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RAY NEFF DISCOVERS CODED MESSAGES
In 1863, Colonel Lafayette C. Baker (later promoted to Brigadier
General) was in charge of Union counter-intelligence, heading the
National Detective Bureau. In 1866, when President Andrew
Johnson discovered that Baker's Detective Bureau had the White
House under surveillance, Baker was dismissed. Baker feared
(with good reason) for his life, and died under suspicious
circumstances in 1868. (Details are in *Anatomy of an
Assassination* by John Cottrell. New York: Funk & Wagnalls,
1966.) An inventory of Baker's possessions showed he owned bound
volumes of "Colburn's U.S. Magazine" for the years 1860 to 1865
-- *with* *one* *exception*: the volume for the first half of
1864 is not listed in the inventory. Read on, for why that is
important.
Documented in Cottrell's book is the following sworn testimony by
one William Carter, who knew Baker and visited him a few days
before his death:
[Baker] did say some things which made me wonder. When I
came into the room he had a stack of books by his bed and
he had one open and was making marks in it. I asked him
what he was doing and he said, "I'm writing my memoirs." I
asked him [again,] to make sure that I had heard him right
and he said it over again. Then I said, "But, General,
them books is already wrote." And he said, "Right, they
are going to have to get up early to get ahead of old Lafe
Baker." And then he laughed. I picked up one of the books
and looked at it, and I saw that he was writing cipher in
it.
Please note that when Ray Neff, a research chemist, came across a
bound volume of "Colburn's U.S. Magazine" at a used bookstore
92-years after Abraham Lincoln's assassination, none of the
information in the preceding paragraphs had yet come to light.
The bound volume of Colburn's magazine which Neff chanced upon
was for the latter half of 1864. Note that, as mentioned,
Baker's inventory shows that he lacked the bound volume for the
first half of 1864. Months after purchasing the volume, Neff was idly thumbing through it. He noticed a series of numbers and letters written in the margin. Mr. Leonard Fousche (a professional cryptographer) and Neff's wife helped him decipher the messages.
Ray Neff noticed that the bound volume was discolored in several
places. After spreading tannic acid over one of these, it
revealed a signature; Baker had apparently used some sort of
"invisible ink" method to conceal his name, "L.C. Baker." A
handwriting expert later declared the signature to be genuine.
Here is what the de-ciphered messages said:
I am constantly being followed. They are professionals. I
cannot fool them. In new Rome there walked three men, a
Judas, a Brutus and a spy. Each planned that he should be
the king when Abraham should die. One trusted not the
other but they went on for that day, waiting for that final
moment when, with pistol in his hand, one of the sons of
Brutus could sneak behind that cursed man and put a bullet
in his brain and lay his clumsey [sic] corpse away. As the
fallen man lay dying, Judas came and paid respects to one
he hated, and when at last he saw him die, he said, "Now
the ages have him and the nation now have I." But, alas,
fate would have it Judas slowly fell from grace, and with
him went Brutus down to their proper place. But lest one
is left to wonder what happened to the spy, I can safely
tell you this, it was I.
-- Lafayette C. Baker
It was on the tenth of April, sixty-five, when I first knew
that the plan was in action. Ecert [Major Thomas T.
Eckert, in charge of military telegraph headquarters at the
War Department] had made all the contacts, the deed to be
done on the fourteenth. I did not know the identity of the
assassin, but I knew most all else when I approached E.S.
[Edwin M. Stanton, Lincoln's Secretary of War] about it.
He at once acted surprised and disbelieving. Later he
said: "You are a party to it too. Let us wait and see
what comes of it and then we will know better how to act in
the matter." I soon discovered what he meant that I was a
party to it when the following day I was shown a document
that I knew to be a forgery but a clever one, which made it
appear that I had been in charge of a plot to kidnap the
President, the Vice-President being the instigator. Then I
became a party to that deed even though I did not care to.
On the thirteenth he discovered that the President had
ordered that the Legislature of Virginia be allowed to
assemble to withdraw that state's troops from action
against the U.S. He [Stanton] fermented immediately into an
insane tyrade [sic]. Then for the first time I realised
his mental disunity and his insane and fanatical hatred for
the President. There are few in the War Department that
respect the President or his strategy, but there are not
many who would countermand an order that the President had
given. However, during that insane moment, he sent a
telegram to Gen. Weitzel countermanding the President's
order of the twelfth. Then he laughed in a most spine
chilling manner and said: "If he would to know who
recinded [sic] his order we will let Lucifer tell him. Be
off, Tom, and see to the arrangements. There can be no
mistakes." This is the first that I knew that he was the
one responsible for the assassination plot. Always before
I thought that either he did not trust me, for he really
trusted no one, or he was protecting someone until it was
to his benefit to expose them. But now I know the truth
and it frightens me no end. I fear that somehow I may
become the sacrificial goat.
There were at least eleven members of Congress involved
in the plot, no less than twelve Army officers, three Naval
officers and at least twenty four civilians, of which one
was a governor of a loyal state. Five were bankers of
great repute, three were nationally known newspapermen and
eleven were industrialists of great repute and wealth.
There were probably more that I know nothing of.
The names of these known conspirators is presented
without comment or notation in Vol one of this series.
Eighty-five thousand dollars was contributed by the named
persons to pay for the deed. Only eight persons knew the
details of the plot and the identity of the others.
I fear for my life, L.C.B. [Lafayette C. Baker]
Ray Neff had come across the volume from the latter half of 1864.
De-ciphering Baker's message, it's learned that the *names* of
the members of Congress, military officers, bankers, newspapermen
and others could be found in Volume One. But as pointed out at
the beginning of this issue of Conspiracy Nation, when Baker had
died an inventory of his possessions showed that particular
volume to be missing. https://www.beyondweird.com/conspiracy/cn11-20.html
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About 100 years after Abraham Lincoln's death, Dr. Ray Neff, a health sciences professor at Indiana State University with a chemistry background, de-ciphered coded messages left by Colonel Lafayette Baker, Union spymaster. An inventory of Baker's possessions showed he owned bound volumes of "Colburn's U.S. Magazine" for the years 1860 to 1865 - with one exception: the volume for the first half of 1864 is not listed in the inventory. Ray Neff had come across the volume from the latter half of 1864. [1]
Baker's decoded message from the latter-half volume of Colburn's U.S. Magazine (1864) told of a coup d'état within the Union itself. "There were at least eleven members of Congress involved in the plot, no less than twelve Army officers, three Naval officers and at least twenty four civilians, of which one was a governor of a loyal state. Five were bankers of great repute, three were nationally known newspapermen and eleven were industrialists of great repute and wealth." [1]
De-ciphering Baker's message, it was learned that the specific names of the members of Congress, military officers, bankers, newspapermen and others could be found in Volume One. But Volume One of Baker's copy of Colburn's U.S. Magazine for 1864 could not be located. [1]
A tentative partial list of the traitors within the Union itself who silently condoned, aided and abetted the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865, obstructed justice, actively assisted the assassination, and/or allowed a coup d'état government to hold power, is offered below. All are innocent until proven guilty.
A speech given by President Andrew Johnson to a crowd outside the White House on February 22, 1866 included some of the names:
A voice from the crowd: "Give us the names." A gentleman calls for their names. Well, suppose I should give them. (A voice "We know them.") I look upon them I repeat it, as President or citizen as being as much opposed to the fundamental principles of this Government, and believe they are as much laboring to pervert or destroy them as were the men who fought against us. (A voice "What are the names?") I say Thaddeus Stevens, of Pennsylvania (tremendous applause). I say Charles Sumner (great applause). I say Wendell Phillips, and others of the same stripe, are among them. (A voice "Give it to Forney.") Some gentleman in the crowd says, "Give it to Forney." I have only just to say that I do not waste my ammunition on dead ducks. -President Andrew Johnson, February 22, 1866. [2]
THADDEUS STEVENS: Thaddeus Stevens, leader of the "Radical" faction of the Republican Party, "warmed into life the brutal instincts of [Edwin] Stanton, [Joseph] Holt and [Lafayette] Baker, to have Lincoln assassinated." [3]
CHARLES SUMNER: U.S. Senator from Massachusetts. A leader of the Radical Republicans in the United States Senate during the American Civil War.
WENDELL PHILLIPS: Abolitionist. "It was Phillips's contention that racial injustice was the source of all of society's ills." [4]
JOHN WEISS FORNEY: Secretary of the United States Senate 1861-1868. One of the foremost in the struggle which resulted in the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson. [5] Andrew Johnson resisted the coup d'état forces behind the Lincoln assassination. (Background: Resistance of Andrew Johnson, Ersjdamoo's Blog, July 24, 2015.)
In the decoded messages of Colonel Lafayette Baker, a few other names are given (but not the complete list from the lost Volume One however):
MAJOR THOMAS T. ECKERT: "Be off, Tom, and see to the arrangements," said Edwin Stanton on the eve of the Lincoln assassination. [6]
EDWIN M. STANTON: Secretary of War. "It was Thaddeus Stevens, leader of the 'Radical' faction of the Republican Party, who had 'warmed into life the brutal instincts of [Edwin] Stanton, [Joseph] Holt and [Lafayette] Baker, to have Lincoln assassinated.'" [7]
JOSEPH HOLT: Judge Advocate General of the Union Army. Holt was the chief prosecutor in the 1865 "Trial of the Conspirators." Holt's public image was besmirched by the trial and his prosecution of it. [8]
The diary of John Wilkes Booth, the actual shooter of President Lincoln, gives other names:
JOHN CONNESS: U.S. Senator. He met personally with John Wilkes Booth prior to the assassination. [9]
JAY COOKE: An American financier who helped finance the Union war effort during the American Civil War. He is generally acknowledged as the first major investment banker in the United States. [10] Cooke met personally with John Wilkes Booth prior to the assassination. [9]
THURLOW WEED: Newspaper publisher and Republican politician. Weed met personally with John Wilkes Booth prior to the assassination. [9]
ZACHARIAH CHANDLER: One of the founders of the Republican Party, whose radical wing he dominated as a lifelong abolitionist. U.S. Senator. [11] Chandler met personally with John Wilkes Booth prior to the assassination. [9]
BENJAMIN WADE: A United States Senator during Civil War reconstruction known for his leading role among the Radical Republicans. Had the impeachment of Andrew Johnson in 1868 led to a conviction at trial in the Senate, he would have assumed the presidential powers and duties. [12]
Another name to include in this infamous list is the head of a committee which met early in 1865:
ELIHU B. WASHBURNE: He headed a congressional investigation, the Washburne Committee, into Civil War cotton smuggling designed to bring down the Lincoln administration through "all the President's men" Ward Lamon and Orville Hickman Browning. That "soft coup" attempt failed. (Background: Inner Workings of Republican Assassins, Ersjdamoo's Blog, July 23, 2015.)
A final name for this preliminary list may startle some:
ULYSSES S. GRANT: An excellent military general but a weak politician. Grant's friend, General William T. Sherman, advised him to avoid Washington and its politics when Grant was promoted to commanding general. Grant was invited by President Lincoln to attend Ford's Theater on the fateful night of April 14, 1865, but declined the invitation. Had Grant attended, he (and consequently Lincoln) would have been well guarded. Otto Eisenschiml found it odd that Grant declined an invitation from his commander-in-chief . Grant however was subordinate not just to Lincoln, but to the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton. Two politicians were tugging at Grant, one (Lincoln) said, "Go to the theater"; the other (Stanton) said, "Do not go to the theater." At that point, recalling his friend Sherman's advice to avoid Washington, General Grant hopped on a train and left town.
----- Sources -----
[1] "Ray Neff Discovers Coded Messages", by Brian Redman. http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~wbova/fn/history/lincoln_02.htm See also: Anatomy of an Assassination by John Cottrell. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1966.
[2] "Speech to the Citizens of Washington", Andrew Johnson, February 22, 1866. http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/speech-to-the-citizens-of-washington/
[3] "Blowback From Intra-Party Coup d'état", Ersjdamoo's Blog, July 17, 2015. https://ersjdamoo.wordpress.com/2015/07/17/blowback-from-intra-party-coup-dtat/
[4] "Wendell Phillips", Wikipedia, July 25, 2015.
[5] "John Weiss Forney", Wikipedia, July 25, 2015.
[6] "Inner Workings of Republican Assassins", Ersjdamoo's Blog, July 23, 2015. https://ersjdamoo.wordpress.com/2015/07/23/inner-workings-of-republican-assassins/
[7] "Addenda to the Addenda", Ersjdamoo's Blog, July 14, 2015. https://ersjdamoo.wordpress.com/2015/07/14/addenda-to-the-addenda/
[8] "Joseph Holt", Wikipedia, July 24, 2015.
[9] The Lincoln Conspiracy, by David Balsiger and Charles E. Sellier, Jr. Los Angeles: Schick Sunn Classic Productions, 1977.
[10] "Jay Cooke", Wikipedia, July 25, 2015.
[11] "Zachariah Chandler", Wikipedia, July 25, 2015.
[12] "Benjamin Wade", Wikipedia, July 25, 2015. https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.conspiracy/PvwH5xM-O_U
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We still knew very little. Eventually, "Mr.X" revealed his identity to us as Joseph Lynch, from Massachusetts. With his help,
as well as. the others involved, we relate the following story of the saga of the missing pages. It was a mutual lawyer friend of his & Stanton's great-granddaughter who contacted Mr. Lynch, to appraise Stanton family material that had been passed down to her, and which lay dormant for many years. While examining this material, Mr. Lynch discovered what he believed to be the missing pages of Booth's diary, plus some other documents bearing on the Lincoln murder case. The material did not directly implicate Stanton, but, rather, those around him. Mr. Lynch theorized that Stanton had held onto this evidence as a sort of "insurance policy", in case any of the other implicated parties, ignorant of Stanton's cards, might someday be compelled to point their finger at him, to extricate themselves, or attempt to blackmail him.
When Sunn Classic Pictures finally located Mr. Lynch, they contracted with him for movie rights to tape recorded transcripts he had made of the missing pages and the other documents --but not until Mr. Lynch had seen a scenario of the film and
felt reasonably certain that the material would be presented in a scholarly rather than a sensational way. Additionally, the Stanton great-granddaughter (to whom the material still belongs), retained her anonymity. Mr. Lynch had done a great deal of time-consuming research of his own after studying the material, and passed many of his findings and conclusions over to Sunn, who coordinated i«t with material they had also seperately gathered, tor use in the film.
Having studied the missing pages first hand (to our knowledge, only Lynch and the Stanton family have ever seen them), Mr. Lynch went to Washington to see the diary from which the pages had come, having already drawn some conclusions based on what he had seen in the missing leaves.
In Washington, Mr. Lynch found at least one blank page with writing -- in invisible ink. The writing had begun to surface from exposure to heat over the years. The page (the one dated July 18th, 19th, and 20th, 1864) apparently contains a list of names and numbers. The ones most readily visible with the naked eye are 'White" and "Jenkins". Lynch also observed some faint writing in the front of the little book, which had also previously not been noted. The first name and the address are a little faint, but Mr. Lynch makes it out to be, without the slightest of doubt, the name and
address of Frederick Douglass. This would be the famous black orator who fought for negro rights and was a close advisor to Lincoln on negro problems. Lynch is sure it is written in Booth's hand. (If indeed it is Douglass, what in Heaven's name is it doing in John Wilkes Booth's diary??? )Mr . Lynch also observed other bits of writing that have been victim of an attempt at defacing, through erasure.
Mr. Lynch then contacted the people at Sunn Classic Pictures and suggested that they arrange to have special light photographs (ultra-violet, infra-red, etc;) taken of the pages, to see what they might reveal. (He had in mind the National Archives.)
Mr. Ray Neff then appeared on the scene, with his own equipment, to cake the pictures. Neff is an associate professor in the department of Health & Safety at Indiana State University, but back in 1961, when he was a research chemist in New Jersey, he discovered a coded message written by Secret Service Chief Lafayette Baker, in an old military journal. (Baker had become embroiled in the controversy surrounding the missing pages of the diary, and testified at the Johnson Impeachment hearings on the subject.) The code was easy to decipher, and it implicates Baker, Stanton, and unnamed high government officials in a conspiracy to kill Lincoln.
(The story, by editor Robert Fowler, appeared in the August, 1961 issue of his Civil War Times. Comments about it can be found in the October, 1961 issue.) Although the code implicates Stanton, historians questioned the veracity of Baker, who was enough
of a scoundrel to have fabricated the code, to embarrass his former boss. There is little doubt; that the writing is Baker's, as far as we know.
David Balsiger, of Sunn Classic Pictures, explained to us that Neff took the pictures because he had seen some of his photographic work, and felt that he was highly qualified to photograph the diary. As of this writing, Neff is still reviewing the results of the hundreds of sophisticated pictures he took, but at this time, he says he doesn't think the pages contain any material that is particularly revealing.
But what about Joseph Lynch's own examination of the diary? Something must be in those pages. Lynch told us that it was the nature of the missing pages that led him to conclude the sort of thing he says he found in the diary. We are merely reporting
the story as we have received it, and will not draw any conclusions. But at this point, it is only important that we see for ourselves just what is on those pages. Now, Mr. Neff was placed under no obligation to turn any of his pictures over to the Park
Service. But all parties agree on at least one thing, that being that Mr. Neff gave verbal assurance to Mr. Michael Harmon, the curator of Ford's Theatre, that he would donate copies of all of the photos he took, and that Mr. Harman would then make them available for research. Harman told us that he expects to receive them by mid-March.
Mr. Lynch had protested to Mr. Harman that if photos were not taken by the government, as well as by Mr. Neff, the results of only one series of pictures, taken by a pirivate individual, would be subject to speculation. At the time Neff 's first series of pictures were taken (he returned at a later date for some more, the first series being a preliminary session), Mr. Lynch says that he asked for, and received, permission to take his own pictures, as well, to insure that at least two independent sets of pictures existed. (This is not meant to cast any shadows over Mr. Neff. We don't think there was anything wrong in the request, considering the circumstances.)
Researcher James 0. Hall soon contacted Mr. Harman, asking him to arrange with the National Archives to take its own special light-photographs of the diary. The request was refused. Mr. Harman gently interested more in preserving artifacts than in investigating Lincoln's murder. He told Mr. Hall that any more pictures would mean "unnecessary handling of a priceless artifact, and would pose a threat to its preservation, which would not be acceptable." He also explained, to THE LINCOLN LOG, that the pages were very
fragile, having suffered from recent handling and the effects of aging -- too fragile to tamper with anymore. He therefore sent the diary off to the National Park Service Restoration Museum at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, where Park Service conservators would
"refurbish" the diary, whatever that means. "None of the work... would in any way alter, erase, or obscure any portions of the text or any part of the diary itself."
After the diary is refurbished and sent back to Ford's Theatre, Mr. Harman told us that he would not be likely to allow any more photographs of the diary, unless he thought that the condition of the pages permitted it. He admitted that this might mean weeks, nonths, or years. The issue here is not the fact that Mr. Neff took the pictures. It is that a private citizen took them, and that another branch of the Federal Government, such as the National Archives, which certainly knows how to handle fragile documents, was not given the opportunity to take pictures of a government artifact, pictures which might conceivably, shed additional light on Lincoln's murder. Mr. Neff's generosity in sharing his own pictures with researchers should not go unnoticed, and we would like to thank him for saying that he did make them available to researchers. We do not mean to insinuate that Mr. Neff's pictures would be unreliable, either. But what could be more reliable than pictures taken by the National Archives?? It is to our advantage that Mr. Neff was able to take his. Now we think that the government should be impressed with the importance of taking a second set of photographs.
Just before "going to press", we learn that through the efforts of the editor of Civil War Times Illustrated, officials in the Interior Department have called the NPS at Harper's Ferry and told them to hold up, for the time being, any work on the Booth diary, until they are further instructed. ...
Excerpts from the "missing pages" of John Wilkes Booth's diary.
This material was discovered by Joseph Lynch, an appraiser from
Worthington, Massachusetts, in going over some 6,000 papers in
possession of descendents of Edwin M. Stanton, Lincoln's Secretary
of War,. Sunn Classic Pictures, working on a motion picture about
the assassination entitled "The Lincoln Conspiracy", tracked down
the story about the missing pages, and contracted for rights to a
transcript, for use in their film, which is set for release in mid-
June. THE LINCOLN LOG is pleased to be the first to publish them.
When John Wilkes Booth was killed at Garrett's farm in Virginia
twelve days after assassinating Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, a memo-
randum book was found in one of his pockets. Booth had confided
his innermost thoughts to this book in the course of his escape.
Colonel Everton J. Conger, who had been given honorary command of
the troopers that found Booth, personally took the book and handed-
it over to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. The little book, or
"diary" 1 , as it became known, was locked in a vault, and not made
public until two years later, when word got around that Stanton's
Secret Service Chief, Lafayette Baker, had mentioned it in his
memoirs, which were about to be released. A furor was raised in
Washington, and Congress clamored for the little book.
At that time, hearings were being held into charges of impeachment against President Johnson, and one of the accusations being made concerned the President's possible role in Lincoln's assassination. Stanton produced the diary, and its contents were made public by the press a few weeks later. But the controversy over the diary did not stem from the mere fact that the diary had been suppressed, but because when it was finally produced, it was claimed by those who had seen it before Stanton had that there were now about 18 pages missing.
The pages show that among those involved with Booth in plots
against Lincoln were Senator John Conness of California, financier
Jay Cook, Confederacy Secretary of State Judah Benjamin, political
boss Thurlow Weed, Michigan Senator Zacharia Chandler, Confederacy
Secret Service Chief Jacob Thompson, U.S. Secret Service Chief
LaFayette Baker, Col. E.J. Conger, and others.
As with all of this material acquired by Sunn, we point out
only Sunn officials, their researchers, and the parties
which the material came, have ever seen it. We have Sunn's
that everything they show in their moviei, when it is released
in mid-June, is thoroughly documented. But Sunn realizes that many
will ask to see these documents, and let outside experts pass
judgement on their authenticity. Until that is done, the public
will have to consider Sunn's assurances for themselves, and use their own judgement as to whether or not the material is valid.
Here are excerpts from the Booth 18 pages transcript, as supplied to us by Sunn. (Copyrighted material released by Sunn Classic Pictures.) :
"At a party given by Eva's parents, 1 met Senator John
Conness (California Senator) . Conness says Eddie (Booth) and
he are friends from days in California in '55 and '56. In a private conversation he informed me that he could render some service to the South. He suggests that I call on him tomorrow as we might have some common interests. I saw him this morning and he produced documents which proved that he was not an enemy spy.
"He gave me the name of a wholesale druggist who could be
trusted and said the druggist would supply from 5,000 to 25,000
ounces of quinine. I purchased a six-week list in advance of all the passwords which changed daily on the post roads for the sum of $3,000. He said that he would supply the new passwords every six
_weeks as they changed for as long as I wished, providing each
time $3,000 would be forthcoming. He said he was not a patriot for either North or South, but rather a nan with a small pocket and a large need.
"In Philadelphia today I met with Jay Cooke [Lincoln's Civil
War financier]. Cooke brought his brother Henry [Washington banker] — greeted me warmly and said he thought most highly of Judah Benjamin [Confederate Secretary of State] and acknowledged that anyone who that wily fox, Benjamin, would send would be the best man
available. We had lunch, then went to a room where the people present were a number of speculators in both cotton and gold.
"Present were Thurlow Weed [Lincoln's campaign manager and loyal
supporter], a person by the name of [Samuel] Noble [New York cotton
broker] , a man by the name of [Zachariah] Chandler [Michigan
Senator] , a Mr. [Issac] Bell [cotton merchant] — who said he was
a friend of John Conness. Each and every one asserted that he had had dealings with the Confederate states and they would continue, too, wherever possible.
"Cooke said that they would continue to have dealings with the
Confederacy, but not out of fear of betrayal, but because in peace
and in war a businessman must do business whatever the stakes.
Cooke gave me two letters -- one to Beverly Tucker [Confeder-
ate diplomatic agent] and the other to Jacob Thompson [Confederate
secret service chief]" -- both in cipher.
"At the St. Lawrence Hotel in Montreal — A half hour went by and Thompson arrived. I presented him...given - by Cooke. And after dinner Thompson gave me $50,000 in bank notes with
instructions to take $15,000 to Senator Conness and to leave in
a sealed envelope $20,000 in notes at the home of Senator rBnnLm^i
Wade. Ohio Senator]. The balance of the money to be used to
recruits for our plan. The plan goes forward! * ln Washington again at "the National --{John] Surratt and I are to go south to reconnoiter the ground which we will cover. We have four routes and at least a hundred supporters along the way — most patriots, some who need money, but all loyal to the South.
"We are ready at last. We waited all day — six of us in the
freezing rain and he did not come. Answering a knock on my door this morning, I found Lafayette Baker [Chief of the National Detective Police, a division of Stanton's War Department] on my doorstep. I thought the end had come.
"But instead, he handed me letters from Jefferson Davis
[President of the Confederate States of America], from Judah
Benjamin, and from Clement Clay [Confederate States diplomat]..
I gave him the money and sent a message to Richmond [Capitol of
the Confederate States of America]. I don't trust him. I wait
for answer. I receive reply, my orders — Trust him; I do not!
"I went to Conness. He said to trust Baker — that he knew him
in California in '55 and '56 and that Baker could be trusted because
of that fact. I cannot. They believe in him. I cannot!
I purchased a carbine entirely covered in leather. I darken
it with lamp black. I took [Lewis] Paine and [John] Surratt with me and we waited on the road near the gardens. In the late hours of the morning' we heard a horse approaching. It was him. It was dark and I waited until he was 25 or 30 yards from me. I fired! I saw his hat fall. fired twice ' He stayed in the saddle and galloped away.
Within minutes they pursued us. Within two miles, we eluded them!
Another failure!
"Conger [Baker's aide] at the Herndon House. He was in mufti [plain clothes] and warned no new attempts until we have a new plan. If I try again without orders they will find me in the Potomac
along with my friends.
"No new orders come in the last ten days. I go to New York. I
make it plain, I believe we have been betrayed and that I think the
scoundrel responsible is Baker. I believe that Baker and [Maj. Thomas] Eckert [Stanton aide and chief of the War Department Telegraph Office] and the Secretary [Stanton] are in control of our activities and this frightens me.
"There is great excitement tonight. Rumors say that [Robert E.]
Lee has surrendered. If it is true, it means the end. I believe that these politicians, these vipers and their cronies
will strip the South bare." …
There is no doubt in our minds that Joseoh Lynch actually did
find these purported pages of Booth's diary among the papers owned
by the Stanton heirs. However, only those descendents and Lynch,
(and possibly lawyers?) have ever seen them. This leaves every-
one asking if they are authentic. Are they pages from Booth's
diary? But are they blank pages on which someone forged Booth's
handwriting a century ago? They may turn out th be the real thing,
if experts are ever given the opportunity to examine them. Lynch'
thinks they are authentic. We invite our readers to study the
text and try to determine for themselves whether or not there is
anything from the transcript alone that can be challenged. Sunn
Classic Pictures believes them to be authentic, having s.^ent many
months studying the transcript. David Balsiger, Sunn's chief re-
searcher, and co-author of that studio's soon-to-be-released book
on the subject, discussed the one major obstacle they overcame...
Among other claims made by Sunn Classic Pictures -- that a cover-
up of the conspiracy was orchestrated by Stanton, who has long been
suspected of being implicated in the plot, but who has managed to
remain an enigma, due to the lack of sufficient evidence to either
clear him or prove his complicity. …
A diary account left by Rep. George Julian was also acquired by Sunn: "Post- Assassination Monday, April 24, 1865 — I was today summoned To the War Secretary's [Edwin Ml Stanton] office. When I got there Major [Thomas] Eckert [Chief of the War Department Telegraph Office] was at the door with a grim look on his usually pleasant face and I sensed at once that something was amiss.
"He opened the door so I could enter and then I saw Senator
[Zachariah] Chandler [Michigan Senator], who was reading from a
small book. He too had a sour look on his face. The War
Secretary was pacing up and down while Chandler read with
mumbles. Stanton said that he had sent for [John] Conness
[California Senator] , and that he should be there momentarily.
Conness soon arrived and was ushered in by Major Eckert.
"I 'asked what was happening and Stanton said, *We have Booth's
diary and he has recorded a lot in it.' Conness grabbed it away
from Chandler and sat down in a chair as he read. He kept
mumbling 'Oh my God, Oh my God, 1 and then said, I am ruined if
this ever gets out. ' Stanton asked me if I wanted to read the diary and I told him that since I had not met the man and was not mentioned in his diary, I was better off not reading it.
"Stanton said, 'It concerns you, for we either stick together
in this thing, or we will all go down the river together.' _ But
I did not read it nor do I know what was in it, but it excited
Chandler and Conness as well as Stanton.
"Chandler said, 'We cannot let it out.' Conness agreed and
so did Stanton. I all this time supposed that Booth had been
captured and I asked what Booth had to say. Stanton replied
that they would have him by the next morning. I did not ask
how he had come to get his diary when they didn't have him.
"Stanton placed the book in an envelope and sealed it. Gave
it to Eckert with the instructions to place it in the safe and
release it to no one without his order. Eckert took it away and
I left. It was disgusting to see those men grovel in fear because of
their immoral activities. I returned to my office and thence to
my rooms. "
Sunn's Research Evidence:
Jay Cooke -- (1621-1905) Banker, Leading financier of the Civil
War. -Established valuable ties with financiers and government
officials. But over-inflated security issues in private ventures,
plus inefficient management drove him into unexpected bankruptcy,
precipitating the panic of 1873* Recovered losses by speculating
in mining and real estate out west within seven years. Still died
with a fortune.
Thurlow Weed -- Influential newspaperman & political leader from N.Y. Played behind the scenes role in controlling many political careers, policies • Helped make William Seward N.Y. Governor, Senator, managed his losing campaign for President in...but
helped him become Secretary of State. One of Lincoln's most valued advisors. Went to Europe to gain support for the North.
John Conness -- Born in Ireland, 1821. Came to U.S. in 1833. Served as California Senator from I863-I869. Died in Massachusetts.
Thomas T. Eckert --Was in charge of military telegraph at War Department under Stanton. Serving as acting Assistant Sec. of War when Lincoln slain. Officially served as such from 1866-1867. Went on to become president of several telegraph companies. Died in 1910.
Zacharia Chandler -- ( 1813-1679 ) Rep. Senator from Michigan 1857-1875. Friend and confidant of Stanton, fought hard to defeat Lincoln's re -nomination in '61. Major supporter of Stanton in Committee on Conduct of War. Lobbied for Stanton's appointment to Supreme Court.
Rep. George Washington Julian --(1817-1899) Republican Congressman from Indiana (1661-1871). A friend and supporter of Stanton.
Sat on Committee on Conduct of the War. Wade a speech in February,
1865 that set the scene for a possible impeachment of Lincoln.
Wrote "Political Recollections, 1814-1872" in later years.
https://archive.org/stream/assassinxxxxxxx00linc/assassinxxxxxxx00linc_djvu.txt
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