Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-12-20
Copyrighted. 1922

sson.h and the Confederate authoTiues.
was In Booths confidence. and had any
,hins existed as such he would have mace
known the fact to me. Besides, such 4
o,,ixo,5c scheme would have been laushed
=. ny them had It been possible fer
gocth to obtained audience With them. ana
no would have been dismissed from thclf
,,,.sc,,cc and IN all 2roba hility been over
looked as an insane man. me SchS'ne
originated in Booths own visionary mino'
ne became = monomaniac on Inc success
~ The Confederate arms. a cohoiloh
which generally follows when man 5
thoughts are constantly ceh'eie" upon
one subject alone.
HIS last ACT was the act OF mailman.
n0f / am convinced that he did ii in a
moment OF temporary insanity, caused bS
The defeat of the Confederate armies. ana
Tho cause so dear to his heart. This is my
opinion. which cannot be controVerted IN
this world: its truth or falsitE VAL ohis
De, known in the world 10 come.
The men b., whom he had been sur
rounded. and who had associated them
selves with him. were, TO a great extent,
ignorant men. They chung 10 him Tor
tl1r bounty they were receiving at Boolh
hand No labor to perform to earn their
,,,-,-,.~ -, ~ -.'cviS'r~ q. erd they we're
willing 10 let It so continue. huEsing With
"a "a.
,,roachir;s end OF the would soon dis
solve con,2an;onship and terminate the
conspiracy in which they were engaged,
without any po0iiy harm falling to their
lot
When, In his frenzy, he made known his
design 70 them they were so entahGied
thai retreat was impossible. and even mao
they atten pied TO do so, without surrena-
erinc themselves TO the authorities. their
-a,,1S
;,,s. as guilty before the law as II tic
i,1ow had leen struck by their own hand.
aERoLD WAS But A BOY
I4erold q mere boy. acting in the role OF
Diipt steering Booth through the coHn-
try. taking no part in the murder ltseh.
thought in his ignorance OF the law, lhat
he would not be reached. Atzerodt OF the
same mold, thought the same when ne
fled. failing to execute the part assigned
him TO be performed by Booth, ignorant
nj the fact that before the law he was
lust as guilty as Booth, who committed
the deed.
PAYNE was differently situated. He was
far from his native State in strange
city-pennilcss. Booth had for months
provided for h,n-food lodging and raj
,nent. and limited means TO meet his daily
incidental expenses. For all these things
he could not be ungrateful; besides, he
was subordinate to Booths stronger mind,
who controlled him in his every move
ment, and when the crime to be commit
led was sprung dpon him, he was as polo
and as fearless as Booth himself, and
tried his best to carry out the part ailot-
ted to him by Booth to perform.
ONLY FOUR CONCERNED.
These four men comprised the entire
couspirators in that crime. No knowledge
Of it extended beyond them; according to
confessions made by Herod and Alter
pdt il was first made known at o. clock
.he same evening.
No officials OF the Confederate govern
rnent had any knowledge in regard TO it,
although il was attempted TO be shown
by the military commission that they had
through many Witnesses. Everything went
mon our trial. 1t was fixed in its en-
trety. and al! were condemned before be-
ing heard No croSs-eXamination OF Wit
uesses their evidence being SO deep-laid
that no opening was left, besides counsel
declined 10 do So having no groundwork
left to stand upon. and SO that long
3rawn-out trial. lasting months. grew
from q mere molehill to a stupendous
structure reared and built through per-
Jury.
There was a witness to establish the
conspiracy from Baltimore, by name VIII
liam Spandauer, who finally died in the
maryland penitcntiary. When counsel
desired that he be produced for cross-eN-
animation. he was nowhere to be found,
he had been spirited away by the prose-
cution. not however, before leaving his
imprint before the court.
THOSE CIPHER LETTERS.
Cipher letters We're found floating in
The water at Morehead City. \. G, I'M
blurred by contact with the water, in
tended no doubt to encircle me at Fortress
Monroe with participation in the crime;
in fact. the conspiracy through the gov
ernment witnesses grew TO immense pro
portions extending from the Lakes to
the Gulf. even penetrating into Canada,
whereas il was but the act Of four de-
luded men, dwelling in the city OF Wash
ington.
keliibution has followed in the wake
of that trial. Numerous. not very i'm
portant. witnesses died during my in
generation Soon after the verdict some
died from suicide. and later on some died
ip the penitentiary, while some served
terms in the penitentiary. OF the mem
bcrs of the court who sat in condenna-
ton Of me | am not advised. but the
prosecuting judge advocate and his as
sistants. think, have been called before
COMPARED TO DREyFUs.
The late Dreyfus trial in France was
own; the same means employed and re-
sorted 10 to convict-viz. forged documen-
tary evidence, as well as false swear
ing-tne same arm OF the government
say for France that when the prisoner
appeared and stood before the military
court he stood a man, as a guiltless
man, not as a condemned convict and
feion weighed down in shackles and
chains: neither was he tortured before
and during his trial, and was
publicly degraded only after conviction.
This miscarriage of justice in his case
aroused the public of all nations in Eu-
rope, and also the public of the United
5tates. The official organs. however, rep
fesenting the governments abroad. as well
Is my own. remained in passive silence.
That no offence should be given TO the
nations on friendly terms, or that any
breach of international law should occur.
AT the same time every nation in Europe,
rs well the United States had been
.uilty OF the very same thing which was
condemned by the press of the civilized
Horld.
The sentence inflicted upon Dreyfus was
oudly condemned far and near as a mis-
carriage of justice. and the stress upon
the President of the French republic be-
came so great that pardon was granted
Dreyfus. The crime of which he was ac-
.used was false in every particular in his
.ase. his only offence being that he
was Jew.
RECEIVED NO SYMPATHY.
In my case. far worse conducted than
in Dreyfus case. ] have vet TO learn or
hear Of single voice raised in my be-
half or denouncng my treatment but
s No. rr t, ,,T