oss the Confederacy had sustained in the
burning of the Will-o'-the-Wisp, in the material, and by the death
of Prof. McCul-lough and Dr. Mears, as they alone held the secret of
manufacturing the wonderful explosive. Thomlinson and Carey insisted
that there should be no let-up, and that they must now resort to other
means, in which the other gentlemen agreed. It was thought best to try
releasing prisoners and arming them and such others as would join them,
and make portions of the North a desolate waste, as they said was now
being done in the South by the Union army. Thomlinson said in reference
to releasing prisoners that he intended in a very short time to make
preparations in Illinois for an attack on Camp Douglas, near Chicago.

"'I think,' said he, 'that will result in the burning of the city. It is
one of the worst places in the North. The influence of Lincoln over the
people there is very great, and extremely bad for us, and that city must
be destroyed by some means. If the Will-o'-the Wisp had not been lost,
Chicago would now be in ashes.'

"After some further discussion on this subject, all went their way
for the night, with an understanding that there would be a meeting
of delegates from the Northern States, called by Jacob Thomlinson,
to assemble at St. Catharines in one month from that time, where
many matters of interest would be discussed and considered. Henry and
Winter-green then returned to Windsor with the understanding that
they would attend the meeting at St. Catharines. At Windsor, Henry
and Jackson met, and that which followed their meeting I have already
stated. What Henry ascertained in Canada was only important in this,
that it had opened the way for discovering that which was important to
know, which probably would occur afterwards. I requested Henry to do as
Jackson was doing,--to write out his statement in full. After both
were prepared, I sent Henry with them to the President. He thought it a
little hard to be sent so summarily away from his bride. The President
received Henry with great kindness, and told him to inform me that the
whole matter had been more skillfully and successfully managed than
anything in this line since the war began. He also said, that he and the
Secretary of War could breathe freer since they had learned the fate of
the cargo of the Will-o'-the-Wisp, and that McCullough and M ears had
their deserts.

"The President requested Henry to continue his investigations, and