miles and took two men, D. C. Wattles and I. Butler, residents of the township of North Branch, in this county. Mr. Wattles was the supervisor of the town. The officers said they had committed treasonagainst the country and at the same time refused to go anywhere where the prisoners could get any one to assist them but avoided all settlements and villages, so that no one here, even their friends, know what has become of them or where they are taken to or for what they were taken, but as the Republicans up here say it is enough to know that they were Democrats; so we cannot tell who must go next time; but the Lord have mercy on the officer that comes again for I cannot.

S.

DETROIT, December 10, 1861.

Honorable WILLIAM H. SEWARD.

DEAR SIR: I inclose two slips, the first cut from the Detroit Daily Tribune of the 7th instant, and the other from the Detroit Daily Free Press of this date. They have attracted my attention from the following circumstance:

During General Pierce's stay in Detroit as I was returning to my home about 9 in the evening in passion down Fort street I overtook three men, one of whom I immediately recognized as Colonel T. F. Brodhead, and another I took to be General Pierce, though I had not before seen him. It was the day news came that Mayor Berret* had been sent to Fort Lafayette, and as I was nearly up with and about to pass them one of the three made some remark in regard to that even, when the man I took for General Pierce promptly said, "They must stop that sort of thing or there will soon be fighting at the North, and we shall have to send for you to come back, Colonel Brodhead. " Either from being aware of my presence or some other reason the conversation changed without any response that I heard and was in another tone while I passed by and out of hearing.

The next day or so I learned that General Pierce in company with Colonel B. and another man went down Fort street, as I had seen, leaving no doubt on myb mind that it was the ex-President who made the above remark to Colonel Brodhead (who was an officer under him in the Mexican war and had the office of postmaster in Detroit during his administration). He is now colonel of a regiment of cavalry in camp near this city. Perhaps the importance I have given this matter is in part from an inquiry addressed to me two or three days since by one who has lost a minor office under the Government. In a tone that might be taken either jest or earnest he said, "Do you know they are going to establish a provisional government in Missouri, and now they were going to do the same by him and settle all our troubles in ninety days. " This was T. C. Fitzgibbon, lately mail agent on the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad. I have incidentally heard it said that a son of ex-Minister Faulkner had been in this city in conference with R. McClelland, esq., who was with Mr. Davis in President Pierce's cabinet.

These incidents may be of little consequence unless there are other reasons for suspecting an organization hostile to the Government to

---------------

*See case of Berret, p. 596.

---------------