"I addressed the letter I sent to my father to Nashville, Tenn. I have a brother in the Southern army; he belongs to the fourth Georgia regiment; he is a Captain. I received an answer to the letter I sent my father. I never wrote to him again, and have had no letter from him since.
"I left Northumberland County last August, and crossed over to the Maryland side. I came across in an oyster punt, at night. The boat belonged to me. I came over alone, brought nothing with me; landed on the Maryland side, at the barns, near Marshal"s store, on the St. George"s Island. Bennett and King live there.
"When I landed on the Maryland side, I saw Ben. King, Bennett, and Mr. Snyder, who all came to the barn. I went over to Maryland to get shoes and to dredge, but could get no work and had to come back. I also got some sugar; I got Ben. King to get it for me. I got one pair of shoes, one pound of coffee and one pound of sugar. This is all I could get. I paid five dollars for the shoes, seventy-five cents for the coffee and thirty cents for the sugar. I bought these things for Mrs.
Kent: I was living with her. King has been driven off the Island. I stayed in Maryland a week and then paddled back to old Virginia, to old Virginia sh.o.r.e.
"About the 1st September I came to Maryland sh.o.r.e again, paddled over on a dark night, brought nothing over with me, again landed at the same place. I came over for stuff. Pickets were on the sh.o.r.e and I could not land, and had to put back. I carried over forty dollars in greenbacks.
"After about a week I went over again, taking over the same thing; nothing. I landed this time at Chicken c.o.c.k, above Smith"s Creek, a _leetle_. I got my goods at Mr. Bean"s. Mr.
Bean keeps a store. I got a pair of boots for eight dollars, one pair pants for five dollars, one fine-tooth comb for fifteen cents, and also a bottle of hair oil at thirty or forty cents, and had three or four gla.s.ses of whiskey.
"I treated a Lieutenant and a Captain who were there from Piney Point. I had to lay in the bushes about two days, the weather being so rough I could not cross. I spent about thirty dollars.
"On last Monday night I came over again; came over alone, and in a canoe worth one hundred and fifty dollars; left the canoe on the beach. I bought this canoe about a week before I came over. I bought this canoe to run the blockade with. I was going to run Jews across for Mr. Dawson. Mr. Dawson lives at the head of Large Creek, Yocomico River. Colonel Claybrook, of Home Guard, lives on the road from Large Creek to Union Village.
"I saw in Northumberland County about three months since, Albert Klockgether, who gave me his address in Baltimore, and desired me, when I came over, to call and see him. Bill Hayden carried over Klockgether, in one of Dawson"s boats.
"I left my boat near Britton"s Bay, on the beach. Bill Hayden has been captured twice, and is now back in Virginia. I came to this city on the West River boat, and landed this afternoon. I bought this shirt I have on from Mr. Wm. Hudson, a blockade runner; paid him six dollars for it about three or four weeks since. I have heard that Hudson is now captured.
Bought my hat for five dollars from the same one. I bought my satchel from Richard King, a blockade runner. I bought the revolver from a Jew in Virginia; paid twenty dollars for it.
"A man named Brown is a blockade runner. I heard that he brought over a load of Enfield rifles, in a sloop; the Home Guard are armed with them.
"A Jew named Rosenfield is connected between Wilmington and Canada and England, in running the blockade. A woman named Mrs. Hays, of Baltimore, was with Rosenfield; she had a trunk and satchel; she came over to Dawson"s. She was coming from Richmond.
"Rosenfield said he was going back. I knew three Jews by sight, who have brought medicine across--I think from Eastern sh.o.r.e. I don"t know their names.
"A Rebel officer, Captain Berry, came over to the Maryland side in full uniform, and came back again. I have seen him lots of times; he is stationed above Boler"s, who lives at the ferry over the Rappahannock, about twenty miles from mouth of the river.
"They have large flat boats to carry over men, oxen, wagons, &c.--have two there now. This ferry is about fifty miles from Richmond. There is a large camp of Cavalry about eight miles from the ferry on the south side of the river. Gunboats can come up as far as Boler"s. Captain Moon lives opposite the guard ship, on the Virginia side, at the windmill.
"Foster Maynard took the oath at Point Lookout, and is now conscript officer; he is a Captain. Maynard lives about one mile from King"s Sail. King"s Sail is on the Yocomico River.
"About two weeks since, Bill Hayden and Joe Cooper came over to Britton"s Bay, to a little creek this side of the Bay, just above Piney Point; a white house is on the sh.o.r.e. The house right by the saw mill is the house they go to. They go to this house to buy goods to run the blockade with. I bought a little cutter from this place; bought over three sacks of salt, hats, caps, boots, shoes, and a jug of whiskey.
"Richard King, of Northumberland County, a blockade runner, comes to this side of the river and buys canoes and yawl boats. King has been over here for the last three weeks. About four weeks ago King got a canoe from Alexandria, and took it over to Dawson"s and sold it to him. He came to Baltimore once, on a pungy.
"John Olison owns a pungy; dredges around St. George"s. He lives on the Virginia side. Elias Steele, blockade runner, lives in Westmorland County. Captain Wm. Dawson lives at Large Creek.
"Union Village is where the mail comes. It comes every week (not certain). Mrs. Frank Lewis gave me the letter addressed to Mr. Steele, to give to Mr. Steele. (I never gave it to him.) Union Village is about eight miles from the beach. I found out that Mr. Steele had crossed the Potomac.
"I have seen large quant.i.ties of tobacco hid under corn shucks, and I know he has a large sum of money and a number of watches in his house (Dawson"s house).
"At Dawson"s house are the following persons: Mr. Dawson, Sr., Mrs. Dawson, Miss Dawson, Mrs. Nancy Clarke and her daughter, and Dawson, Jr. (a boy).
"There are two canoes at Dawson"s."
FILE XLI.
I am introduced to General Grant--The a.s.sa.s.sination--Capture of Samuel B.
Arnold, one of the conspirators, sent to Dry Tortugas--Arrested the Bransons and their household, uncovering Paine"s pedigree, thereafter he was Lewis Paine Powell--Paine had my parole on his person when arrested-- Paine hung.
The saddest day in our nation"s history was Friday, April 14th, 1865.
Early in the evening I was introduced to General Grant, in his private car; he was on his way from Washington to Philadelphia. The private car was standing on Howard just north of Camden Street. At that time the cars of through trains were hauled through Baltimore by horses up Howard, down Pratt to President Street, and to the depot.
Mr. Wm. G. Woodside, the paymaster of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, had asked me if I would like to be introduced to the General. We entered the car from the rear door. I do not remember there being any person in the car except the General and Mrs. Grant. It was understood in Washington that General Grant was to have accompanied the President to the theatre that evening.
We retired at about 10 o"clock, prepared to start the next morning, Sat.u.r.day, the 15th, for the northern neck of Virginia, with Morgan, as outlined in the file preceding. Soon after retiring we were informed of the a.s.sa.s.sination. There is no word in the language to describe the shock I felt. I put on my clothes and did not take them off again until Wednesday, the 19th. Adjutant General Lawrence sent for me, and instructed me to abandon my trip to the Northern Neck.
The following telegram came early Sat.u.r.day morning; in it Paine is described quite perfectly, but at that time I had no idea that he was the person described:
United States Military Telegram, Apl. 15, 1865.
The following is a description of the a.s.sa.s.sin of the Hon. W.
H. Seward, Secretary of State, and Hon. Frederick W. Seward, a.s.sistant Secretary. You will use every exertion in your power and call to your aid the entire force under your control to secure the arrest of the a.s.sa.s.sin.
Height 6 feet, black hair, thick, full, and straight. No beard, nor appearance of beard. Cheeks red on the jaws, and face moderately full. 22 or 23 years of age. Eyes, color not known, large eyes, not prominent. Brows not heavy, but dark.
Face not large, but rather round. Complexion healthy. Nose straight and well formed. Medium sized mouth, small lip, thin upper lip, protrudes when he talks. Chin pointed and prominent. Head of medium size. Neck short and of medium length. Hands small and fingers tapering, showed no signs of hard labor. Broad shoulders, taper waist, straight figure, strong looking man; manner not gentlemanly, but vulgar.
Overcoat double breasted, color mixed of pink and grey spots, small; was a sack overcoat, pockets inside and on breast, with lapels or flaps. Pants, black, common stuff. New heavy boots.
Voice small, inclined to tenor.
(Signed) N. S. JEFFRIES, A. P. M. G.
Headquarters, Middle Department 8th Army Corps.
Baltimore, Apl. 16, 1865.
Colonel:
I have some important intelligence, send Lieut. Smith to me at once.
SAMUEL B. LAWRENCE, A. A. G.
To Colonel Woolley.
The information was about a letter that had been found in Booth"s trunk, written from Hookstown, Md., from Samuel Arnold, showing his (Arnold"s) complicity in the a.s.sa.s.sination.
[Ill.u.s.tration: SAMUEL B. ARNOLD]
I at once, with one of my men, Mr. Babc.o.c.k, went to Hookstown. We avoided our pickets, traveled across country, and reached Arnold"s home about noon. We sat down, as if to rest, on Arnold"s porch, asking no questions, but waited to be questioned. A colored woman opened the door, and I asked her if she would give us something to eat, for money. She agreed and invited us into the sitting room, while she prepared something for us.