Year: 1867

: oIOIA v ILAIe NJ
acting with the knowledge of the Vice President
that it had been arranged to kill Lincoln on the
day of the Inauguration, which would account for
Mr.. Johnson's strange conduct on that occasion,
which had provoked 80 much comment in the
press that you expected the tragedy to be enacted
then, and had taken several potations to compose
and nerve you for the event. and that you were not
so much intoxicated as nervous and excited.


I feel much delicacy in referring to such topics,
but cannot inform you of your enemies plans
and projects without being plain, and am obliged
to write in too great haste to be choice in my lam
! guage.


assured Ashley that should have no difficult
ty in finding persons of good standing and moral
character to prove these matters, and it was agreed
that I should do so as soon as released. Ia. f. IT,


As an earnest that possessed the ability to do
what engaged, and in order to satisfy some of the
party who doubted the existence Of evidence to
connect you with the assassination conspiracy,
Ashley and Butler pressed me to send for two OF
three persons of whose intelligence and quali6ca,
tions they could satisfy themselves and whom they
could parade before their incredulous friends.


consented, and Ashley supplied the acts it was
desired they SHOULD know and repeat, and for.
warded them to trusty friend with secret explain.
ations as to my own purposes and instructions for
him to procure two other friends to commit to
memory the statements enclosed to him. and when
sent for, to come here and repeat them but not un-
der OATH to such persons as I should indicate.


After allowing my friends sufficient time to learn
their parts the Rev. Mr.. Matchett [B] was sent
for them in order that it might be said that he,
agent for the impeachers had found the witnesses,
and that their character for veracty was above sus
picion.


On arriving here, these persons were inspected
by Ashley and Butler, and were found to possess
the requisite qualifications as to intelligence and
personal appearance; but unfortunately for the
impeachers it was deemed necessary to make some
changes notifications in some, and additions to
other portions of their statements present
ing them to the ukewarm Radicals it was intended
to inhame 1t being impracticable for the men to
see me at the jail on such business, and equally SC
for me to communicate to them the desired chan.
ges and necessary explanations and instructions in
writing, to enable them to incorporate these chan
ges in their original statements, without leading to
confusion or contradictions it was found necessary
for somebody else to take my Office ofpreceptor, &c
This, with slight hesitation, was done by MIR. Ash
ley, on my assurance that the parties were Radi
Gals, ''died in the WOOL" and men Of honor, in
whom he could safely repose confidence


have learned both from Ashley and the parties
themselves, what was said and done by and be-
tween them in the matter. The statements they
were desired to make were revised and corrected
by Mr.. Ashley, and they were assured by him thai
in case it should be determined to examine then
before the committee, they would be 'splendidly
rewarded"


Ashley also discoursed to them on the propriety
and business of the course it was proposed to pur
sue to make certain the impeachment Of the Pres
ident. He declared that you were traitor to your
party and country, &C., &C.; that there was ne
doubtpf your completely in the assassination con-
spiracy but that the evidence was in the hands
of your friends and could not be got at that e.
nough, however, had been secured to satisfy most
reasonable men of his guilt, but that in order to
satisfy the most exacting, the statements of these
persons before the committee would be requisite
that the end fully justified the MEANS and that ev
cry man who contributed in this way to the i'm
peachment of the President would deserve well ot
the country, and that he (Ashley) would see them
rewarded ten-fold when your successor should come
into power


u Subsequently the parties were presented to But
Ter, and, after being inspected and passed by him
were introduced by him and Ashley to several Rad
cal members of the House, who, it was understood
had hitherto doubted theexistence Of evidence i'm.
pGcating you in the assassination conspiracy, and
who informally nterrogated them as to the matters
upon which they had been instructed, la.


Butler desired to have taken the dispositions Of
; these men at the time but would not consent to
its being done until should be released, as at first
agreed


These facts can be proved by these three persons,
also by my wife, whose character for truth and We,
racity is not inferior to Mr.. Ashleys; and shall
take pleasure, if at liberty. in producing them be-
fore any committee or tribunal for the impeach-
ment of the impeachers.


But the evidence of this conspiracy does not de-
pend entirely upon oral proof The letters from
Ashley, herewith enclosed, in themselves speak
volumes. What statement [B] from me could be
have wanted, and for what purpose? Anything il
was in my power to state to him could have been
stated orally dozen times during his previous
visits to me-


The statement he wanted was this, and for this
purpose There were many prominent Radicals,
and especially among his own constituents, who
were lukewarm on the subject Of impeachment
who were not prepared to believe that you were
privy to the murder of Lincoln, and whose co-ope,
ration was greatly needed. Ashley, therefore, de,
sired to be able to place before them assurances
that the most unquestionabe evidences of your
guilt could be produced. He, therefore, requested
me to prepare an elaborate paper, setting forth
that such and such persons could be produced who
knew and would testify to this, that, and the other
thing, including the pretensions that Booth had
been seen in your room several times that you had
corresponded with him and with parties in Rich
mond and that the persons who could testify to
these facts were of the most respectable standing,
and would come forward and tell all they knew if
protected by the Government. He wished Inc to
put it in style and tone that would be sure to car
ry conviction with it. He desired, that in addition
to the points of evidence we had conferred about,
my statement should contain others; and he gave
me memorandum of other points which he re-
quested me to incorporate in my statement b.
This memorandum enclose, and it is, believe,