parents reside at Harrisburg. He is about twenty-seven years of age. When he was arrested he and his baggage were searched and exhibits Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, and 14 were found upon him. *

These papers pretty clearly indicate his recent history. The parole (Numbers 3) was in a ragged condition, a portion of it having been lost, but the omitted words are easily supplied by the context. He at once avowed that the scheme to seize the Michigan and rescue the prisoners was gotten up by Jacob Thompson, late President Buchanan's Secretary of the Interior, C. C. Clay, Jr., W. Norris, who is probably also J. Allen, the pirate commander, and other rebels in Canada, in which he (Cole) fully participated. That he went from Philadelphia to Niagara and Saint Catherines expressly to enter into some such arrangement, not intending to be faithful to the rebels in its execution, but intending to obtain all the money he could from them and then betray them. To convince them of the risk he would run, and thus insure their belief in his good faith, he exhibited to them his parole (Numbers 3).

The scheme was originally broached, as he claims, while he was traveling in Pennsylvania. That he arranged with Robinson's farther in Philadelphia under the pretense, as he says, that young Robinson was to be merely his messenger, in aid of his extended and important efforts to secure the election of McClellan. He disclaimed having done anything with any officer or man on the Michigan or at this post in aid of the conspirators. In fact, I think that much of his standing with those in the service resulted from the great friendship manifested for him by Captain Eyster, Eighteenth U. S. Infantry, who has been on duty here as mustering officer. (See one of several letters of his found in Cole's possession, Numbers 7.) "Annie" was the woman with Cole who passed as his wife, but who was never married to him. Cole says that he and Eyster had been very intimate friends in early life, and that, I am glad to presume, accounts for their intimacy. Cole's station until therefor full execution was to be in Sandusky. His hotel bills show what time he was there. He visited Thompson at Niagara and also at Windsor, and sent Robinson to Canada twice on details of the scheme, but claimed that instructions were couched in such obscure terms that Robinson could not have known what was intended, and alleged positively that Robinson had no knowledge whatever of any disloyal enterprise.

At different times he was furnished money by Thompson, gold and greenbacks, aggregating, I think, some $4,000, with instructions to use it lavishly in aid of the plot. He was lavish enough, undoubtedly, but it seems to have tended very much to drunkenness. He can account for perhaps one-half of the money he received; where the rest of it went he is quite lame about. At the time of his arrest, on the 19th, he had $900 left deposited in one of the banks, $100 of which he gave "Annie. " His hotel bill had just been paid when the officer called for him, and his baggage and "Annie's," excepting some three or four revolvers and ammunition retained by Cole and Robinson, was all packed for Toronto, of which place "Annie" and the baggage were to have left on the 6 o'clock evening train of that day. Cole's best clothes, and he was very well supplied, was included in the Toronto baggage, not knowing as he could return before the train would leave, and everything being settled, he bade "Annie" a hasty good-bye, evidently expecting soon to meet her again.

If proof were wanted on such a point, this is supposed to be enough to refute his alleged intention to betray the rebels. He directly impli-

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* Omitted.

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