The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-02-15

tory will be found in relation to what he told about the secret societies which existed at the north during the late Civil War with the avowed object Of thwartIng the national government all that was possible. and at the same time extending aid to the rebels. Much of his remarks about the Knights or the Golden Circle, together with the oath of the aforesaid organiza ton, was new to the greater part of those pres ent, and as such was received with great interest.
 The speaker stated at the start what the objects of the Sons of Veterans
 were, and that what he proposed to talk about was exact history, it being a matter never alluded to in the works of those living in the south and only slightly by northern writers. But what he should tell were facts of which he had personal knowledge.
 It was his delight to have often met
 and talked with Lincoln while sta toned at the Washington arsenal,
 military post, which Lincoln was often pleased to visit, since there he could official duties.
 Was Kind Hearted He told of the interest Lincoln a1- ways exhibited in the lot of the com
 mon soldiers. and his constant endeav- ors to make it better, often in such work interfering with the discipline of the army, since he could never resist a tale of woe His last official act was
 
 ground that the tragedy might pos sibly been averted had Secretary Charles A. Dana been allowed to ar rest Jacob Thompson, secretary of the interior under Buchanan, when he was intercepted at Portland, Me, on his way from Montreal to Europe, he holding that in the fear of his own possible death Thompson might have ed plot. Lincoln. when consulted about the matter. refused on the ground that when one had an elephant that wants to run away it is better to let him do it. This was on the Friday before the assassination.
 Many Traitors. The northern states were honey com bed with traitors, the speaker de- He was only giving the outline, and
 his hearers could investigate for them selves.
 These secret societies existed to ob- struct the government all that they could as regards the prosecution of the war by resisting conscriptions, en- couraging assertions and the like. Knights of Golden Circle. Chief among these societies was ore called the Knight. of the Golden Circle in whose solemn oath was the pledge to resist all orders of the present gov ernment and to do what was possible
 in uniting the states of the north west with those of the confederacy. The democrats of the north were divided l into two classes, the loyal democrats 1 and the ''copperheads' who were more bitter against the government than the rebels themselves.
 Here the speaker repeated what he asserted was the solemn oath or pledge of the Knights of the Golden Circle. He declared that they had a member 1 ship of about 200, ,O0a although it was asserted at one time they could com mand a backing of 6O0,O00. Repeated attempts were made to have the legis- | Iature of Indiana recognize the Con- | federacy and induce the Northwestern states to join the rebel cause, thus splitting the north.
 St. AIbans Raid. But the secret service men were made members and were thus able Io inform the government of what was going One New York newspaper was suspended fer a long time and its publishers imprisoned for their utter ances. Jefferson Davis kept the con- spiratorS in Canada well supplied with money and the memorable St Albans raid was started with the intention of footing banks and stores and other wise damaging property but so great was the resistance that this plan was abandoned and although some $200,- O00 was secured from banks Canada had afterwards to refund it. Planned COnfIagration. In 1864 R. c. Kennedy and a num- Der of others were sent to New York