Northern Espionage in the South
--
Southern Volunteers.--The Police
Marshal of
Baltimore has written a letter to
Supt. Kennedy, of the
New York Police, asking if it is true that New York detectives have been employed in
Baltimore with regard to the ‘"plot, "’ against
Mr. Lincoln, or in any other cases.--
Supt. Kennedy replies:
‘
I have had officers occasionally in your city, as I have had in others further South, even
Charleston, ever since these secession troubles began to show form.
I presume in this I am not much ahead of our Southern friends; not a few of the journeys have been under taken while attending the movements of persons who were in this city and excited our suspicious while here.
But no officer of mine has reported to me the actual existence of any band ‘"organized for the purpose of assassinating the
President elect."’ Although in the prosecution of their duty they may have deemed it advisable to associate themselves with the bodies denominated ‘"Southern Volunteers"’ wherever they found them, they have not reported to me that even these bodies had
resolved on assassination.
Of course I regard them dangerous organizations, and have not failed in obtaining every information in my power as to their locality, numbers, means of support, members, officers and movements.
On some proximate day these points of inlelligence may become valuable.
Since Wednesday of last week, up to Tuesday of this week, 327 of these men have left your city in squads for service at the
South, and I am advised that about 200 more will leave during the present week.
It has not appeared to me necessary to stop this movement, else I should have notified you of it before.
The parties are represented to me as being desperadoes of the worst kind, and whose departure from any community is the only good act they can perform.
’
