The Great North-Western Conspiracy in All Its Startling DetailsAyer, I. Winslow
History
The Great North-Western Conspiracy in All Its Startling Details
Ayer, I. Winslow
Knights of the Golden Circle; Northwestern Conspiracy, 1864
Brig. Gen. Charles Walsh, some time during the winter of '64 and '65,
received his quantum of a fund, of which we shall hereafter speak, to
purchase arms to be distributed in the 1st Congressional district of
Illinois, comprising the county of Cook, and the scene of the late
Chicago conspiracy, the enactment of which was to be the signal for a
general conflagration of our cities, and thus fulfil the prophecy of
Jeff. Davis, that the grass would grow again, on the streets of the
cities of the North.
Do the leaders of the Invincible Club, among whom are W.C. Goudy, John
Garrick, Malcom McDonald, and Dr. Swayne Wickersham, remember that that
institution was to be the public mouth-piece of the Sons of Liberty, in
an address to the Democracy of Chicago, to have been issued during the
Presidential campaign?
Do they also remember the joint delegation of Invincibles and Sons of
Liberty that received Vallandigham and the Woods of New York, on their
arrival in Chicago to participate in, and mould the proceedings of the
National Democratic Convention?
Do they further remember the remarkable speech made in their Hall during
the Convention, by Capt. Rynders of New York, whom they hissed from the
platform for his bold and fearless expression of loyal sentiments?
Do they remember the motto, "Never worship the setting sun," which
appeared on transparencies, and frequently fell from their own lips,
and was meant as a hit upon those who were supposed to have allied
themselves with treason, because of their belief in its eventual
success?
Do they remember how it was proposed that Charles Walsh, of the Sons of
Liberty, was to negotiate a purchase of the Chicago _Post_, and convert
it to the same villainous purpose of its contemporary, the _Times_?
Have they forgotten the fifty or sixty thousand dollars raised by
subscription to the books of the Club, nominally to be used for
procession and illuminating purposes, but which was used for the
purchase of arms and the importation of butternuts, to engage in the
attack upon Camp Douglas?
Have they forgotten that large sums of this money was obtained under
false pretences--under pretences that it was to be used for ordinary
campaign purposes?
Have they forgotten that through their instrumentality the McClellan
Escorts, then organized in every ward, were officered by Sons of
Liberty?
Have they forgotten the meeting of Invincible Club members and Sons
of Liberty in the sanctum sanctorum of the Chicago _Times_, where
the question of punishing Col. R.M. Hough and Mr. Eddy, in redress of
personal injuries alleged to have been inflicted upon Wilbur F. Story,
was gravely discussed by B.G. Caulfield, O.J. Rose, Alderman Barrett,
S. Remington and others, and where also, large numbers of muskets and
smaller arms were exhibited?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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