Year: 1866

piOCldildJlOh, tHC COluuliltcc uldhco
the following statement "When the !
committee entered upon this invest-
cation, in April last, the evidence in
the War Department, If accepted as
true, was conclusive as to the guilt of
Jefferson Davis. The Judge Advocate
General had taken the atfidavits of
several persons ,oho profeSSed to have
been in the service of the rebel gov
ernment, and who had been present
at an interview between Surratt and
Davis and Benjamin. Yes but there
is not a word of it true. They never
were


"Those affidavits were taken by the
Judge Advocate General in good faith,
and in the full belief that the persons
making them were stating that only
which was trle. Holt was well
aware that the witnesses were perjur-
ing themselves.] The statements
made by these witnesses harmonize
in every important particular with
facts derived from documents and 9TH
or trustworthy sources. Because
they were manufactured TO suit the
case. The committee, however,
thought it wise to see and examine
some of the persons whose affidavits
had been taken by Judge Holt, Sew
eral of the witnesses, when brought
before the committee, retracted en-
tirely the statements which they had
made in their afiidayits, and declared
that their testimony, as given origin
ally, was false in every particular.
They failed, however, to state to the
committee any inducement or consid-
Grafton which seemed to the commit
tee reasonable explanation for the
course they have pursued. Very
likely. But the minority report shows
that Holt paid them money. See be-
low The committee are therefore
not at this time able to say, as the re-
suit of their investigation, whether
the original statements Of these wit
nesses are true or false. But the re-
traction made by some Of them de-
prives them of all claim to credit, and
their statements SO far impeach or
throw doubt upon the evidence given
L-y vuIIvr wlInebees wnUse aniuaYlts
were taken by Judge Holt, that the
committee in the investigation which
they have made, and in this report,
have disregarded entirely the testimo-
ny of all those persons whose standing
has been so impeached. On the other
hand, the committee have relied very
largely upon documents found in the
rebel archieves, and have introduced
only the testimony of those persons
whose reputation for truth and verac-
/ ity has not been impeached by any Of
the hoinvestigationst that have been made.
Nor has it been the purpose Of the
committee TO draw unnatural or forced
differences from the trustworthy tcsti-
mony which they have examined, bat
rather to presesent truthful state
ment of facts" We never saw more
vindietive force work.


The report concludes with an eX-
preston of opinion on the part Of the
committee that it is the duty of the
Executive Department of the govern
ment, for a reasonable time, and by
the proper means, to pursue the in
vestigations, for the purpose Of ascer-
tanning the truth. If Davis and his
associates are innocent of the great
crime with which they were charged
in the Presidents proclamation, it is
due to them that a thorough investi-
CATION should be made, that they may
be relieved from the suspicion which
now rests upon them, If, on the 9th
er hand, they are guilty, it is due to
Justice, to the country, and to the


memory of him who was the victim OF
foul conspiracy, that the originators
should suffer the just penalty of the
law. The committee arc, therefore,


of the opinion that the work of inves-
tigation should be further prosecuted