Report of the Judge Advocate General on "The Order of American Knights," alias "The Sons of Liberty". A western conspiracy in aid of the Southern Rebellion

7/28/2019 Report of the Judge Advocate General on "The Order of American Knights," alias "The Sons of Liberty". A western

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REPORTOF THE

JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL

' \t (rife d%wtxitm^m%\tC

"THE SONS OF LIBERTY,":A."Western Conspiracy

IK AID OF THP:

SOUTHERN REBELLION.

WASHINGTON, D. C.DAILY CHRONICLE PRIN1864.


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Digitized by the Internet Archive* in 2012 with funding from

The Institute of Museum and Library Services through an Indiana State Library LSTA Grant

http://www.archive.org/details/reportofjudgeadvOOunit


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REPORTOF THE

JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL


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Wak Department,Bureau of Military Josticb,Washington, D. C, October 8, 1861.Mm. M. M. Stanton, Secretary cf War:

Sxs : Having been instructed by you to pre-pare a detailed report upon the mass of testi-mony famished me from different sources iniregard to the Secret Association* &nd Compiractes@&im& the Government formed, priceipaltyr infthe Western States, by traitors and disloyalpersons, I nave now the honor to submit asSallows sOaring more than a year past it has beengenerally known to our military authorities

that a secret treasonable organisation, affiliatedwith the Southern rebellion and chiefly militaryitei sis character, has been rapidly extendingftlself throughout, the West. A variety of egen-etesf which will tee specified herein, have beenemployed, and successfully, to ascertain its na-fcmre and extent, as well as its aims end its re-sults ; and, as this investigation has led to thearrest La several States of a number of its promi-nent members as dangerous enemies to theircountry, it has been deemed proper to set forthiin full the acts and purposes of this organiza-tion, and thus to make known to the country" his principal coadjutor being Charles

I*. Hunt, of Si. Louis, then Belgian Consul atthit city, but whoseexequatur was subsequentlyrevoked by the Presides*, on account of his dis-loyal practices. The special object of theCorps de Belgiqae appears to have been to unitethe rebel sympathizers of Missouri, with a viewto their fcakiog up arms and jomiog Price uponhis proposed grand invasion of that State, and,to their recruiting for his army in the interim.Meanwhile, also, there had been institutedat the North, in the autumn of 1863, by sundrydisloyal persons, prominent among whom wereVailandigham and P. C. Wright, of New Yorfea secret order, intended to be general throughoutthe country, and aiming at an extended influenceand power, and at more positive results than itspredecessor, and which was termed, and hassince been widely known as the 0 A. K., or" Order of Aimrjcan KniglUs."The opinion is expressed by Colonel Sander-son, Provost Marshal General of the Depart-ment of Missouri, in his official report uponthe progress of the order, that it was foundedby Vailandigham daring his banishment, andupon consultation at Richmond with Davis andother prominent traitors,, It is, indeed, theboast of the order in Indiana and elsewhere*thai; its "ritual" came direct from Davis him-self; and Mary Ann Pitman, formerly attachedIo the command of the rebel Forrest, and amost intelligent witness, whose testimony wiHbe hereafter referred to, states positively thatDavis is a member of the order*Wpon the institution of the principal orga-nization, it is represented that the " Corps deBelgique" was modified by Price, and be-came a Southern section of the O. A. K., andthat the new name was generally adopted forae order, both at the North and South.The secret signs and character of the orderSlaving become known to our military authori-ties, farther modifications ia the ritual and formswareiatrodaced,andits name was finally changedo that of the O. S, L., or " Orderof theSons


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York, and other parts oi the North, the secretpolitical association known as the "McCUUanMinute Oxoard " would 6eem to be a branch ofthe O. A. K.j having substantially the seme ob-jects, to be accomplished, however, by meansexpressly suited to the localities in which it isestablished. For, as the Chief Secretary of thisassociation, Dr. R. F. Stevens, stated in Junolast to a reliable witness whose testimony baabeen furnished, "those who represent the Mc-Clellan interest are compelled to preach a vigo-rous prosecution of the war, in order to securethe popular sentiment and allure voters."

11.ITS ORGANIZATION AND OFFICERS.From printed copies, heretofore seized by theGovernment, of the constitutions of the Supremo

Council, Grand Council, and County ParentTemples, respectively, of the Order of Sons fliberty, in connection with other and abundanttestimony, the organization of the order, in itslatest form, is ascertained to be as follows:

I, The government of the order throughoutthe United States is vested in a supreme coun-cil, of which the officers areia supreme com-mander, secretary of state, arid treasurer. Theseofficers are elected for one year, at the annualmeeting of the supreme council, which is madeup of the grand commanders of the severalStates, ex officio, and two delegates elected fromeach 8tate in which the order is established.

, 3. The government of the order in a State isvested in a Grand Council, the officers of whichare a Grand Commander, Deputy Grand Com-mander, Grand Secretary, Grand Treasurer, anda certain number of Major Generals, or one foreach Military District. These officers also areelected annually by "representatives" from theCounty Temples, each Temple being entitled totwo representatives, and one additional for eachthousand members. This body of representa-tives is also invested with certain legislativefunctions.

3. The Parent Temple is the organization ofthe order for & county, each temple beingformally instituted by authority of the SupremeCouncil, or of the Grand Council or GrandCommander of the State. By the ease au-thority, or by that of the officers of the ParentTemple, branch or subordinate temples may beestablished for townships in the county.But the strength and significance of this or-ganization lie in its military character. Thesecret constitution of the Supreme Council pro-vides that the Supreme Commander "shall bs


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'howevei? frequently the conspirators may changeits name* forms, passwords, andsignals, Us trnepurposes and operations cannot longer be con-cealed from the military authorities.

ft is to be remarked that the Supreme Coun-cil of the order, which annually meeis on Feb-rawy 22, convened this year at New York city,and a special meeting was then appointed to beMeld at Chicago, on July 1, or just prior to theday then fixed for the convention of the Demo-cratic party. This convention having beenpostponed to August 29, the special meeting ofthe Supreme Council was also postponed toAargust 27, at the same place, and was dulyconvened accordingly. It will be rememberedthat a leading member of the convention, inthe course of a speech made before that body,,alluded approvingly to the session of the Sonsof Liberty at Chicago at the same time, as thatof aa organization in harmony with the senti-otent and projects of the convention.

It may be observed, in conclusion, that onenot fully acquainted with the true characterandintention of the order might well suppose that,in designating its officers by high military titles,nd in imitating in its organization that esta-Wished'in our armies, it was designed merely torender itself more popular and attractive withthe masses 5 and to invest its chiefs with a cer-tain sham dignity; but when it is understoodthat the order comprises within itself a largearmy of well-armed men, constantly diUiedaadi exercised as soldiers, and that this army iskeid ready at any time for such forcible resist-ance to> our military authorities,and such activecoeperatioa with the public enemy as it may becalled upon to engage in by its commanders, itwsll be perceived that the titles of the latter areaet assumed for a mere purpose of display, batfcfeat they are the chiefs of an actual and formi-dable force of conspirators against the life ofthe Government, and that their military systemIs, as it has been remarked by Colonel Sander-sons "the grand lever used by the rebel Govern-menfc for its army operations." -

III.ITS EXTENT AND i-TOMBESS.The "Temples" or "Lodges" of the order

&re numerously scattered through the States ofIndiana?, Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, and Ken-tucky, They are also officially reported asestablished, to a less . extent, in Michiganand the - other Western States, as wellas in New York, and also in Pennsylvania,Mew Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut,New Jersey? Maryland, Delaware, and Tennes-see< Dod&2 the Grand Commander of Indiana,it*, an address to the members in that State ofFebruary last, claims that at the next annualmeeting of the Supreme Council (in February,J&55), every State in the Union will be repre-sented, and adds, "this is the first and onlytrue national organization the Democratic andConservative men of the country have ever at-tempted*" A provision made in the constitu-tion of the Council for a representation from theTerritories shows, indeed, that the widest ex-tension of the order is contemplated.Jnthe States first mentioned the order is moststrongly centred at the following places, whereare situated its principal "temples." In In-diana, at Indianapolis and Yiocennes ; in Illi-nois, at Chicago, Springfield, and Qoincy (a

large proportion of the lodgeB in and about thelatter place having been founded by the noto-rious guerilla chief, Jackman); in Chio? atCincinnati, Dayton , and in Hamilton county(which is proudly termed by members "TheSouth Carolina of the North"); in Missouri, atSt. Louis ; in Kentucky, at Louisville ; and inMichigan, at Detroit (whence communicationwas freely had] by the leaders of the order withValiandigham during his banishment, either byletters addressed to him through two promi-nent citizens and members of the order, or bypersonal interviews at Windsor, C W.). It is tobe added that the regular places of meeting, aswell as the principal rendezvous and haunts ofthe members in these and less important places,are generally well known to the Government*The actual numbers of the order have8 it i&believed, never been officially reported, andcannot, therefore, be accurately ascertained*Various estimates have been made by leadingmembers, some of which are no doubt conside-rably exaggerated. It has been asserted by de-legates to the Supreme Council of Februarylast, that the number was there represented tobe from 800,000 to 1,000,000; but Valiandig-ham, in his speech last summer at Dayton,Ohio, placed it at 500,000, which is probablymuch nearer the true totaL The number of itsmembers in the several8tateshas been differentlyestimated in the reports and statements of itsofficers. Thus, the force of the order in Indianais stated to be from 75,000 to 135,000; in Illinois,,from 100,000 to 140,000 ; in Ohio, from 80,000 to108,000 ; in Kentucky, from 40,000 to 70,000 ; inMissouri, from 20.000 to 40,000; and in Michi-gan and New York, about 20,000 each. Itsrepresentation in the other States above men-tioned does not specifically appear from thetestimony ; but, allowing for everyexaggerationin the figures reported, they may be deemed topresent a tolerably faithful view of what* atleast, is regarded by the order as its true force inthe Skates designated. , .. - ...

It is to-be noted that the order, or its coun-terpart, is probably much more widelyextendedat the South even than at the North, and that alarge proportion of the officers of the rebel armyare represented by most reliable witnesses to bemembers. In Kentucky and Missouri, tfteorder has not hesitated to admit as members,>iOt only officers of that army, but also a con-siderable number of guerillas, a class whomight be supposed to appreciate most readilyHs aims and purposes. It is fully shown thatm lately as in July last several of these ruffianswere initiated into the first degree by Dr. Kal-ftts, in Kentucky.

IV. IT3 AR*OH> ffOaOEuA review of the testimony in regard to thearmed force of the order will materially aid indetermining its real strength and numbers.Although the order has from the outset par-taken of the military character, it was not tillthe summer or fall of 1863 that it began to begenerally organized as an armed body. Sincethat date its officers and leaders have beenbusily engaged in placing it upon a militarybasis, and in preparing it for a revolutionarymovement. A general system of drilling hagbeen instituted and secretly carried out. Mem-bers have been instructed to be constantly pro-


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vkled with weapons, and in eome localities itlas been absolutely required that each membershould keep at his residence, at all times, cer-tain arms and a specified quantity of ammuni-tion.In March last, the entire armed force of theorder, capable of being mobilised for effectiveservice, was represented to be 340,000 men.The details, however, upon which this state-ment was based are imperfectly set forth inthe testimony, and it is not known how far thisnumber may be exaggerated. It is abundantlyshown, however, that the order, by means of atax levied upon its members, has accumulatedconsiderable funds for the purchase of armsand ammunition, and that these have beenprocured in large quantities for its use. Thewitness Clayton, on the trial of Dodd, esti-mated that ti&o-thirds of the order are furnishedwith arms.Green B. Smith, grand secretary of the orderin Missouri, states in his confession of July

last: **I know that arms, mostly revolvers, andammunition have been purchased by membersIn St. Louis to send to members in the countrywhere they could not be had;" and he subse-quently adds that he himself alone clandes-tinely purchased and forwarded, between ApriH15th and 19r,h last, abont 200 revolvers, with5^)00 percussion caps and other ammunition.A muster roll of one of the country lodges ofthat State is exhibited, in which, opposite thename of each member, are noted certain num-bers, under the heads of "Missouri Republi-can,59 "St. l*>uis Union," "Auzeiger," "Mis-cellaneous Periodicals," "Books," "Speeches,"and "Reports;" titles which, when interpre-ted, severally signify single barrelled guns, douole-barrelkd guns, revolver$, private ammtmition,private lead, company pw


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of SB many Government arms and equipmentsas possible, for the future use of the order.Again it was proposed that all the membersshould enroll themselves in the militia, insteadof paying commutation, in this way obtainingpossesskm of United States arms, and havinghe advantage of the drill and military instruc-tion. In the councils of the order in Kentuckyto June last, a scheme was devised for disarm-ing all the negro troops, which it was thoughtould be done without much difficulty, and ap-propriating their arms for the purposes of theOrder.The despicable treaeheryof these proposedplans, as evincing the animus of the conspi-acy, need not be commented upon.

It is to be observed that the order in theState of Missouri has counted greatly uponsupport from the enrolled militia, in ease of aninvasion by Price, as containing many mem-bers and friends of the O. A. K. ; and that theMPaw-Paw militia,'3 a military organization ofBuchanan county, as well as the militia ofPlatte and Clay counties, hnown as "FlatFoots," have been relied upon, almost to aman, to join the revolutionary movement.V. ITS RITUAL, OATHS, AND INTESIOR FORMS.The ritual of the order, as well as its secret

signs, passwords, &c, has been fully madeknown to the military authorities. In Augustlast, one hundred and twelve copies of theritual of the O. A. K. were seized in the office ofHon. D. W. Voorhees, M. C, at Terre Haute,and a large number of rituals of the O. S.JL., together with copies of the constitutions ofthe councils, &c. , already_ referred to, werefound in the building &% Indianapolis, occu-pied by Dodd, the Grand Commander of Indi-ansa, as had been indicated by the Govern-ment witness and detective, Stidger. Copieswere also discovered at Louisville, at the resi-dence of Dr. Kalfus, concealed within themattress of his bed, where, also, Stidger hadascertained that they were kept.The ritual of the O. A. K. has also been fur-nished by the authorities at St. Louis. Fromthis ritual, that of the O. S. L. does not mate-rially differ. Both are termed "progressive,"inlthatthey provide forJive separate degrees ofmembership, and contemplate the admission ofamember of a lower degree into a higher oneonly upon certain vouchers and proofs of fit-ness, which, with each ascending degree, are re-quired to be stronger and more imposing.Each degree has its commander or head ; theFourth or "Grand" is the highest in a State; theFifth or " Supreme," the highest in the UnitedStates ; but to the first or lower degree only dothe great majority of members attain. A largeproportion of these enter the order, supposingit to be a " Democratic " and political associa-tion merely; and the history ' of ' the orderfurnishes a most striking -''illustration of thegross and criminal-deception which may bepractised upon the .ignorant masses by un-seupulous and unprincipled leaders. The mem-Ibers of the lower degree are often for a con-siderable period kept quite unaware of tbe truepurposes of their chiefs. Bot to the latter theyare bound by their obligation" to yield promptand implicit obedience to the utmost of theirability, without remonstrance, hesitation, ordelay," and xneanwhUa their minds, under the

discipline and teachings to which they pre eup>jected, become educated and accustomed Idcontemplate with comparative unconcern th'3treason for which they are preparing.The oaths, " invocations," "charges," A&*of the ritual, expressed as they are in bombas-tic and extravagant phraseology, would sxcitsin the mind of an educated person only ridiculeor contempt, but upon the illiterate they are ?calculated to make a deep impression, the effectand importance of which were dubtless fullystudied by the framers of the instrument.

'The oath which is administered upon the in-troduction of a member into any degree is espe-cially imposing in its language; it prescribes asa penalty for a violation of the obligation as-sumed/ 5 a shameful death,5 ' and furtherthat thebody of the person guilty of such violation shallbe divided in four "parts and cast out at thstfour '* gates" of the temple. Not only, as has-been said, does it enjoin a blind obedience tothe orders pfj the superiors of the order, but Itis required to be held ofparamount obligation fccany oath which may be administered to a mem-ber in a court of justice or elsewhere. Thus,'incases where members have been sworn, by offi-cers empowered to administer oaths, to speakthe whole truth in answer to questions thatmaybe put to them, and have then been examinedin reference to the order and their connectiontherewith, they have not only refused to giveany information in regard to its character, buthave denied that they were members, or evesthat they knew of its existence. A conspicuousinstance of this is presented in the cases ofHunt, Dunn, and Smith, the chiefofficers of tubeorder Lin Missouri, who, upon their first exami-nation under oath, after their arrest, denied aHconnection with the order, but confessed, alsounder oath, at a subsequent period, that tillsdenial was wholly false, although in accordancewith their obligations as members of the order,-Indeed, a deliberate system of deception in re-gard to the details of the conspiracy is incul-cated upon the members, and studiously pur-sued 5 and it may be mentioned in this conneetion, as a similarly despicable feature of th'organization, that it is held bound to injure theAdministration and officers of the Government,in every possible manner, by misrepresentation-and falsehood.Members are also instructed that their oathrof membership is to be held paramount to arroath of allegiance, or any other oatah wMcjmay impose obligations inconsistent with those*which are assumed upon entering the order,Thus, if a member, when in danger, or for thepurpose of facilitating some traitorous design,has taken the oath of allegiance to the UnitedStates, he is held at liberty to violate it on the-first occasion, his obligation to the order being:deemed superior to any consideration of dutyor loyalty prompted by* such oath.

It is to be added that where members 3&*ythreatened with the penalties of perjury, in ease-of their answering" falsely to questions pro-pounded to ihemr in regard to the order beforea court or grand jury, they are instructed torefuse to answer 'such questions., alleging- as sground for their refusal that their answers nanycriminate themselves. The testimony show?that this course has habitually be^n pursued bymembers, especially in Indiana, when pla-ced nsuch a situation.


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Beside the oaths and other forms and- cere-monies which have been alluded to, the ritualcant&ins what are termed "Declarations ofFdneiples." * These declarations, which areaiGi2t important as exhibiting the creed andcharacter of the order, as inspired by the prin-ciples of the rebellion, will be fully presentedander the next branch of the subject

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The signs, signals-, passwords, &c, of the orderaire set forth at length in the testimony, butaeed only be briefly alluded to. It is a mostsignificant fact, as showing the intimate rela-tions between the northern and southern sectionsof the secret conspiracy, that a member from aiMorthern State is enabled to pass without riskthrough the South by the use of the signs of re-cognition which have been established through-aut.the order, and by means of which membersfrom distantpoints, thoughmeeting as strangers,are at once made known to each others as "bro-kers." Mary Ann Pitman expressly states inher testimony that whenever important de-spatches are required to be sent by rebel gene-rals beyond their lines, members of the orderare always selected to convey them. Certainpasswords are also used in common in both sec-tions, and of these, none appears to be morefamiliar than the word "Nu-oh-Iae," or theisme " Calhoun" spelt backward, and which isemployed upon entering a temple of the firstd


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cordaaee with the principles upon which isfounded the American $worQ t G-ovsrnment canexercise only delegated power $ hence, if thosewho email hav3 #een chosen to administer theGovernment shall assume to exercise powersnot delegated, they should b& regarded andtreated as usurpers. The.reference to { inherent

* power,' 6 war power/ or 'military necessity/out the part of the fonctiocary for the sanctionof an arbitraryexercise of power by him, wewillnot accept in palliation or excuse."To this is added, as a corollary, " it is in-compatible with the history and nature of oursystem of government thai Federal authorityshould coerce by arms a sovereign State."The declaration of principles, however, doesaot stop here, bat proceeds one step farther, asfollows S" Whenever the chosen officers or delegatesshall fail or refuse to administer the Govern-ment in strict accordance with the letter of theaccepted. Constitution, it is the inherent rightand the solemn and imperative duty of the peo-Ile to resist the functionaries, and,' if need be,.to expel them byforce of arms f Bach resistanceis not revolution, but is solely the assertion oflightthe exercise of all the' noble attributeswhich impart honor and dignity to manhood."To the same effect, though in a milder tone,ib the platform of the order in Indiana, putforth by the Grand Council at their meeting inFebruary last, which declares that " the rightto alter or abolish their government, wheneverit fails to secure the blessings of liberty, is oneof the inalienable rights of the people that canaever be surrendered,

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Such then are the principles which the newmember swears to observe and abide by*in hisobligation, set forth in the ritual, where hesays- "I do solemnly promise that I will evercherish in my heart of hearts the sublime creedof the E. K. (Excellent Knights), and will, sofar as in me lies, illustrate the same in my in-tercourse with men, andwilldefend the principlesthereof, if need be, with my life, whensoever as-sailed, in my own-couatry first of alL I do fur tker solemnly 'declare that I will never take uparms in behalfof any government which does notacknowledge the sole authority or power to betfae will of the governed."In the same connection may be quoted theblowing extracts from the ritual, as illustrat-ing -the principle of the right of revolutionand resistance to constituted authority in-sisted upon by the order:"Our swords shall be unsheathed wheneverfine great principles which we aim to inculcateand have sworn to maintaia and defend areassailed."Again: "I do solemenly promise, that when-soever the principles which our order inculcatesshall be assailed in my own State or country, Iwill defend these principles with my sword andmy life, in whatsoever capacity may be assignedme by the competent authority of our order."Aad further: "I do promise that I will, at

ail times, if needs be, take up arms in the causeof the oppressedin my own country first ofall-against any power or government usurped,which may be found in arms and waging waragainst a people or peoples who ere endeavor-ling to. establish, or have inaugurated, a govern-ment for themselves of their own frm choiee."

Moreover, it is to be noted that all the ad-dresses and speeches of its leaders breathe theoame principle, of the right of forcible resis-tance to the Government, as one of the tenetsof the order.Thus P. C. Wright, Supreme Commander, inhis general address of December, 1803, afterurging that "the spirit of the fathers may ani-mate the free minds, the brave hearts, and stiHanskackled'limbs. of the true democracy^ (mean-ing the members of the order), adds as fol-lows 5 "To be prepared for the crisis now ap-proaching, we must catch from afar the ear-liest and faintest breathings of the spirit ofthe storm ; to be successful when the stormcomes,, we must be watchful, patient, brave,confident, organized, armed."Thus, too, Dodd, Grand Commander ol" the

order in Indiana, quoting, in his address ofFebruary last, the views of his chief, Yallan-digham, and adopting them as his own, saysHe (Vallandigham) judges that the Wash-ington power will not yield up its power, uoa-til it is taken from them by an indignant peo-ple, b?j force of arm.%J 'Such, then, are the written principles of theorder in which the neophyte is instructed., andwhich he is sworn to cherish, and observe asMs rule of action, when, with arms placed inhis hands, he is called upon to engage ia theoverthrow of his . Government, This declara-tionfirst, of the absolute right of slaverysecond, of State sovereignty and the right ofsecession ; third, of the right of armed resis-tance to constituted authority on the part ofthe disaffected and the disloyal, whenever *heirambition may prompt them to revolutionisbut an assertion of that abominable theorywhich, from its first enunciation, served as a.pretext for conspiracy after conspiracy againstthe Government on the part of Southern fcraitors, until their detestable plotting culminatedin open rebellion and bloody civil war. Whatmore appropriate name, therefore, to be com-municated as a password to the new memberupon his first admission to the secrets of theorder could have been conceived,, than thatwhich was actuary adoptedthat of "Cal-houn 1"a man, who, baffled in his lust fox-power, with gnashing teeth, turned upon theGovernment that had lifted him to its highesthonors, and upon the country that had. bornehim, and down to the very close of his feveredlife, labored incessantly to scatter far and widethe seeds of that poison of death, now upon ourlips, The thorns which now pierce and tear usare of the tree he planted*VII.ITS SPECIFIC PURPOSES AND OPERATIOM3,From the principles of the order, as thus setforth,, its general purpose of cooperating with

the rebellion may readily be inferred, and, infact, those principles could logically lead to noother result. This general purpose, indeed,, isdistinctly set forth in the personal statementsand confessions of its members, and particu-larly of its prominent officers, who have beenkiduced to make disclosures to the Government,Among the most significant of these confes-sions are those already alluded to, of Hunt,Dunn, and Smith, the beads of the order inMissouri. The latter, whose statement is fulland explicit, says : " At the time I joined the


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10a*dei> I understood that its object was to aidand assist the Confederate Government, andendeavor to restore the Union as it was prior tothis rebellion." He adds: 4 'The order is hos-tile in every respect tothe General Government,and friendly to the so-called Confederate Go-vernment, It is exclusively made tip of dis-loyal personsof all Democrats who are desi-rous of securing the independence of the Con-federate States, with a view of restoring theUnion as it was."

It would be idle to comment on such gib-berish ss the statement that "the independenceof the Confederate States" was to be used asthe means of restoring "the Union as it was;"and yet, under the manipulations of thesetraitorous jugglers, doubtless the brains ofsaany have been so far muddled as to acceptthis shameless declaration as true.But to proceed to the specific purposes of theorder, which its leaders have had in view fromthe beginning, and which, as will be seen, ithas been able, in many cases, to carry out withvery considerable success, the followirjg arefound to be most pointedly presented by thetestimony.

1. Aiding Soidiersto Desert awl HarboringandProtecting Deserters.Early in its history theorder essayed to undermine such portions ofthe army as were exposed to its insidious ap-proaches. Agents were sent by the X. G. C. intothe camps to introduce the order among thesoldiers, and those who became members wereinstructed to induce as many of their compa-nions as possible to desert, and for this pur-pose the latter were furnished by the order withmoney and citizens' clothing. Soldiers whohesitated at desertion, but desired to leave the.army, were introduced to lawyers who engagedto furnish them some quasi legal pretext for so-doing, and a certain attorney of Indianapolis,named Walpole, who was particularly con-spicuous in famishing facflities of this cha-racter to soldiers who applied to him, hasiboasted that he has thus aided five hundred en-listed men to escape from their contracts*Through the schemes of tbe^order in Indiana,whole companies were broK^n up; a large de-tachment of a battery company, for instance,deserting on one occasion to tbe enemy, with.two of its guns, and the camps were imbuedwith a spirit of discontent and dissatisfactionwith the service. Some estimate of the num-ber of deserters at this time may be derivedfrom a report of the Adjutant General of In-diana, of January, in 1863, setting forth thatthe number of deserters and absentees returnedto the army through the post "of Indianapolisalone, during the month of "December, 1862,was nearly two thonsand six hundred.As soon as arrests of these deserters began tobe general';y made, writs of habeas corpus wereissued in their cases by disloyal judges, and aconsiderable number were discharged thereon-In one instance in Indiana, where an officer incharge of a deserter properly refased to obey thewrit, after it had been suspended in such casesby the President, his attachment for con-tempt was ordered by the chief justiceof the Bute, who dec! ar.ed that "the streets ofIndian ^po'is might run with blood, but that hewould .n force his authority against the Presi-dent's order." On another occasion certain

Grafted States officers who bad made the arrest

of deserters In Illinois were themselvesamstedfor kidnapping, and held to trial by a disloyaljudge, who at the same time* discharged thedeserters, though ofenowiedging them to besuch.

Soldiers, upon deserting, were assured film-munisty from punishment, and protection on thepart of the order, and were instructed to bringaway w&th them their arms, and, if mounted,their horses. Details sent lo erresi them by themilitary authorities were in several cases for-cibly resisted, and, where not unusually strongin numbers, were driven back by large bodiesof men, subsequently generally ascertained tobe members of the order. Where arrests wereeffected, oar troops were openly attacked anilfired upon, on their return. Instances of suohattacks occurring in Morgan and Bush coun-ties, Indiana, are especially noticed by GeneralCarrington. In the case of the outbreak inMorgan county, J. 8. Bingham, editor of theIndianapolis Sentinel^ a member or friend ofthe order, sought to forward to the disfoyaitnewspapers of theWest false and inflammatorytelegraphic despatches in regard to the affair,to the effect that cavalry bad been cent to ay-rest all the Democrats in the county, that theyhad committed gross outrages, and that severalcitizens had been shot; and adding: * s Tenthousand soldiers cannot bold the men arrestedthis night. Civil war and bloodshed are inevi-table." The assertions in the despatch wereentirely false, and may serve to illustrate t&efact heretofore noted, that a studious misrepre-sentation in regard to the acts of the Government and its officers is a part of the prescribedduty of members of the order. It is to be addedthat seven of the party in Morgan couaty whomade the attack upon otir troops were con-victed of their offence by a State court. pontheir trial it was proved that the party wa&ccna-posed of members of the K. G. C.One of the most pointed instances of protec-tion furnished to deserters occurred in a easeisaIndiana, where seventeen deserters entrenchedthemselves in a log cabin with a ditch and pa-lisade, and were furnished with provisions andsustained in their defence against our militaryauthorities for a considerable period by theorder or its friends.

2, Di&sowraging Enlistments and fivsixftngthe DraftIt is especially inculcated by theorder to oppose the reinforcement of our-armies, either by volunteers or drafted men.In. 1862, the Koights of the Golden Cireteorganized generally to resist the draft in theWestern States, and were strong enough in eer-tain localities to greatly embarrass the Govern-ment. In this year and early in 1868, a num-ber of enrolling officers were shot in Indianaand Illinois. In Blackford eonnty, Indiana, anattack was made upon the court-house, and thebooks connected with the craft were destroyed.In several counties of the State a considerablemilitary force wts required for tbe protection ofthe United Slates officials, B*jd a large numberof arrests;' were made, including that of on'Reynolds, an ex- Senator of the Legislature, forpublicly urging up">n the populace to resist theconscriptionan offence of the same character,in. fdctj as that upon which Vallandigfe&m was-apprehended In Oiiio. These outbreaks were,,.,


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11bo doubt, in most cases, iaeifced by the order,and engaged in by its members. In Indiananearly 200 persons were indicted for conspiracygainst the Government, resisting the draft,In Missouri, regular mail communication wasfor a long period maintained through the

agency of the orderf rom St. Louis to Pricesarmy, by means of which private letters as wellas official despatches between him and thoGrand Commander of Missouri were reguilariytransmitted. The mail- carriers started from apoint on the Pacific railroad, near KirkwoodStation, about fourteen miles from St. Leuia,and, travelling only by night, proceeded (toquote from Col . Sanderson's report) to"Mat-tox Mills, on the Maramee river, thence pastMineral Point to Webster, thence to a pointfifteen miles below Yan Buren, where theycrossed the Black river, and thence to the rebellines." It is, probably, also by this route thatthe secret correspondence, stated by the witnessPitman to have been constantly kept up betweenPrice and Vallandigham, the heads of the orderat the North and South, respectively, was ene-cessfully maintained.A similar comrauication has been continu-ously held with the enemy from Louisville, Ken-

tucky. A considerable number of women inthat State, many of them of high position inrebel society, and some of them outwardly pro-fessing to be loyal, were discovered to havebeen actively engaged in receiving and for-warding mails, with the assistance of the orderand as its instruments. Two of the most noto-rious and successful of these, Mrs. Woods andMiss Cassell, have been apprehended and im-prisoned.By means of this correspondence with theenemy, the members of the order were promptlyapprised of all raids to be made by the forces ofthe former, and were able to hold them-selves prepared to render aid and comfortt the raiders. To show how efficientfor this purpose was the system thus esta-blished, It is to be added that our militaryauthorities have, in a number of cases, been in-formed, through members of the order, em-ployed in the interest of the Government., ofimpending raids, and important army move-ments of the rebels, not only days, but some-times weeks, sooner than the same intelligencecould have reached them through the ordinarychannels.On the otherhand, the system ofespionagekeptup by the order, for the purpose of obtaininginformation of the movements of our ownforces, &c, to be imparted to the enemy, eemato have been as perfect as it was secret. TheGrand Secretary of the order in Missouri states,in his confession: " One of the especial objectsof this order was to place members in steam-boats, ferryboats, telegraph offices, expressoffices, department headquarters, provost mar-shal's office, and, in fact, in every positionwhere they could do valuable service;" and heproceeds to specify certain members who, atthe date of his confession (August 2d last),were employed a*!, The express and .telegraphoffices in St. Louis.

5. Aiding the Enemy, 'by Becruiting/or iJie-m, &rAssisting Uiem to Meert*i, within our lines.Thkihas also been extensively carried on by mem-bers of the order, particularly in Kentucky andMissouri.. It is estimated that, 2 P09 men wevosent South, froBtt' Louisville alone, during a fewweeks in April and May, 1864. The order and'its friends ?t that fsity have, a permanent faniil,.to which there are many subscribers, for thtspurpose of fitting out with pistols, clotMng,


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wmoney,, &e., men desiring to jam the Southernservice; and, in the lodges of the order in St,Louis and Northern Missouri, money has oftenbeen raised to purchase horses, arms, and equip-ments for soldiers about to be forwarded tothe Southern army. In the latter State, par-ties empowered by Trice, or by Grand Com-mander Hunt as his representative, to recruitfoe the rebel service, were nominally authorizedto "locate lands," as it was expressed^ and intheir reports, which were formally made, thenumber of acres, &c,, located represented thenumber of men recruited,, At Louisville* thosedesiring to join the Southern forces were kepthidden9 and supplied with food and lodging un-til a convenient occasion was presented for theirtransportation South. They were then collected,mad conducted at night to a safe rendezvous othe order, whence they were forwarded to theirdestination, in some cases, stealing horsesfrom the United States corrals on their way.While awaiting an occasion to be sent South,the men, to avoid the suspicion whichmight be excited by their being seen to-gether in any considerable number, were oftenemployed on farms in the vicinity of Louis-viiles and the farm of one Moore, in*that neigh-borhood (at whose house also meetings of theorder were held), is indicated in the testimonyas one of the localities where such recruitswere eo rendezvoused and employed.The same facilities which were afforded torecruits for the Southern army were alsofurnished by the order to persons desiring toproceed beyond ur lines for any illegal pur-pose., By these Louisville was generally pre-ferred as a point of departure, and, on the Mis-sissippi river, a particular steamer, the'.Graham,was selected as the safest convenience.,

6. Furnishing the Rebels with Arms, Ammtmi-lion, (&Coln this, too, the order, and espe-cially its female members and allies, has beensedulously engaged. The rebel women of Lou-isville and Kentucky are represented as havingrendered the most valuable aid to the Southernarmy, by transporting very large quantities ofpercussion caps, powder, &c, concealed upontheir persons, to some convenient locality nearthe lines, whence they could be readily con-veyed to those for whom they were intended.It is estimated that at Louisville, up to May 1last, the sum of $17,000 had been invested bythe order in ammunition and arms, to be for-warded principally in this manner to the rebels.la SL Louis several firms, who are well knownto the Government, the principal of which isBeauvais & Co., have been engaged in supply-ing arms and ammunition to members of theorder, to be conveyed to their Southern allies.Mary Ann Pitman, a reliable witness, and amember of the O. A. K., who will hereatter bespecially alluded to, states in her testimonythat she visited Beauvais & Co. three times, andprocured from them on each occasion about$80 worth of caps, besides a number of pistolsand cartridges, which she carried in person toForrest's command, beside a much largerquantity of similar articles which she caused tobe forwarded by other agents. The guerillas inMissouri also received arms from St. Louis,and one Douglas, one of the most aetive con :epiratora of the O. A. K. in Missouri, and aspecial emissary of Price, was arrested while

in the act of transporting a box of forty re-volvers by railroad to a guerilla camp in theinterior of the State. Medical stores in large;quantities were also by the aid of the order,furnished to the enemy; and a surgeon in Lot*-,Isviileis mentioned as having "made $75,000by smuggling medicines5 ' through the lines ofour army. Supplies were in some cases con-veyed to the enemy through the medium ofprofessed loyalists, who, having received per-mits for that purpose from the United Statesmilitary authorities, would for ward their goods,as if for ordinary purposes of trade, to a cer-tain point near the rebel lines, where, by theconnivance of the owners, the enemy wouldbe enabled to seize them.

7. Cooperating with the Enemy in. Maids and In-vasions.While it is clear that the order hasgiven aid, both directly and indirectly, to theforces of the rebels, and to guerilla bands,; whenengaged in making incursions into the borderStates, yet because, on the one hand, of theconstant restraint upon its action exercised byour military authorities, and, on the other hand,of the general success of our armies in the fieldover those of the enemy, their allies at the Northhave never thus far been able to carry out theirgrand plan of a general armed rising of theorder, and its cooperation on an extended scalewith the Southern forces. This plan has beentwo-fold, and consistedfirst, of a rising of theorder in Missouri* aided by a strong detachmentfrom Illinois, and a cooperation with a rebelarmy under Price \ second, of a similar rising inIndiana, Ohio, and Kentucky, and a coopera-tion with a force under Breckinridge, Buckner,Morgan, or some other rebel commander, whowas to invade the latter State, In llus case theorder was first to cut the railroads and telegraphwires, in order that intelligence of the move-ment might not be sent abroad and the trans-portation of Federal troops might be delayed,and then to seize upon the arsenals at Indi-anapolis, Columbus, Springfield, Louisville, andFrankfort, and, furnishing such^of their num-ber as were without arms, to * kill or makeprisoners of department, district, and postcommanders, release the rebel prisoners at RockIsland, and at Camps Morton, Douglas, andChase, and thereupon join the Southern armyat Louisville or some other point in Kentucky,which State was to be permanently occupied bythe combined force. At the period of the move-ment it was also proposed that an attack shouldbe made upon Chicago by means of steam-tugsmounted with cannon. A similar course wasto be taken in Missouri, and was to result inthe permanent occupation of the State.

This plan has long occupied the minds ofmembers of the order, and has been continuallydiscussed by them in their lodges. A risingsomewhat of the character described was in-tended to have taken place in the spring of thisyear, simultaneously with an expected advanceof the army of Lee upon Washington ; but theplans of the enemy having been anticipated bythe movements of our own generals, the risingof the conspirators was necessarily postponed.Again, a general movement of the Southernforces was anticipated to take place aboutJuly 4, and with this the order was to co-operate. A speech to be made by Valiandig-ham at the Chicago Convention was,, it is


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nsaid, to be the signal for the rising; butthe postponement of the convention, as wellas the failure of the rebel armies to engage inthe anticipated movement, again operated todisturb the schemes of the order. Baring thesummer, however, the grand plan of actionabove set forth has been more than ever dis-cussed throughout the order, and its successmost confidently predicted, while at the sametime an extensive organization and preparation-tor carryingtheir conspiracy into effect have beenactively going on. But, up to this time, not-withstanding the late raids of the enemy inKentucky, and the invasion of Missouri byBrice, no such general action on the part of theorder as was contemplated has taken placeresult, in great part, owing to the activity of ourmilitary authorities in strengthening the detach-ments at the prisons, arsenals, &c, and incausing the arrest of the leading conspiratorsin the several States, and especially in the seiz-ure Of larga quantities of arms which had beenshipped for the use of the order in their intendedoutbreak,, It was, doubtless, on account of thessprecautions that the day last appointed for therising of the order in Indiana and Kentucky{August 16) passed by with but slight disorder.

It is, however, the inability of the publicenemy, In the now declining days of the rebel-lion, to initiate the desired movements whichhas prevented the order from engaging ia openwarfare? and it has lately been seriously con-sidered in their councils, whether they shouldnot proceed with their revolt, relying alone uponthe guerilla bands of Syphert, Jesse, andothers>for support and assistance.With these guerillas the order has always mostreadily acted along the border. The latter, incases of the capture by the Wnion forces ofNorthern members of the order*engaged in eo-eperaiing with them, have frequently retaliatedby seizing prominent Union citizens, and holdingthem as hostages for the release of their allies.At other times our Government has been offi-cially notified by the rebel authorities that ifthe members of the order captured were nottreated by us as ordinary prisoners of war, re-taliation would be resorted to*An atrocious plan of concert between mem-bers of the order in Indiana and certain guerillaibands of Kentucky, agreed upon last spring,may be remarked upon in this connection.(Some 2,500 or 3,000 guerillas were to be throwninto the border counties, and were to assumethe character of refugees seeking employment.Being armed, they were secretly to destroy Go-vernment property wherever practicable, to con-trol the elections by force, prevent enlistments,aid deserters, and stir up strife between the'civil and military authorities..A singular feature of the raids of the enemyremains only to be adverted to, viz : that theofficers conducting these raids are furnished bythe rebel Government w4th quantities of UnitedStates Treasury notes for use within our lines,and that these are probably most frequently-procured through the agency of members oftike order.Mary Ann Pitman, believed to be a true andfaithful witness, states that Forrest, of therebel army, at one time exhibited to her a letterto himself from a prominent rebel sympathizerand member of the order in Washington, D, C,

in which it was set forth that the sum of $20,-000 in "greenbacks" had actually beea for-warded by him to the rebel Government at Rich-mond.8. Destruction of GovernmentProperty.There-

is no doubt that large quantities of Governmentproperty have been burned or otherwise de-stroyed by the agency of the order in differentlocalities. At Louisville, in the case of thesteamer Taylor, and on the Mississippi river,steamers belonging to the United States havebeen burned at the wharves, and generally whenleaded with Government stores. Shortly beforethe arrest of Bowles, the senior of the majorgenerals of the order in Indiana, he had beenengaged in the preparation of " Greek Fire,"which was to be found serviceable in the de-struction of public property. It was generallyunderstood in the councils of the order, in theState of Kentucky, that they were to be com-pensated for such destruction by the rebel Go-vernment, by receiving a commission of tenper cent, of the value of the property so de-stroyed, and that this value was to be derivedfrom the estimate of the loss made in each caseby Northern newspapers.

9. Destruction of Private Property and Perse-cution of Union Men.it is reported by GeneralCarrington that the full development of theorder in Indiana was followed by " a state ofterrorism " among the Union residents of "por-tions of Brown, Morgan, Johnson, Rush, Clay,Sullivan, Bartholomew, Hendricks, and othercounties " in that State ; that from some locali-ties they were driven away altogether ; that to-others their barns, hay, and wheat- ricks, wereburned ; and that many persons under the gene-ral insecurity of life and property sold theireffects at a sacrifice and removed to other places.At one time in Brown county, the membersof the order openly threatened the lives ofall ts Abolitionists " who refused to sign apeace memorial which they had prepared andaddressed to Congress. In Missouri, also, simi-lar outrages committed upon the property ofloyal citizens are attributable in a great degreeto the secret order.In this connection the outbreak of the miners

in the coal districts of eastern Pennsylvania,in the autumn of last year, may be appropri-ately referred to. It was fully shown in thetestimony adduced, upon the trials of these in-surgents, who were guilty of the destruction ofproperty and numerous acts of violence, as wellas murder, that they were generally members ofa secret treasonable association, similar in allrespects to the K. G. C, at the meetings ofwhich they had been incited to the commissionof the crimes for which they were tried andconvicted.

10. Assassination and Murder.After what-has been disclosed in regard to this infamousleague of traitors and ruffians, it will not be amatter of surprise to learn that the cold-bloodedassassination of Union citizens and soldiers hasbeen included in their devilish scheme f ope-rations. Green B. Smith states in his confes-sion that" The secret assassination of UnitedStates officers, soldiers, and Government em-ployes has been discussed in the councils ofthe order and recommended." It is alsoshown in the course of the testimony that at a-large meeting of the order in St, Louis, in M*y


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14> June last, it was proposed to form a secretpolice of members of the order for the purposeof patrolling the streets of that oity at nightand killing every detective and soldier thatcould be readily disposed of; that this proposi-tion was coolly considered, and finally rejected.aot because of its fiendish characterno voicebeing raised against its criminalitybut because*nly it was deemed premature. At Louisville,In June last, a similar scheme was -discussedamong the order for the waylaying and butcher-ing of negro soldiers in the streets at nightyand in the same month a party of its membersin that city wan actually organized for the pur-pose of throwing off the track, of the Nashvillerailroad a train of , colored troops and seizingthe opportunity to take the lives of as many aspossible. Again, in July, the assassination ofan obnoxious provost marshal, by betrayingMm into the hands of guerillas, was designedtoy members in the interior of Kentucky. Fartfeer, at a meeting of the Grand Council of Indiana at Indianapolis on June 14th last, themurder of ne Coma, a Government detective,who, as it was supposed, had betrayed theorder, was "deliberately discussed and fullydetermined upon. This fact is stated by Stidgerm his report to General Carrington of June l^thlast, and is more fully set forth in his testimony\*pon the trial of Dodd. He deposes that atthe meeting in question, Dodd himself volun-teered to go to Hamilton , Ohio, where Coffinwas expected to be fo^nd, and there "dispose-f the latter. " He adds that prior to the meet-Sug, he himself conveyed from Jud_ge Bullitt, aLouisville, to Bowies and Dodd, at Indianapolisspecial instructions to have Coffin "put out othe way""murdered""at all hazards."The opinion is expressed by Colonel Sander-eon, under date of June 12 last, that "the re-cent numerous cold-blooded assassinations ofmilitary officers and unconditional Union menthroughout the military district of North Mis-souri, especially along the western border," isto be ascribed to the agency of the order. Thewitness, Pitman, represents that it is "a part ofthe obligation or understanding of the order" toMil officers and soldiers "wJienever it can be doneby? stealth, "as well as loyal citizens when con-sidered important or influential persons; andEh adds, that while at Memphis, during thepast summer, she knew that men on picket wereoesretly killed by members of the order ap-proaching them in disguise.In this connection taay be recalled the whole-sale assassination of Union soldiers by mem-foers of the order and their confederates atCharleston, Illinois, in March last, in regard towhich, as a startling episode of the rebellion, afull report was addressed from this office to thePresident, under date of July 26 last. Thisconcerted murderous assault upon a scatteredtoddy of men, mostly unarmedapparently de-signed for the mere purpose of destroying asmany lives of Union soldiers as possibleis aforcible illustration of the utter malignity anddepravity which characterize the members ofthis order in their zea Ito commend themselvesas faithful allies to their fellow-conspirators atthe South.

XI. Establishment of a Northwestern Confede-racy.In concluding this review of some of theprincipal specific purposes of the order, it re-

mains oniy to remark upon a further design ofmany of its leading members, the accomplish-ment of which they are represented as havingdeeply at heart. Hating New Eoglaud, andjealous of her infiaencs and resource*, andclaiming that the interests of the West andSooth, naturally conuected as they are throughthe Mississippi valley, are identical, and actu-ated further by an intensely revelationaryspirit as well as'an unbridlsd and uopdociptedambition, these men have made the establish-ment of a Western or Northwestern Ooafede-racjs, in alliance with the Soatb, the grand aimand end of all their plotting and conspiring. ItIs with this steadily in prospect that they araconstantly seeking to produce discontent, dis-organization^ and civil disorder at the North.With this view, they gloat over every reverseof the armies of the Union, and desire that therebellion shall be protracted until vhe resourcesof the Government shall be exhausted, itsstrength paralyzed, its currency hopelessly de-preciated, and confidence everywhere destroyed.Then, from the anarchy which, under theirscheme, is so ensue, the new Confederacy is toarise, which is eisaer to unite itself with that ofthe South, or to form therewith a close and per-manent alliance. Futile and extravagant asthis sefyeme may appear, it is yet the settled puff-pose f many leading spirits of tbe 6ecret con-spiracy, and is their favorite subject of thoughtand discussion. Not only is this schema do-liberated upon in the lodges of the order, bat it Esopenly proclaimed. Members of the IndianaLegislature, evea, have publicly announced it,and avowed that they will take their own Statout of the Union, and recognize the indepen-dence of the South. A citizen, captured by aguerilla band in Kentucky, lastsummer, recordsthe fact that the establishment of a new con-federacym the deliberate purpose of the Westernpeople was boastfully asserted by these out-laws, who also assured their prisoner that inthe event of such establishment there would ha"a greater rebellion than ever!"

Lastly, it is claimed that the new conffedo-raey is already organized; that It has a "pro-visional government," officers, departments,bureaus, &e., ia secret operatic n. No commentis necessary to be made upon this treason, notnow contemplated for the first time in our his-tory. Suggested by the present rebellion, it isthe logical consequence of the ardent and uttersympathy therewith which is the life and in-spiration of the secret order.III. THE WITNESSES, AND THEIR TESTIMONY.The facts detailed in the present report havebeen derived from a great variety of dissimilar

sources, but all the witnesses, however differenttheir situations, concar so pointedly ia theirtestimony, that the evidence which h&s beenfurnished of the facts must be regarded as olthe most reliable character.The principal witnesses may be classified asfollows?

1. Shrewd, intelligent men, employed ad de-tectives, and with a peculiar talent for ttietr call-ing, who have gradually gained the coo ttdeneaof leading members of the order, and in somacases have been admitted to its templesand been initiated into one or more ofthe degrees*Tbe most remarbaMe of these


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15la S&idger, formerly a private soldier in onrarmy, who, by the use of an uncommon ad-dress, though at great pergonal risk, succeededlu establishing each intimate relations withBowles, Bullitt, Dodd, end other leaders of theorder in Indiana and Kentucky, aa to be ap-pointed grand secretary for the latter State, aposition the most favorable for obtaining infor-mation of the plans of these traitors and warn-ing the Government of, their iatentions. It isto the rare fidelity of this oiao, who has alsobeen the principal witness upon the trial of -Dodd, that the Government has been chieflyindebted for the exposure of tbe designs of theconspirators in the two Stales named.

. 8l Rebel officers and soldiers voluntarily orInvoluntarily making disclosures to our mili-tary authorities.The most valuable witnessesof this class are prisoners of war,, who, actu-ated by laudable motives, have of their ownaccord furnished a large amount of informa-tion ia regard to the order, especially as itexists in the South, and of the relations of itsmembers with those of the Northern section*Among these, also, are soldiers at our prisoncamps, who, without designing it, have madelinown to our officials, by the use of the signs 5.&, of the order, that they were members.& Scouts employed to travel through the in-ferior of tbe border States, and aleo within orla the neighborhood of the enemy's li'nes.Thefact that some of these were left entirely igno-rant of the existence of the order, upon beinggo employed, attaches aa increased value totheir discoveries in regard to its operations.

4. Citizen prisoners, to whom, while in con-finement, disclosures were made relative to theexistence, extent, and character of the order byfellow- prisoners who were leading members,,and who, in some instances, upon becomingIntimate with the witness, initiated him intoone of the degrees.

5. Members of the order, who, upon a full(acquaintance with its principles, have beenappalled by its in famous designs, and havevoluntarily abandoned it, freely making knowntheir experience to our military authorities. Inthis class may be placed the female witness,,Mary Ann Pitman, who, though in arrest atthe period of her disclosures, was vet inducedto make them for the reason that, as she says,"at the last meeting which I attended theypassed an order which I consider as utterlyatrocious and barbarous ; so I told them Iwould' have nothing more to do with them."This woman was attached to the command ofthe rebel Forrest, as an officer under thename of'! Lieutenant Rawley;u but, because her sexafforded her unusual facilities for crossing ourlines, she was often employed in the executionof important commissions within our territory,and ? as a member of the order, was made exten-sively acquainted with other members, both offche Northern and Southern sections. Her testi-mony is thus peculiarly valuable, and, being aperson of unusual intelligence and force ofcharacter, her statements are succinct, pointed,and emphatic. They are also especially usefulas fully corroborating those of other witnessescegarded as most trustworthy.

6. Officers of the order of high raafeswhohavebeen prompted to present eonfeseiOGS, more ortees detailed, in regard to the order and their

connection with it.The principals of theseare Hunt, Dunn, and Smith, grand commander^deputy grand commander, and grand secre-tary of the order ia Missouri, to whose state-ments frtquent refeience has been made,,These confessions, though in soma degreeguarded and disingenuous, have furnishedto the Government much valuable informa-tion In regard to the secret operations of theorder, especially ia Missouri, the affiliation ofits leaders with Price, &c. It is to be notedthat Dunn nsakes the statement ia commonwith other witnesses that, in entering the order*he was quite ignorant of its true purposes. Hesajss "I did not become a member understand-inglyj the initiatory step was taken in' thedark, without reflection and without know-ledge."

7. Deserters from our army, who 5 upon beingapprehended, confessed that they had been in-duced and assisted to desert by members of theorder., It was, indeed, principally from theseconfessions that the existence of the secret trea-sonable organization of the K. G. C. was firstdiscovered in Indiana, in the year 1882.

8. Writers of anonymous communiaatlens,addressed to heads of departments or 'provostmarshals, disclosing facts corroborative ofother more important statements.

9. The witnesses before the grand jury at In-dianapolis, in 1853, when the order was for-mally presented as a treasonable organization,and those whose testimony has been introducedupon the recent trial of DoddL

It need only be added that a most satisfactoryfiest of the credibility and weight of much of theevidence which has been furnished is affordedby the printed testimony in regard to the cha-racter and intention of the order, which iafound in its national and State constitutionsand its ritual. Indeed, the statements of thevarious witnesses are but presentations of thelogical and inevitable consequences and re-sults of the principles therein sat forth..

Ia concluding this review, it remains only tostate that a constant reference has been made tothe elaborate official reports, in regard to theorder, of Brigadier General Garrington, com-manding District of Indiana, and of ColonelSanderson, Provost Marshal General of the De-partment of Missouri. The great mass of thetestimony upon the subject of the secret con-spiracy has been furnished by these officers 5 thelatter acting under the orders of Major GeneralRosecrans, ax>d the former cooperating, underthe instruclioas of the Secretary of War, withMajor General Burhridge, commanding Districtof Kentucky, as well as with Governor Morton,of Indiana, who, though at one time greatlyembarrassed, by a Legislature strongly taintedwith disloyalty,, in his efforts to repress the do-mestic enemy, has at last seen his Stats relievedfrom the danger of a civil war.

But, altfeoug h the treason o f the ord er has beenthoroughly exposed, and although its capacityfor fatal mischief has, by means of the arrest ofits leaders, the seizure of its arms, and the othervigorous means which have been pursued, beenseriously impaired, it is s.ill busied with itssecret plottings against the Government, andwith its perfidious designs in aid of the Southernrebellion. It is reported to have recently issuednew i&Jgns and passwords, and its menibera


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16assert that foul means will be used to preventthe success of the Administration at the coming;election, and threaten an extended revolt in the>event of the reelection of President Lincoln.la the presence of the rebellion and of this se-

cret orderwhich is but its echo and faithful allywe cannot but be amazed at the niter and wide-spread profligacy, personal and political, whichthese movements against the Government dis-pose. The guilty men engaged in them, aftercasting aside their allegiance* seem to havetrodden under foot every sentiment; of honorand. every restraint of law, human and divine,Judea produced bnt one Judas Iscariot, andSome, from the sinks of her demoralization,produced bnt one Cataline, and yet, as eventsprove, there has arisen together in our land anentire brood of guch traitors, all animated bythe same parricidal spirit, and all strugglingwith the same relentless malignity for thedismemberment of our "Onion. Of thisextraordinary phenomenon-not, paralleled, itis believed, in' the world's historythere canbe but one explanation, and all these blackened.and fetid streams of crime may well be tracedto the same common fountain. So fiercelyintolerant and imperious was the temper en-gendered hj slavery, that when the Southernpeople, after having controlled the national'councils for half a century, were beaten at aeSection, their leaders turned upon the Govern-

meat with the insolent fury with which theywould have drawn their revolvers on a rebel-lious slave in one of their negro quarters; andthey have continued since to prosecute theirwarfare, amid all the barbarisms and atroci-ties naturally and necessarily inspired by theinfernal institution ia whose interests they aresacrificing alike themselves and their country.Many of these conspirators, as is well known,were fed, clothed, and educated at^the expenseof the nation, &ad were loaded with its honoraat the very moment they struck at its life withthe horrible criminality of a son stabbing thebosom of his own mother while impressingkisses on his cheeks. The leaders of the trai-tors in the loyal States, who so completely fra-ternise with these conspirators, an*d whose ma-chinations are now unmasked, it is as clearJythe duty of the Administration to proseenteand punish, as it is its duty to subjugate therebels who are openly in arms against theGovernment. In the performance of this duty,it is entitled to expect, and will doubtless re-ceive, the sealoss cooperation of true meaeverywhere, who, in crushing the truculentfoe ambushed in the haunts of this secret or-der, should rival in courage and faithfulnessthe armies which are so nobly sustaining ourflag on the battle-fields of the South.

Respectfully submitted.J. Holt, Judge Advocate Gtenewat

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Documents

Report of the Judge Advocate General on "The Order of American Knights," alias "The Sons of Liberty". A western conspiracy in aid of the Southern Rebellion