The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-03-11
NIPPED IN THE BUD.

NIPPED IN THE BUD.
How the Knights of the Golden Circle Were
Broken Up in Iowa.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: What
am about to relate was one Of the most i'm
portant events in the annals of the late re-
bellion, and at the time created the most
intense excitement in the locality where it
occurred.
Early in the year of 1863 I located in Des
Moines Iowa, engaging in the practice OF
law. l carried with me from New York the
certificate of practicing lawyer from the
Supreme Court of the State
| Although an entire stranger in Des
Moines, my Endorsements admitted me at
once to a prominent position among the
members of the bar of that city.
Des Moines being situated SO near the
borders of Missouri, its citizens were COM
posed of quite large element of disloyal
people, who were dubbed Copperheads. At
this time there was known to exist in the
border Counties of the State a rebel organi-
cation calling themselves knights of the
Golden Circle" Joining my Republican
| friends entered the lists of the loyal forces,
and for while we made it hot for the
Copperheads.
Soon after locating here the Government
organized the Office of Provost Marshal, es-
| tablishing one Office in each Congressional
District Of the State. The Provost and his
| staff was called the Board of Enrolment,
and was organized for the purpose of enroll
ing all male citizens of the District subject
to military duty, for draft, should this
| means become necessary to recruit the army.
This act of the Government was hard
hit on the Copperheads and their allies the
Knights of the Golden Circle. They at once
became very active in their methods to OBJ
struct the carrying out of the plan OF the
Government. The Knights began to collect
arms and ammunition at their rendezvous
for the purpose of resisting the draft should
one be ordered.
There was at this time State organiza-
ton called the Border Guard" company
Of mounted men enlisted in the State service,
whose duty it was to patrol the Counties
bordering on Missouri and watch all move
ments of a suspicious nature.
These Knights of the Golden Circle had
initiated into their Order man who proved
to be loyal Democrat, making him Secre-
tary of one of their Lodges. When this man
found that he had joined rebel organiza-
ton, he at once gave the information to some
of his friends belonging to the Border Guard,
keeping them posted as to the movements of
the Knights. When they began to collect
their arms this Secretary informed the
Guard that arms and ammunition had been
apportioned to the different Lodges. On
certain night detail from his Lodge would
transfer their allotment to their rendezvous,
himself having charge of the detail. He re-
quested the Guard to be on hand to take
them in.
1t was admirably arranged and the pro-
gram carried ont, resulting in the capture of
the whole detail, with their arms and equip
ments without any resistance. They
brought the men under arrest to Des Moines,
arriving about midnight, and not knowing
the proper officer to whom they should de-
liver their prisoners they turned them over
to the Provost-Marsbal. Being member
and the legal adviser of the Enrolment
Board, their case was referred to me.
As the writ of habeas-corpus was not sus-
pended in the State at this date, the prison.
ers could not be held under military
authority. Therefore / had them trans
ferred to the custody Of the U. S. Marshal.
H. M. Hoxie who afterwards became the
great railroad manager of the Missouri Pa
ciic system, was then Marshal for Iowa.
We could not hold the prisoners, except
upon information and examination. Con-
gress had but recently passed an act, called
the Conspiracy Act, intended to cover all
cases of this kind; but as NO case had yet
arisen under this law, had no precedent to
guide me in drawing informations. At this
stage of the proceedings another difficulty
confronted me-want of evidence. True,
had that of the loyal Secretary. This was
only one mans evidence, while the prisoners
h 1o~
fraternal associates, and had come to Des
M0ines to swear them clear.
at once saw that our object would be de-
feated unless could by some means procure
corroborative evidence strongly supporting
that of the Secretary. This was critical
point in the case. Possessing the knowledge
that I had of the conspiracy organized
against the Government, which was almost
within my power to crush, the reader can
judge what must have been the intensity of
my feelings and anxiety at this moment.
/ finally called in three or four young
men whom knew to be loyal. l had the
Secretary brought from the Jail (where he
had remained with the other prisoners) to
my Office, and here we had him 20 through,
with us. all the work of the Knights, in
structing us in all the signs, grips, and pass
words Of the Order.
These young men were then sent ont to
mingle with the members of the Order, to
obtain all the information they could They
succeeded beyond my most sanguine ex-
pectations When one of these young men
approached a member belonging to the
Knights and gave him sign or grip of the
Order, he was met with ready response.
By this means the young men obtained for
me all the evidence necessary for success
ful prosecution of the case.
Through this means obtained the names
of the officers and leading members of a
number of their strong Lodges. / filed in
formations against them, and when had got
through had several of their leaders in
limbo.
The examinations before the q. 8. Com
missioner consumed some two weeks time,
at the conclusion of which I succeeded in
holding every one of them, under heavy
bonds, for trial at the next term of the
United States Court for that District. At
this time Frank Palmer, afterwards Congress
man from the Fifth Iowa District, and later
Postmaster at Chicago, was editor and pro-
prietor of the Iowa State Register, and at the
conclusion of the examination Mr. Palmer
requested me to write out full account of
the expose of the Knights of the G. C.'s az
brought out in the examination before the
U. S. Commissioner, and complied.