New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1895-12-25
CHAPTER IN HISTORY
Secretary Stanton Charged Horace Gree
ley with Inclting to Murder

6oOACu6If OtduIOu OudIScu 14OIdG0 0lco.
ley with Inclting to Murder
Part third, volume 49, serial No. 81.
of the Rebellion Records, recently issued
by the War Department, contains three
official kilograms between Edwin NJ.
Stanton, Secretary of War, and Edward
Pierrepont, of New York, which it is not
likely very many people ever before heard
of. They make strange reading at this
late day, and to those familiar with the
character or Horace Greeley, the ac-
cusations of Mr.. Stanton must cause a
smile.
Itseems that during the few weeks sue
ceeding the assassination of President
Lincoln, the New York Tribune publish
ed certain matter concerning the action
of The War Department in tracing down
the criminals, which it pleased Mr..
Stanton to place strange construction
upon. Under date of May 10, 1865, the
Secretary telegraphed Mr.. Edwards
Plerrepont, the great New York lawyer,
as follows:
have written tonight to retain you
and Cutting and Brady, or any one else
you may desire to have associated with
you, to prosecute Horace Greeley and the
owners of the "Tribune' for Greeley's
persistent effort the last. four weeks to in
cite assassins to finish their work by
numbering me. Please give the matter
your immediate attention on receiving
this letter, and secure copies Of all the
"Tribunes' published since the night Of
the Presidents murder, and get. the
names of the owners. l propose to per-
secute criminally, and also by civil suit,
tor I shall not allow them to have me
murdered and escape responsibility with
out Struggle for life on my part.
The other attorneys referred to above
were Francis B. Cutting and James T.
Brady, the latter at that time New
York's greatest criminal lawyer.
Mr.. Stanton must have been Wy badly
frightened when he penped that tele-
gram: fact which no doubt, impressed
itself upon the mind Of Mr. Pierrepont,
for his reply was very discreet, Will re-
ceive prompt and judicloas action.
The use of the ''judicious" in the
above shows that Mr.. Pierrepont did not
share Mr.. Stanton's fears, Or belief, in
Mr.. Greeley's bloodthirstiness of pur-
pose.
Mr.. Stanton evidently detected this
spirit in Mr.. Pierrepont's reply, for he
Immediately sent another dispatch, as
follows:
have proof of express personal NAL
ice ae eainst me by Greeley, and believe
that l can establish a combination be-
tween him and others which may end in
accomplishing my death. as 1t did against
Mr.. Lincoln and Mr.. Seward. This is
my reason for distinguishing his case
from others of general vituperation.
MIR. Pierrepont does lot seem to have
even replied to this, nor did Mr.. Cutting,
for the telegraphic correspondence was
brought to an abrupt close.
The dispatches quoted furnish curious
commentary upon the excitement among
public officials of those dvys; but they
are particularly interesting as giving
a further insight into the undiscriminat-
ing and vindictive phases of Mr.. Stanton's
character. Accusing Horace Greeley
of conspiring with the assissins of Mr..
Lincoln to commit further murder! No
wonder Mr.. Pierrepont could only prom
Use to act ''judiclously" in the matter.
No doubt Stanton's kilograms we're shown
to Mr.. Greeley, and how the latter's
guileless and benign countenance must
have expanded into a broad smile.