The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-25
THE KNDTANA coNsPTRAcF


E@N
f.t OF uDerty.
To TIE EDlToR or TIE SUN--s,r In TINS
Sos OF September 10 appeared an article
signed X. LOnguemare" relating TO events
thai took piAos 40 Indianapolis toward the
ct69e OF the var. With me the warib over
and has been since the surrender Of Lee. IL
maN Do some time. however, before . DOmini
or ANapier will write ita full and true hlstory.
but raeAntime ! DO not think such rcDresen-
tatiohs as Mr. LonguemAre puts forth ought
TO stand a. a correct account Of what took
place at the time he refers TO.
Mr.. Longuemare asserts that be 10 the only
Lying witness 70 the Incidents he relates.
but ! ought 10 know something OF the opera
lions Of the Sons Of Llbcrty. or knights Of the
Golden Circle. for I was at hat time In CONF
mand at Indiana polls. Grrestedt or had are
rested. all the men he names and Q number
OF others and had them In my Charge during
their trial and afterwards until they were dis
charged or sent to the Ohio kPenitentiary
and subseqaently discharged b4 order Of the
supreme Court Of the United States.
That thers were frequsn. ccAAnanpnlc.ticns
between COnfederates In CAnaAR and . few
oohspiFetors In Illinois. indiana and Ohio,
but chiefly IN Indiana. ls quite tue. A NUM-
Der Of these consnrators were from time TO
time arrested. some Of them ptre tuied and
others held untfi the final disehAIge Of all
the prisoners after the war had ended.
But that there was anything like an organi-
cation Of $4,000 men. or In fact anI organiza-
tion at all worthy of the name. 10 very far
from the truth. There wsg no time during
this period when q Thousand men. OF halt
that number, could have been lparaded with
out being crushed the dsy they undertook
TO form. and the further assertion that there
were $4,000 Of the veterans Of Thomas and
sherman ready TO Join the crew that Included
these would-be conspirators t the North IL
too absurd FOR anything but ridicule.
A few cases Of 9 poor make OF rsvolyers
were sent to indianapolis as Sunday school
tracts" Governor Morton was advised Of
their shipment and / Immediately put de-
~tectives at the freight depots to watch for
their arrival. Late one evening I was advised
that the boxes described had arrived and i'm
mediately sent men 70 see where they were
stored. As soon a. this was found out q
guard was placed around the building and
inside OF Il to prevent any communication
between rooms or entrance into the building.
which proved rather q hardship for q number
of good citizens who. however, did not com-
plain when they knew what Il was done for.
But thss epebled US to capture not My the
revolvers but the ritual. the list Of member
and gil the documents pertaining to the order
Of the Sons Of Liberty. Harrison II. Dodd.
aboriginal organizer and head Of the Sons
OF Liberty, was also in the building.
Governor Morton unfortunately had about
MIN n nuUlDcT OF OnCeTe VINO were alArmINI0
and who led him to believe IL would not be
safe TO undertake TO arrest Dodd without a
military force Of 10000 men at hand, but
Dodd was In fact arrested at daylight the
next morning by a single resoluGe officer,
Captain Middleton, who vent in a hack to
his office. arrested him and took him to the
military prison before his arrest was known
even to the Governor.
OF course there was wild excitement when
it was known that revolvers had been Oh ipped
to Indianapolis and thar the ritual and list
OF members Of the Sons Of Liberty had been
captured. Intact the wrath and indiRn alton
OF the patriotic people Of indianapolis was
almost ~unbounded. and It ls due TO them to
say that after these things we're found out
the only need OF a military force there was
to save the nedks Of the few who we're under.
stood to sympathize with the oOnspirators.
Dodd was afterward taken from the military
prison and confined in a room In the Post
ONCE Building. from which he made his escape
TO Canada.
A number Of men we're arrested in the
State and afterward tried by a military COM
mission mot q court-martiaD. OF this num-
Der Bodies. Millisan and Horsey were con-
victed Of treason and sentenced to death.
Bolles was then over 30 years Of age, garru-
lous but OF kindly disposition. given mostly
10 talking Of milk sickness; Horsey was half
a fool: Mflligan was the only man OF ability
among tnem and ne was the least guilty,
Mrs. Milligan. his wife. was one Of the noble
women Of Indiana who took such an active
part In the relief OF Union soldiers. did
not believe any Of the time that q military
commission had any right to try these men.
and after the sentence was known / wrote 70
President Lincoln describing the men and
recommending that the sentence be not exc
cuted. In reply l received a characteristic
letter in which the President said to keep
the men where they were until things quieted
down and adding: But you may rest assured
/ shall not be guilty Of hanging an old granny
or a fool"
When Johnson came in az President be i'm
mediately ordered the execution OF these
men. 1t would be too much of a diversion
to tell here how this order was evaded and
the lives OF these men saved. They we're sent
to the Ohio Penitentiary. but not long after |
the Supreme Court. fortunately for the pri-
vate citizen. pronounced the whole proceed |
Ings Of trial by military commission I'M
and all were released.
! wish to add In this connection that the
action Of Governor Morton In early nippipR
this conspiracy in the bud cannot be too
highly praised. Al. WARNER.
GAINESVILLE, Ga, September -.