Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-10-16

Mr.. Thompson, represented that they were acting
under the sanction Of their government, and as
having full power to act wit reference to that;
that they had full power 10 do anything thatthsr
dremed expedient and for the benshl of the.s
cause.
20 fire the city of New York. left Canada to
bring the news to Washington ten days before the
attempt was made. 1t originated in Canada, and
had the full sanction of these men.
If this evidence has ever been confuted.
in whole or in part, it is unknown to me.
This witness has never been tried for per-
jury, or accused of that crime in any legal
proceeding, nor, so far as L know or be-
lieye, has his character for yeracty been
questioned in any judicial inquiry He
stood before the military commission, and
stands now, unimpeached. The public
has probably long since determined the
weight to which his statements are en-
titled. 1t is surprising that, in the zeal
with which he has pursued and branded
''the fellow" Conover 'the perjurer," Mr.
Thompson should have totally lost sight of
Richard Montgomery, with whose testi-
mony he must be familiar since it was
published so long ago.
The other witness (Conover), also a
stranger to me, was brought to the notice
of the government by a gentleman of
New York, who represented him as hav-
ing been former correspondent OF the
Tribune, and as altogether reliable. His
evidence was more distinctly criminative
of Mr.. Thompson than that of Mont
gomery, but because of subsequent events,
| yet to be stated, forbear toquote it. Now,
both these witnesses were summoned,
attended, and gave their testimony in the
usual way, and received the compensation
allowed by law for such services, and any
averment or insinuation that they were
| bribed or received any money or other
| consideration from me or by my authority
for the purpose Of controlling or in any
manner affecting the testimony given by
them is as utterly false as malignant
In July, after the trial, Conover adj
! dressed written communication to me
| from New York, OF which the following is
the opening paragraph;
NEW YORK, July %, 1866.
DEAR SIR-Believing that I can procure wit
convict JEFF Davis and C.: c. Clay of completely in
the assassination of the President, and that can
also hnd and secure John ii Surratt, beg to ten
| der the government through you, my services for
i these purposes
1t will not escape notice that no allusion
| is made to Mr.. Thompson. He then pro-
| ceeded to set out in detail what he thought
could be proved by the witnesses he pro
posed to produce. On the I'd of August
| following, another letter to the same eff
feet, but more urgent, was received from
him, and after a conference with the Sec
retary of War, with his full approval. the
| proposal was accepted, and Conover en-
| tered upon the fulfillment of his engage
ment Some six or seven months were
occupied in this, and after all the witnesses
produced by him-none of whom were
known to me-had been examined, and
their dispositions filed in the Bureau of
Military Justice, Conover, under the SUI
| peryision OF the Secretary of War, was al
| lowed a compensation, which, with what
he had previously received, was deemed
| just, and no more, for his services-such
sums as were required for the attendance
| of the witnesses themselves having been
before paid out from time to time. Con-
over himself gave no deposition. In this
there was no departure from the course
| habitually pursued by all the depart
ments of the government. 1t was to
| this compensation that Mr.. Thompson,
with his customary looseness and reck-
| lessness OF speech, alludes when he says
| that it was proven on Conover's trial that
large sums of money had been given the
| periurer by Holt, my enemy" though no
proof is offered to this effect; nor have l
now any reason to believe that the matter
was alluded to on that trial. But be this
as it may, there could have been no truth
| tul representation on the subject at all
| different from what | have made
At thiStime nothing had occurred to
excite the slightest suspicion of Conover's
integrity in all that he had done, or in the
| credibility of his witnesses. Some time
afterward two of these witnesses, con-
science-stricken, came and confessed that
they had sworn falsely, having been
subOrned to 90 so by Conover Investiga-
ton satisfied me that they were sincere in
/ their avowals, and without delay appro-
pirate action was taken. A prosecution
was set on foot against Conover, and he
was convicted and sent to the peniten-
tiary for perjury and subornation of per-
jury, and on the margin of all the reports
made by me on the deposition of wit
nesses he had produced, an Endorsement
was made stating that the dispositions were
withdrawn and had been discredited.
What more could have been done? The
antidote was in this manner brought
i'll direct contact with the poison,
and so destroying it at once and
for all time to come. Fortunately this
most guilty deception was discovered so
soon that neither the reputation nor the
sensibilities of anybody had suffered by
| the temporary credit given TO it, l had
acted in receiving and reporting upon the
depositions of these witnesses in strictly
judicial capacity, and was no more respon-
| Siblc lOl tllelI perjury tlldll Is Jutge lOT
the perjury OF a witness committed in a
trial before him. 1t is worth mentioning
that, of all these perjured witnesses, but
two spoke of Mr.. Thompson in connection
with the assassination plot, and they testi-
| fed to nothing they knew, but to some
thing they had heard. Now, although
even perjurers do not lie always and in all
things, yet it may be and is unhesitatingly
conceded that it would be unsafe to credit
as a basis of action Conover's testimony
before the military commission, and this
not because of its improbability-for it
was strongly corroborated by Montgomery
who is unimpeached-but because OF the
personal infamy in which he afterward
involved himself. Still, it remains for a
thoughtful and discriminating public to
determine how far the clear and incisive
testimony OF Richard Montgomery can be
impaired in its force by denunciations
however well deserved, of another witness
with whom he had no connection what
| ever