sisting such Of our soldiers as may need
aid to return to the Confederacy. No
money is TO be applied to any that do
not wish to return here.
/ Second-In regard to DR.. s, the Presi-
/ dent does not wish any more money adj
vanced to him, nor does he desire that
any interference of any kind be under
taken by the Doctor. WeaTe determined
not to permit any just complaint OF
I breach of neutral rights by our authority
or sanction.
Third-Pay over to the gentleman re
ferre6 TO in my dispatch Of the thirtieth
December last twenty thousand dol
lars to be used by him at his
discretion in our service, and 10 be
accounted for by him. Should he here
after need more money, inform him that
/ 1 will send it to him on being notified OF
| his wants.
/ Fourth-Reserve III your own hands
such sum as YOU may need TO pay your
expenses home.
Fifth-Remit the entire remainder III
. -. AFac.-r- EraGnr Iron IN al m
/ & Co, of Liverpool, 10 be placed to my
credit in a separate account to be called
/ st Secret Service Account Make this
remittance as soon as possible, and let
me know the amount Of it, as We are in
| pressing need of those funds already for
/ important services there.
Sixth-Procure for US complete re-
cord of Burley's case, thatwe may make
] ii the basis of official action, from its be-
ginning TO the final judgment in Appel
late Court.
Seveuth-Return to Confederacy as
soon as YOU can. Your own discretion
must be exercised as TO the best mode.
| / would, however, suggest Havana,
thence to MatamOras by neutral vessel,
thence through Texas. This route Is
long, but is the only one that can be
considered entirely safe.
/ believe this covers all points. l am
necessarily brief, in order to conceal
! this dispatch more securely. As soon
as YOU receive this publish IN the New
/ York Herald an advertisement for one
week, as follows:
For sale-- ACRES of Illinois pral-
rie lands. For description, price ana
terms, apply by letter 10 ,. ~,
y. =. DOSELSON, Chicago, HI
Fill up the blank before the word
I "acres" with the number OF pounds
sterling that you remit to Fraser, TTen-
( holm & Co. 1 am, sir, very respectful-
! ly, your Obedient servant, -
Secretary of state.
AT about the time of the reception Oi
this letter the COniederacy was obvious
can only judge as to the disposition
of the funds by the following extract
| from a letter dispatched from Naples IN
the subsequent year by Mr.. Jaeoi
Thompson to the compiler OF thls re-
cord:
Ny DEAR SRI am Obliged to you
for your letter. have been mere ana II
Rome for the last three months. ! shal
/ go from here to Alexandra ana caiihOt
saw when l shall return. As IOr my sel, II
1 have not retained a dollar OF CohieSe,
crate money. Before l left Montreal
received orders from Richmond 70 turl
it over, aud 1 retained portion at una
time, but seeing Mr. Benjamin alter
ward, and wishing TO obtain ms reeelP
in full, l turned over what was retained
i l have his receipt for all money IN nay
hands, paid over IN performance OF or
ders received from Richmond, prior Z
the evacuation Of the same. While
feel independent, yet, ] DO not wish K
be slandered and pursued.
4 ! travel very quietly and eheaply, anC
confess would somewhat prefer to rs