either in whole or in part, you may depend on this. I shall write you every day or two henceforth more at length, informing you of my proceedings, &c.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

SANFORD CONOVER.

On arriving at Columbia, S. C., he telegraphed me under date of 1st of September, 1865, stating that his mission thus far had been successful and that Key and another had been found, and that a witness whom he refers to as C. (meaning Campbell) had been heard from. The following is a copy of the telegram:

Brigadier-General HOLT:

My mission has thus far proved successful. Key and one other have been found and secured. C. has been heard from and will be found. Deeming it unadvisable to telegraph particulars I have written at length.

S. C.

The next communication which reached me from him was a lengthy dispatch dated Charleston, 4th of September, 1865, in which he professed to give the details of the investigation with which he had been occupied and of the successes which had thus far attended him, which dispatch was in the following words:

Brigadier-General HOLT, Judge-Advocate:

I arrived here yesterday en route for New Orleans, where I am certain of finding C. Found K. at Norfolk and S. at Wilmington. They are both anxious to do what is right. K. wishes to wait and jon S. and C. on their way to Washington. As he can be believed I thought better to consent. I have caused S. to accompany me, as his influence and example may prove valuable should C. feel any reluctance to do what is required of him; besides, I do not wish to lose sight of him; he is cognizant of all the facts disclosed to me by C. My funds will not hold out until I reach New Orleans. Owing to the destruction of railroads I have been obliged to travel several hundreds of miles in hacks at exprense of 50 cents a mile, and at several points was unable to obtain transportation by there being no quartermaster at hand. At every hotel and lodging house south of Richmond have been obliged to pay nearly double Washington hotel rates. Telegraph me in care of Captain J. H. Moore, assistant quartermaster, Numbers 10 Broad street, Charleston--he is also disbursing officer--whom you can direct to furnish [me] with the necessary funds to enable me to proceed at once with my business. There are other persons, as you will learn from my letter, whom it may be important to find when these named have been secured.

S. C.

A long letter dated also "Charleston, S. C., September 4, 1865," was afterward received by me from him, and in this was given a yet more minute detail of his researches and of the favorable results reached, and the purpose on his part was expressed of proceeding thence to New Orleans. The following is a copy of this letter:

CHARLESTON, S. C., September 4, 1865.

Brigadier-General HOLT, Judge-Advocate-General:

DEAR SIR: On the 1st instant, at Columbia, I prepared a letter for you detailing my proceedings to find and procure the attendance of Campbell, Key, and others, and on the same day telegraphed you that two of them had been found. On reaching the "post-office" with my letter I learned that there was no regular mail from Columbia, and that my letter might not be dispatched for ten or twelve days. The letter is now so worn out from being carried in my pocket from that point to this that I am under the necessity of writing a new one. I met with considerable difficulty in finding Key and Snevel and found it no easy matter to win their confidence and obtain their consent to become witnesses. I ascertained at Richmond that the former was at Norfolk, Va., and the latter at Wilmington, N. C., and that Campbell had gone to his former home, New Orleans. I resolved to endeavor to secure Key first and soon after reaching Norfolk found him. At first he denied all knowledge of any plots for the assassination of the President and his Cabinet, but when I disclosed to him the source of my information, charging him with such knowledge, and assured him that Campbell and others of his acquaintances were to be witnesses of the Government, he admitted his knowledge and stated the facts at large (which are substantially the same as stated to you as learned by me from Campbell), and consented to become a witness if Campbell could be induced to become one also.