, 1875-12-06
AN UNNYRlTTEN VYAR.CHAPTER.
a story Of tho ;" Peace NcgOtin-
tons" ut tic Clifton HDstse.


What Those Interviews Were In
tended to Accomplish.
Cns.ssbsrJ t: Ser rbrk 7imts.
EfAnAnA FALtH, Nov. m.--h casual visit to
this now lonely anil naertri resort has fc,nlnsl.h
tne Of a very cur.olB and satter startling er,'
rnia tf tho War, wllic!, narrated to mo hero
EnMo Three 5eara t,scs FIy gentleman who f!e11
prominent anl confidential pua.ton OH Geu.
Dl1H atatf Uhilo tho latter wns il, commsnd in
New York. THIS gcntlc3usn a uow. or was guile
recentIy. Il resident IT 1's:ava. scua yon ltts
isatno with this, and AVON my own couf'erce III
tho perfect truth of bis RtnrI. II IL ono af TIM
hundreds Of unwrtteu chapters of TIN Hccrtt
lAstorY at tue War, which, il puhl'alol, rsit.l4e
give nc. aepect 70 many important features of
the groat struggle. Al pages coi-5 Ut Grccoy's
"Amorican Conflict" Vol. 2,snay bo found that
authors Account of the famous peace negntta-
aionn Of the summer II t.Gt Al Niagara Falls.
1t page GG7 following, relative to the outside
acenes at tho Democratic Nations! Convention at
Chicago. " tho follo~inK language. 20 Pertinent
10 tho aubjcct OF thls letter that it becomeH lts
almost oeccsHary Introduction:
None cat, say how mapy Of the vast gathering who
yrllrI assent to such u%tsncea knew that thty
anrsouned by mud mt I'd with 1sebol ol'tcets rsh
norate with rerta!n d"mr.c traitors. Lih IN occ In
tn" r<tet organization Aforesaid Ia the sudden th-
s5gf eag :" fSfe ~ sh,e .sa III
t,o s.Ao Rebel csptlvcs tten held in Camp Douglas,
,iHar that cisy hencs rush:s with sardly augmented
nnfrtrH n tue achievement af similar success Il tho
IRIS N camp near Indansrost-thus rahin9 thc s;ez"
q htchnnfd aud Atlanta b., - TIRE In The rear but
many thea in chic.so wors i%srsly engaged in 1t;
and that hut for tho extraordinary aatutnncsa rRt-
rnnnd ovrs Camp Douslas. there would have becn At
least desperate attempt Ia estcuta the hloody pro-
EraInrDe-arc fsct1 which 1e7 IN tfetifn1Hy too Ths
md
to to dhtrGste1.
In foos-1oto tho author sayH still fuftIior oa
lhe satno subject
Wteks later, With larger nscaua and better orean
2aup, tho coDAP1atorA had prepared fnT All uutTEak
On tho day Of the lrIsidEptial election. etc.
Thu Btory Of mr informant. itself record Of
personal experience, coacusirely shows that tho
plans OF tho ltsbel conspirators Ind q: thnt tlo
another object, aud Que we'll calculated to thEos
| thu wholo North into constcrnatton and dismay.
The scheme happily faiIed hut ,ts succosh might
hayo lod TO another and very different reanlt Of
| tho Wnr than that which Providence vouchsafed
ua. My informant slall tell hls sturr III lis own
/ words.
! Early In Julv 1861. aad before anything had
got into tho newspapers aLout peace nego,ia-
| Gen. pixs headquarters At New York nf q
gathering Of eminent Rebels At the Clifton
| l1ousc. Secret dispatches from Rchmond-and
| II IL fact not generally known that week
suclI--lad for Bome ttme foreshalowed tia:
something Of Importance was being coucocted
IN Cans 10 against tho national CAUSE Many
men IN Official aud betni -oflcuf positions in the
thitLer and tile air Of l.ichmonl--so our spic.
Teposted-was full Of intsmations Of "good
news from Ca1A'is.' These expectations wcro
afserward partially justified By tiee pirsciea upon
loaHe OF Rebel prisoners, etc., strnnso
to say, tho darkest aud most hideuus
item Of tito vhoto list Of objects Of
| print. Thore were rcaeonB. as you sha! hear
for supprossng 1t. as far a. that mas possible
DATING the War; there can bo nonn that know
| Of. Gen. Dix neiug ignorant Of the dcsieuB Of
importance Of securing trustworthy intelligence
on tho subject, dispatched me to discover all I
could in my own way
| went to Niagara, .nd-in citiyen's clothes at
| Clifton House. There etsyea until the
called ''peaco negotiations u zero flushed. and
unit! had lcarncd Tho rial object OF tho ns-
senblnco Of Contederstes thern, Many met
wl1om 1 had known III former years. but 1t 10
haprencd that saw no one WHO know Of my
Official connection With Gen. DIX. l wu.
thus enabled 70 find out nll that any man
Ut atd'pary aeateuess could hsya dta, a,
aatray by tho flimsv ptete1t Of "peacc nesotia-
tinns." That this subject was q mcre rrescxt,
intended hotely III tnaslt 10 tho roal designs Of
tho Rebel - Commissioners" have positive and
certain knowledge. The lcttor to Horacs Grco-
10y n. 8G4. American Conflict" Vol. y. tho
solemn consutatious with him at thu Clifton.
tito filling OF our lapers With cnEtlnus Of stun
! about t!leso negotiations. and the impor albic
peaco thcy wero thought to PROMISE, Hore all art-
fully-contriIcd adjuncts. Intended to lead tho
attention OF tue people away from the real OBJ
joct of tho conspiracy. Tho Commissioners"
certAipiy succeeded In that, il In nothing clso.
| At,H II irttc8 frNm f}F1rrr'A rH71RrkS
the subject IN Vol. Of his book, pr. GGi-5, bo
loft Niagara after his Intellectual ciosetlngs with
| Mess1s. Clay, Ho!combe. and Saunders III lIo be-
| lief that !le had been talking With 1ucu whose
bona lido object was to do something by way Of
| private treaty for tho restoration Of neace.
remained At tho Clifton wtlils tlene inter-
views nero going on; remained aftot the do.
| rsrttire Of Me. Greeley. tbs commissioners"
atll tnrriod and tt,ere wcro other Contctlerates
OF moro or leBs noto remaining. Ordinarily, wo
understand That great diplomatic lulaaion
comes to MI end With the failure OF fts object,
| and wo usually look for the departure thcrpupon
from tho scene Of the treaty Of those 1t n CON
| cerned in tho negotiations. 1t WAS not 10 hero.
There waa still au apparent expectation OF como
thing Of tho greatest Importance yet to COMO
manifested by tlte crowd OF Confederates aud
thor sympathize1s In and about tho Clifton.
Asw thai fny own mission had but tuet begun.
Sonn thorn catno aE1isais frdn tho American
si!e Dozens OF men came am! wore closetod
with the " Commissioners" aud intcrriows with
cut number were held in teir private spart-
| n,ens. Some Of these men wcFo unknown TO mo; ;
some roeoguizedas as the most bitter Copperheatia
OF nu1nlo aud nejghboripg cities; others, to my
| surprise, learned 10 be patriotic and influential
| War Democrats. While continued to watcll
closely ali that took place within my observation,
one OF the "GommissoncEs ono morning rec
| og1,ixed inc a. friend OF former years and nm
old party associate. BeverAl days boforo had
| recognized him, but = regard for the suocesA OF
MY mission restrained mo from making myself
KNOWN Hut When this mau took. tne W tho
hand and cordially greeted mo I saw that ho
| kuaw nothing os my official position aud Hns-
pcc.ea nothing. After q few casual remarks, ho
raid;
81, you uscd to DO Democrat before tho
Var"
| 'sYes, and am ono now" responded,
| 4.frhafa rivf,t ~ he ssiH Ft,k1irp Hin tenHs