Unknown to Unknown

Private New Orleans Apl 22nd 1865 My Dear Sir I shall send a copy of this letter to Farnsworth, addressed to his name, and in it I shall ask his cooperation in my plan. In what I write I want you to consider [illegible] [illegible][illegible] not of personal confidence and should nothing come of my endeavrs no harm will be done. [illegible] agreed?

There are in Louisana and Texas probably three hundred thousand bales of cotton, a large part of which blongs to the confrderate government. The leaders of the rbllin. then,[illegible] Kirby Smith [illegible] ast [illegible]that the game with them is up, and that all they hast to do nows is to pass what they can to [illegible][illegible] in this is [illegible] other country. For this [illegible] they want to pass that cottin and are trying to sell it for fastrest delivry, but nobody will buy and incur the dangers of war and confiscation. They can not sell in on credit to an of our people for rasons that will suggest

themselves to you at [illegible]. I have a proposition upon Buchner, who is at [illegible] on [illegible][illegible] to this effet: I want him to hand all the public cotton and all the cotton [illegible] to confiscatin legally transferred to the ownership of those is [illegible] civilians who hast not ben engaged in actin [illegible]

2/ against [illegible][illegible][illegible] [april 22 1865] and after they are arrstrd with [illegible] accrding to the forms of law, I propose to get for them a null and [void?} parden for all political offences that they may hast commttd. a parden for each one, I mean, under the hand of the president and the [seal?]of state in which all their rights to hold property shall b rrtrnd and

[illegible] dispute it. This is the plan: and I have it before Buchner already and he will [illegible] communicate it to Smith. I hast little hesitation in saying that it will [apprest?] itself to their [illegible][illegible] and that it will be accepted. Ans for your cooperation I hav told Buchner that I shall charge him one third the [illegible] [illegible] of thr cotton when sold for [illegible] on this side. one third will go to [illegible] and one third to Kirby Smith, Buchner [illegible] they making such a division s they [illegible]. their is enoufs for all of us; and now if you & them - they must be [fair]-when you will [illegible] manage to get [illegible] approval of the plan

3 and his signaturs to [April 22 1865]the pardners this work is done. He might to make not a moments hesitation about it. The job iz of the govermment is to pass that property to [illegible] [illegible] & [finances?]; and as [sure?] as God lives it will be destroy all as our troops approach [illegible] it is in [illegible] way [illegible] of to thr satisfaction of thrs

men who control it. they are outlaws and will be exhatinatrd; they care nothing for the country's properity. they hast nothing but [illegible] for it and us; but they can be bribed to do iss and the country this great service; and wh that knows [illegible] great the financial distrip all [illegible] the [illegible] will be as soon as the

war is ovr, [illegible][illegible] that we should help tak in saving all that we can? Had Mr. Lincoln [illegible] then [illegible][illegible][illegible]him no doubt of his acquicscence. I had before him a [illegible] of [illegible] for all the country east of the Mississippi, but the [illegible] of [illegible][illegible][illegible] great distruction at [illegible] and other places, has turned my attention to the west. [illegible][illegible][illegible] you please with you, but promise me that when you hear from me again and hast the names of the men for whom parden is asked you will go to Washington at once, and lay this whole thing