John Harrison Wilson, The life of Charles Henry Dana

[359] that night. They closed their work and parted with each other at about three o'clock the next morning. The President was still alive, but unconscious and breathing heavily. He died a few hours later, and almost immediately afterwards the secretary sent an order to Dana directing him to arrest the commissioner who had been the last object of the good man's solicitude.

Dana at once put the machinery under his control in motion for that purpose, but this was far from being his most important duty in that emergency. He made every effort not only to apprehend the murderer of the President, but to detect and bring to justice all persons suspected of having co-operated with him in the accomplishment of his crime. It was from the first believed that the terrible tragedy was the result of a conspiracy of many persons. Through the preliminary measures set on foot by the War Department, and largely carried into effect under Dana's direction, the conspiracy was developed, and the conspirators were arrested and brought to trial. Dana had gathered many letters and much information showing the details of the conspiracy, and on May 18th gave his testimony in the case. Shortly afterwards private business took him to Chicago, whence he was recalled to Washington to identify the key of the Confederate secret cipher, which he had found at Richmond in the office of Mr. Benjamin, the Confederate Secretary of State.

Having completed this duty, the Secretary of War sent him to Fort Monroe to see that the commanding officer should take every necessary precaution to prevent the suicide or the escape of the prisoners of state about to be confined at that place; and it was under this specific injunction that Dana wrote the order of May 22, 1865, authorizing and directing General Miles to place manacles and fetters upon the hands and feet of both Jefferson Davis and Clement C. Clay, Jr., whenever he might think