The National tribune., 1893-04-06
VOORHEES, TAKES A HAND.
Defending His Brother-in-Law's Conacctioi
with knights of the Golden Circle.

Defending His Brother-in- Laws Conacctioo
with knights of the Golden Circle.
On Thursday, March 80, Senator Daniel ".
Voorhees,, of Indiana, sent dispatch to Mr..
John E. Lamb. of Terre Hsute, Ind, his law
partner in regard to the charge recently made
against bis brether-in-law, John L. Risley,
recently appointed by the President as Minister
to Denmark of having been connected with
that reasonable society which hourished In
Indiana during the war of the rebellion, the
Knights of the Golden Circle. Here Is what
the Senator says:
The statement that / ever connected Mr..
Risley's name with the papers seized in my
former law Office by Darlington in 1861 is
utterly false. Risley was married and went to
New York in October. 1868. He visited Terre
Haute in the Spring of I-i5 and mas continued
to do ut feasi ysnr from that time 20
the present. Dnrng this period of 2S years
1ie has aftea spent weeks at tine at iO9iana-
polls and different pasts Of tEe State IN the
trial of cases in court ard in the construction
of the I. B. 4 w. aud tho g. ID. 4 ;. Railroads
He never received HUT or n suggestion that
he owed anybody anything account oil tho
transaction spoken of until his appointment
appeared IN the papers. OF course the " hole
story is q wre; e.,pa lie. and now, utter more
than 20 years, IsiSIey will not plead the statute
Of limitations if any one wishes to bring suit.
If money was raised. as alleged, IT stuck 10
somebody's hands. who nov wishes TO shift his
own guiit.
whether Mr.. RisIey was rsembcr of the
Knights of the Golden Circle. or Sons of Liberty,
no higher authority can exist than Col. William
T.. Mclean, vino IS here. Col. Mclean a
member of the celebrated military court that
tried Bewles, AiIljgsn and Others and thor
oughly investigated the origin and history Of
those organizations He authorizes me TO state
that the record Of that trial shows that said
orders or organizations came into existence in
Indiana daring the Winter OF 1863 and 1864
which was after Risley married and went TO
New York, in October. 1863 and that neither
Risley's name nor anything pointing 10 him as
member Of either of these organizations was
discovered in the proceedings of that yigilant
military court. The trial was published in
book form, and the name of every member was
ascertaiued, sworn TO and preserved.
THE record, therefore, absolutely excludes
the possibility that Risley was member. or
that he could have been q commissioner of the
order or orders with funds to buy arms or for
any other purpose. Col Mclean also well re-
members Risley's repeated visits to Terre
Hante since 1865, and says that with all his
familiarity with the people of Terre Hauts,
and all over the State, he never until now has
heard word of the charge in regard to the
money in question"
dispatch from indianapolis, dated March
80, says that the records OF the treason trials
in that city in 1864 show that the first witness
testified Col Mclean being present) that kis-
ley was the Secretary of the Sons OF Liberty,
which was kindred organization to the
Knights Of the Golden Circle.