Today in History:

923 Series II Volume VIII- Serial 121 - Prisoners of War

Page 923 CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.--UNION AND CONFEDERATE.

to say that I had gone to Boston for a few days. I returned to Washington with Campbell, and Conover was telegraphed by the Judiciary Committee to come on here. He sent Snevel to the Astor House and was told I had gone to Boston and he then left for Washington, expecting, I suppose, to be sent to Canada and get money. He called at committee room of the Judiciary Committee and there met Campbell unexpectedly. After this, as is known, the assistant sergeant-at-arms went with Conover to New York to subpoena certain witnesses. On reaching the Astor House Conover left the sergeant-at-arms and he has not seen him since. Then, May 15, instant by direction of Judge Holt, I went to New York with Campbell and sergeant-at-arms to find and subpoena Snevel, McGill, Wright, and Patten. We found Snevel in the keeping of Conover, who was living in a tenement house up town. We found Wright (Waters) at Cold Spring; Patten (Esquire Stevens) at Nyack, and McGill (Neally) in New York, and they were all subpoenaed. Through the influence and efforts of Campbell (Hoare), mainly, Snevel was induced to call on me and make a full disclosure and agreed to go to Washington and before the Judiciary Committee. He did so, with Campbell, and made his verified statement. I state, in addition, that while Campbell was making his disclosure I asked him if it were true, as he asserted, that the depositions of himself, Snevel, and others, made before General Holt, were entirely false, how it happened that they gave such consistent, minute, and plausible statements? He replied: "The statements made by Snevel and myself were written out by Conover and we studied and rehearsed them at the National Hotel, in Washington, several days before making our depositions." He said he had original, as prepared for himself by Conover, in his possession and would give it to me. He did so and I herewith inclose it, marked as Exhibit A.* It is in Conover's handwriting. Campbell also informed me that Conover "planned that he (Campbell) should go to the Canadian border, at Rouse's Point or Saint Albans, on pretense that he could find an important witness named Lamar;" and Campbell was sent by General Holt by reason of their false representations. Campbell said he knew no such man as Lamar and that his mission to Saint Albans, Boston, and back to Washington was a fraudulent pretense devised by Conover to obtain money, &c. Campbell left Washington on this deceptive mission, leaving Conover in Washington; and when he reached New York he received a letter of instructions from Conover, which is herewith inclosed, marked Exhibit B.* My investigation and the disclosures made prove (undoubtingly in my mind) that the depositions made by Campbell, Snevel, Wright, Patten, Mrs Douglass, and others are false; that they are cunningly devised, diabolical fabrications of Conover, verified by his suborned and perjured accomplices.

L. C. TURNER,

Judge-Advocate.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, Washington, D. C., June 5, 1866.

Honorable EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War:

SIR: The President directs me to request that you will cause to be prepared, for his information, statements showing--

First. The number of prisoners of war discharged since the 15th day of April, 1865; and

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*Not found.

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Page 923 CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.--UNION AND CONFEDERATE.