REBEL OFFICERS IN THE TEMPLES OF SONS OF LIBERTY--MURDERERS, BOUNTY
JUMPERS, DESERTERS, FELONS, VAGABONDS AND TRAITORS IN COUNCIL--PLANS
OF ATTACK ON CAMP DOUGLAS--FIRES TO BE KINDLED IN THE CITY--BANKS AND
STORES TO BE ROBBED--NAMES OF SPEAKERS--HATRED OF UNION SOLDIERS.
At a meeting of the Sons of Liberty in September, 1864, a plan was
reported, much to the relief of those who had a horror of conscription;
it was arranged that such of the members as might be drafted, should
report within three days to the Grand Senior of the Temple, and they
would be supplied with means to defray their expenses to the southern
part of the State, where they would remain till their services should
be required, and that they would find friends there, strong enough in
numbers, to defy the officers of the law. Such persons were to form
military organizations, and to be drilled and disciplined by rebel
officers sent thither for that express purpose. The "Sons" of Chicago
expressed their extreme regret at the very open and defiant manner of
their brethren in the southern part of the State, and believed that it
would be prejudicial to the prosperity of the Order. Our readers have
not forgotten the Coles county tragedy, the murderers and their victims.
There is not a particle of doubt that those murders were premeditated,
and first the subject of discussion in the temples of the Sons of
Liberty. The assault was made without provocation, and the thirst
for the blood of Union men was the motive for the deed. We have never
advocated or countenanced mob law, but if there was ever a time in the
history of our government in which it was justifiable, it was in the
cases of the Coles county murderers. The times seemed, perhaps, to have
demanded a vigilance committee of citizens, who would administer justice
fast enough to suit the emergency of the cases upon which they might be
called to adjudicate, and having "cleaned out" the murderous scoundrels
in that locality, they might have found a demand for their services
in Chicago. But it is better that the people controlled their just
indignation and left it to time, to punish the infamous wretches who
turned their arms and their all against the country, to whom they
are indebted for all the blessings which they proved themselves to be
utterly incapable of appreciating. It was the boast of the "Sons" that
their numbers embraced many of the officers of our armies, and the names
of several were mentioned, who had sworn that they would never fire or
order their commands to fire upon "our Southern brethren," and it was
added that such officers could serve the cause of this order better in
the field, than in any other manner. As time passed on, the plans of
the villains belonging to the Chicago Temple, or the plans of the
order throughout the State for the attack upon Camp Douglas became more
complete in their details. The policy of obtaining positions for members
upon all the railroads and in telegraph offices, was very popular with
the order, and it was confidently stated, that upon the release of
the prisoners the leaders would at once take full possession of the
railroads and telegraph offices. It was arranged that the attack upon
the camp should be made the night after election, as it now became fully
apparent to all that there was not a shadow of a chance to elect either
National or State ticket by the Copperheads. Fires were to be kindled in
different parts of the city, and these were to be so numerous that they
would necessarily divert the attention of the citizens, while the attack
should be made. Near the camp is a growth of small oaks and other small
wood which offered a fine retreat or hiding place for those who would
attack the camp. The attacking party were to go singly or in groups
which might not attract attention, and when they were in readiness, they
were suddenly to spring forward and commence an assault simultaneously
on three sides of the enclosure. The risk to the invading party was not
considered large, as the whole undertaking would be but the work of a
few moments, and it was confidently believed that some communication
could previously be established with the rebels by their desperate
friends and allies upon the outside; and it is now quite certain that
some intelligence was communicated to the rebels, and well understood
by them, as not long before the election, supposed signals in the way of
rockets, blue lights, &c. were at one time exhibited by a small group of
persons, without any apparent design, which could have been distinctly
seen at camp. Mrs. Morris, who has confessed her complicity with the
rebel sympathizers, was a frequent visitor to the camp, and it was
thought that she might be very useful in conveying letters, messages,
&c. Indeed it was morally certain that there was an understanding
between the rebels inside, and the cowardly dogs on the outside of the
post. It will be remembered that fire arms for at least ten thousand men
were safely and secretly stored in Chicago, and that there was a perfect
understanding between the members of the higher degrees of the Sons
of Liberty, and the leaders of the invading party from Canada; Had the
attack been made, however good the understanding between the "Sons" and
the rebels might have been, the former would soon have found, to their
surprise and to their dismay, that their glory would suddenly have
departed, for the released rebels would instantly have obeyed the
commands of their own officers, and Northern Sons of Liberty would have
been compelled to fall into line, whether they would or not. A few
of the Sons would have received some consideration, and this would
especially have been the case with Brig.-Gen. Charles Walsh, but in
the main the "accursed democracy,"--as one rebel writing to another was
pleased to speak of the order--was to be kept in the front, or in other
words, used as circumstances might require to do the vilest offices
of this vile and devilish conspiracy. As the time of the election was
drawing near, the Sons of Liberty expressed a wish to have a man at
their head, in the place of Wilkinson, who would command respect, and
whose appearance of dignity and years would impress new comers most
favorably. This man was found in Obadiah Jackson, Jr. Esq., as Grand
Seignior, and so much gratified were they with his peculiar fitness for
this distinguished honor, that they resolved to find a second officer,
or Ancient Brother, and Lewis C. Morrison gave place to a Mr. Hoffman.
Things were now working smoothly, new members were rapidly joining,
and it was evident that the new organization was most favorable for the
growth and unity of the Order. The rapidly increasing number of Temples
in every part of the State, would have been truly alarming to the
friends of the Union. New comers were introduced at every meeting, and
large numbers were initiated at Judge Morris' residence, where favored
individuals were also initiated in the mysteries of the higher degrees;
so that there were hundreds of persons, in good standing with the Order
as bona fide members, who seldom or never visited the lodge room;
this was especially the case with the higher grade of persons--the
politicians, lawyers and others. At a meeting in the autumn, Judge
Morris was present and made a speech in response to the request of
several members, who asked information concerning the immediate purposes
of the Order. He spoke, as was his custom, of the tyranny of the
President; he said the rights of the people had been trampled upon, and
the constitution had been violated by him. He referred to the suspension
of the _habeas corpus_, and said many of our best men were at that
moment "rotting in Lincoln's bastiles;" that it was our duty to wage a
war against them, and open their doors; that when the Democrats got into
power they would impeach and probably hang him, and all who were thus
incarcerated should be set at liberty; that thousands of our best men
were prisoners in Camp Douglas, and if once at liberty would "send
abolitionists to hell in a hand basket;" he said the meanest of those
prisoners was purity itself compared to "Lincoln's hirelings." He added
that the tyranny of "Abraham the First" was fast drawing to a close, and
those who were anxious to fight, would not have to wait long. He also
spoke in favor of retaliation.
The Judge's speeches were always marked by vehemence, profanity
and violent gesticulation; he never spoke except to condemn the
administration, and to express his confidence in this Order to remedy
all the evils of the administration, and that we should very soon--"in
sixty days," have the power, and yet on several occasions he expressed
the belief that McClellan would not be elected. No one, not even the
most stupid in the first degree of the Temple, could fail to understand
how the Copperheads were to have the reins of the General Government
in sixty days, and yet that the party could not hope for success at the
polls. A man named William Hull, connected with the Order, rebuked
such speeches in unqualified terms, and as a consequence drew down upon
himself the odium of the Order. Mr. Hull expressed himself in favor of
compliance with the Constitution and the laws, and of the Union. His
denunciations of the rebels excluded him from the confidence of the
leaders, who began to regard him as a "dangerous man," and expressed the
belief that he would turn against them, and therefore required watching.
Mr. Hull was a man of good common sense, and made several Union speeches
in the Order, which confirmed the suspicion that had been expressed by
some, that he was a spy and detective, and it was said it would be far
better to _put him out of the way_, or in other words to kill him, lest
he might betray them, and further as the time of the election was so
near at hand, it was voted by the Sons of Liberty to destroy all their
records, so that in case of arrest no documentary evidence could be
brought against them. While the motion was pending, Mr. Richard T.
Semmes, one of the prisoners tried at Cincinnati, moved an amendment,
that the names of members be retained, so that in case any one should
betray the Order they might be known and hung, but it was not deemed
safe to preserve the record, and most of the memoranda was destroyed,
but for the edification of the members, we will add that we have on
deposit in Chicago an entire and correct list of names of the Chicago,
and most of the prominent Temples, and it may be deemed expedient to
publish it hereafter; this will be determined by the general behavior of
the members themselves.
In regard to Mr. Hull, to whom we have alluded, it should be said that
his death was fixed upon by the members. Felton and Morrison agreed to
do the work, but afterwards another proposition was made, to give
him money and induce him to leave for parts unknown. This peaceable
disposition of the man was _not_ satisfactory. Said they, "dead men tell
no tales," and at an informal meeting, a vote was taken and all, with
a single exception, present were in favor of _death_. That exception
required more satisfactory evidence that Hull was the informer, and thus
the murder of the man was prevented. The writer has not a particle of
doubt, having been present at this meeting and heard the proposition
and the vote taken, that the murder would have been perpetrated within
twenty-four hours had not a single person been so exacting in regard to
the facts. It may readily be believed that the writer never mingled in
this murderous company without a brace of revolvers in his pocket, ready
for instant use, and it may be no stretch of credulity to believe,
that in case of an assault, the instruments would have been called into
requisition.
About the first of October, the restrictions upon the purchase and sale
of firearms were removed, and the trade in the city in this department
became very active.
[Illustration: COL.G. ST. LEGER GRENFELL,
"Who has fought in every clime, the man who advised raising the Black
Flag and murdering Union soldiers, and who was to have assumed command
of the Rebel prisoners upon being released from Camp Douglas, and to
whom the citizens of Chicago would have had to appeal for mercy."]
The intensity of hatred of Union soldiers, by the Copperheads would
almost challenge credence. It was a common thing to seek to embroil
them in personal altercations, and to fall upon them with violence and
malice, and it is our opinion, that in almost every case where soldiers
ever became involved in personal difficulty, the provocation came from
Copperheads. We may mention an instance in point. During the summer, a
Union soldier presented himself at our office and required surgical aid.
His head was bleeding copiously, and his hair matted with blood, and so
mutilated was he that he could scarcely speak or walk. He was perfectly
sober, and evidently a very quiet, worthy man. It was doubtful how
his injuries might terminate, but the poor fellow received our best
attention, and thanks to a kind Providence, recovered after a long and
painful illness. It appears that he was beset by a party of Copperheads,
without the least provocation, only that he was a _Union soldier_.
For our act of humanity in rendering professional aid, we were gravely
suspected for a time of being "a dangerous man," and received several
lectures of censure from the Sons of Liberty. He was but a "Union
soldier," and his death, they said, was a matter of congratulation
rather than of regret.