suitable conveyance Hon. Henry May, Messrs. Winans, Brown and twelve other political prisoners arrested in Baltimore to Fort Lafayette. You will please receive and hold them in custody. They will be allowed to receive no visitors and only to communicate on purely personal or domestic matters by letters to be inspected.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

E. D. TOWNSEND,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

WASHINGTON, D. C., September 23, 1861.

Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWAWRD, Secretary of State, Washington.

SIR: On the 11th instant in pursuance of the orders of the Hon. Simon Cameron, Secreteary of War, and Major-General McClellan I went to Baltimore accompanied by a sufficient number of my detective force and Lieutenant W. M. Wilson, of the Fourth U. S. Cavalry. On arriving at Baltimore I proceeded to Fort McHenry and delivered to Major-General Dix an order from the War Department for the arrest of * * * Henry May. * The said order mentioned to General Dix that I was directed to conduct the arrests, also to search for and seize the correspondence of the above-named parties.

On consultation with General Dix it was deemed advisable as it was now about midnight to postpone the attempt to arrest until the following. * * * At about midnight [of the 13th] several divisions moved simultaneously upon the places where we had discovered Scott, Wallis, F. Key Howard, Hall, May and Warfield, and at that time all the above named were arrested within fifteen minutes, their clothing thoroughly searched and immediately thereafter they were forwarded to Fort McHenry in separate carriages. My force made diligent search for all correspondence on the premise of each of the parties all of which was seized. * * *

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

ALLAN PINKERTON.

Letters found among May's papers seized by Allan Pinkerton.

[No. 1.]

BALTIMORE, Friday, May 3, 1861.

His Excellency GOVERNOR HICKS, Frederick, Md.

SIR: Cherishing a love of constitutional liberty and believing that a firm support of authority is both the duty and safety of the citizen in this unhappy crisis of our country when a vile spirit of radicalism is hurrying us into a state of anarchy I have wished to forget the past and to offer to you as the Chief Magistrate of our State my cordial and firm support as a citizen. Some of your friends who know what are my views have to-day informed me that this offer would not be unacceptable to you, and now that the very foundations upon which our State government and indeed the vital principles of civil liberty rest or threatened by a reckless legislative usurpation, I cannot hesitate to offer you all the aid and support to your athority that I can in any way render.

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*For hames omitted and full next of this report see Vol. I, this series, p. 688.

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