“Dan Bowen here interrupted, saying: 'Strider has been at work. He has been in Washington, and has sown seeds of dissension in the army; has created jealousies between the Eastern and Western commanders, and produced much trouble on account of the Emancipation Proclamation.'
“'Yes,' said Col. Walters, 'that I believe to be true; but why is he not here? I see he sends a substitute; is he afraid? Mr. Eagle was correct when he said the people of the North will forget all about the war in a month, if you will only give them a chance to make money. I can go into any city and proclaim myself in sympathy with the rebellion, and no one will molest me. If we should fail, and our cause go down, it would not be one year before Jeff Davis would be invited to attend agricultural shows North, so as to draw a crowd and increase the gate money.' This caused great laughter. 'I want now to ask my friend Bowen why his friend Thos. A. Strider is not here.'
“'Well,' said Bowen, 'I cannot say. I had hoped that he would be here, but I find he is not.'
“Mr. Eagle, who seemed to be rather sarcastic, said he understood Strider was compelled to stay at home on account of a cow case in which he was employed. They laughed at this, and then proceeded to business. The propositions and suggestions were all indorsed, and many promises made on the part of each one present as to the part he would take in the matter when he returned home.
“Jacob Thomlinson said to Mr. Yonkers that he wished him to remain a day or so longer, as he desired to confer with him about the prisoners at Chicago. He then made quite an address to those present, saying the success of the Confederacy depended largely upon their friends in the North; that if the war continued two or three years longer the supply of men and money would fail. All their available men were in the army, and there was now nowhere whence they could draw recruits. Their friends in the North must wake up and help. They had friends enough in the North to make the Confederacy a success in six months, if they would only come up to the work manfully. “'Let our friends do as our friend Carey suggests, get up raids, organize companies for spoils; this is seductive and calculated to gather in young men. We will release our men who are now prisoners and turn them loose full of fiendish revenge, and alarm our enemies into peace measures. You who are our friends in the North must go home determined to carry the next election. This is important. If we can defeat Lincoln at the next Presidential election we are safe. The watchword must be that the war has been a failure; that the North cannot subdue the South; that foreign countries are ready to recognize the Confederacy, which will involve the United States in other wars; that the people are being taxed unmercifully; that the war should stop and the unbearable taxation cease. Your next Democratic platform should start out with the proposition that the war has been prosecuted only for the freedom of the negroes, and not for the Union, and that their freedom can only be maintained by the Union armies being entirely successful, and that during years of horrible, bloody war the Government has failed to conquer the rebellion and must continue to fail. Do this, and stand by it with a good candidate, and you must succeed. I would suggest that you take your “Little Napoleon,” General Mac, for your candidate. He is exceedingly popular with the soldiers of the East, and with the people also, as I am told. The sympathy will be with him, having been relieved from the command of the Eastern armies because he could not whip us, which was no fault of his, as none of their commanders will succeed in doing that on our own ground. We were foolish to undertake an invasion of the North. But no matter, we will soon make up for this. If you will take up Little Mac there will be no trouble in your giving him the nomination, and then one united effort on the part of our party will send him into the White House. If he can be elected that will end the war, as he is a peace man and a Democrat. We would then have another advantage. Many of the officers of the Union army of the East do not believe in our subjugation, and are bitterly opposed to the Emancipation Proclamation. Some of them have large commands. For instance, there is Gen. Farlan, who is a friend of mine of long standing; he is violently opposed to the Lincoln administration, and would at once favor a cessation of hostilities. So also is Gen. Smite and General Cross, both leading Generals. I may also mention Gen. Fitzgibbon. He has been ready for some time to stop the war, because he is thoroughly satisfied that we have been wronged and oppressed. He is in favor of putting Little Mac in as President. He would be ready for peace on our terms, which would be to withdraw the Union forces and let us alone. We have been robbed of our property, but should we gain our independence we care nothing for this, as we would reclaim our slaves, such as have not been stolen by the Abolition army. This, gentlemen, is what we desire and expect you to aid us in securing. If these things all fail us we will, in our desperation, make the homes of many of your Northern men miserable and desolate.'
“When he was through with his suggestions they all cheered him, and each one, by short speeches, pledged a faithful adherence to the Confederacy. When they adjourned it was to meet again at some place in Canada to be named by Jacob Thomlinson, and the representatives to be notified by Mr. Valamburg. They separated with three cheers for the Confederacy.”
Dr. Adams said: “I am desirous of knowing if Jacob Thomlinson and Mr. Carey are the same persons whom your son Jackson met in London?”
“Yes; they are the same men who were engaged in procuring explosives and poisoned clothes, of which I have heretofore given you a full account.”
Col. Bush asked if this man Blackman, who took out a commission in order to depredate and plunder, is still living?
“Yes, he is not only living, but is now holding one of the highest positions in the United States, as a Reformer.”