The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1872-08-10
Buying Rebels Records.
[From the New York Sun.1

Buying Rebels Records.
[From the New York SUM-
Secretary Boutwell,, without auth
ority of law, has just paid $75, 900 OF
the public money for certain docu-
ments connected with the affairs of
the late Confederate Government.
Mr.. Boutwel's action in this matter is
substantially equivalent to his steal
ing the money from the treasury. He
had just rs good right to go into Mr..
A. L. Stewart's safe or into Riggs &
Co.'s bank and take the money there
without authorization, as he had to
take it out of the Treasury of the
United States.
The most valuable of these docu-
ments, and indeed the only one which
has interest enough to be worth pub
fishing, is Jacob Thompson's report.
Now the fact is that all the informa-
ton contained in this paper was al
ready i'll the possession of the Gov
ernment, i'll Il form quite as authentic
and from source quite as much en-
titled to confidence. The report is
dated on December 3, 1864. A short
time before that date, if our recOllec-
ton is accurate, Clement G. Clay, Jr..
who was with Thompson in Canada
as Il Confederate Commissioner, sent
in his own handwriting heightened
despatch to the rebel Governments, in
which the facts stated in Thompson's
report, and, we believe, every one of
them, We're set forth fully, though
perhaps not with quite so much detail
as Thompson gave them. That de-
spatch was brought straight to the
War Department in Washington by
the messenger to whom it had been
given by Clay and Thompson at st.
Catharine's. This messenger, it is
proper to say, was a skilful person in
our secret service who had succeeded
in so ingratiating himself with the
rebel Commissioners that they en-
ployed him as u despatch bearer to
carry their most secret messages be-
tween Canada and Richmond. Every
one of his messages he brought to the
War Department on his way. The
practice there was to retain copies of
them, and then send forward the
originals. But this despatch of Clay's
was deemed of such Importance, con-
tanning, as it did, such unquestionable
information respecting the hostile
operations of rhe Confederates along
our northern frontier, and respecting
the attempt to burn New York city
through incendiary fires at Barnum's
Museum and elsewhere, that Mr.. Stan
ton and Mr.. Lincoln thought it neces-
sary to retain the original paper. Ac-
cordingly, in order to save the mes
senger from suspicion and to continue
him in his useful function as Il rebel
despatch bearer, the paper was re-
turned TO him, and he was captured
beyond Alexandria with it on his per-
son. He was brought to the War De-
partment at a late hour of the night,
and the despatch was found in its
receptacle beneath the lining of his
trousers. 1t was opened and its char
acter verified on the spot, Gen. Augur,
then in command of Washington, be-
ing one of the official witnesses en-
ployed for this purpose.
The reason for thus taking possess
sion of the original despatch was
that it might be used with the British
Government as the starting point OF
our effort to prevent the further har-
boring in Canada of enemies of the
United States who could engage i'll
projects of such Nh extreme nature.
For this purpose the e1daspatch with its
verification was transmitted by the
Secretary of War to the State Depart
ment, where, doubtless, it now is.
The messenger bearing it was con-
fined in the Old Capitol prison, whence
after Il short time he escaped under
fire from the guard, and went back to
Canada with a gunshot wound through
his arm, while a reward Of one thous-
and dollars was offered for his arrest
by the War Department. His useful
ness to the Government was thus pre-
served; and if the real nature of the
transaction was ever suspected by the
rebel agents, no evidence of the fact
appeared.
Very probably the report of jacob
Thompson, now unlawfully purchased
by Mr.. Boutwell,, was sent forward to
Richmond as a substitute for Clay'S
despatch when they learned how that
had been intercepted and captured Oh
the road. At any rate, with such 4
paper as the despatch already in the
possession of the Government, there
was no occasion for Gen. Grants Ad.
ministration to violate the law ane
spend $4,000 of the peoples money
in purchasing another of the same
nature. Perhaps they thought, how
ever, that just at this juncture the re
port might be useful as an electioneer
| ing document, and accordingly th'
money was boldly taken from th'
treasury and applied to this indeten
sible use.