From the Richmond Whig, 3/11/1864, p. 1, c. 3

THE CASHMEYER "INDISCRETION." - Phillip Cashmeyer, who was guilty of the "grave indiscretion" (if nothing more) of attempting, clandestinely, to send letters and other papers to Yankee land by a Yankee prisoner, is still in Castle Thunder. It is supposed that he will undergo an examination of some sort at some time, but when, or whether before a military or civil tribunal, has not yet transpired. From an officer of the Government, who, after a long official intercourse with Cashmeyer, had formed a high opinion of his loyalty and integrity, and who now believes him innocent of any criminal intent in this transaction, we have learned the sum of the contents of the letter and papers in the case. There was but one letter, and that to his wife, and in German, the only language, it seems, that Cashmeyer writes. - this letter gave an account of how he had interested himself to obtain the release or exchange of a Yankee sutler named Jack Hooper, and was, it is believed, designed to propitiate the Lincoln authorities towards the writer's family, who reside in Baltimore. The other documents consisted of passports on which he had traveled through the Confederacy, orders, in which he was specially named, billets from persons in authority to him, &c., &c., which, it is believed by his friends, he was induced by a foolish vanity to send North, that it might be known there what an important personage he had become. Among the orders was one from general Winder, requiring all officers of the army to report to him on their arrival in Richmond, and bearing on its back the endorsement that "Officer Phillip Cashmeyer is entrusted with the duty of seeing that this order is executed." There were several passports "at will," and the following note from a member of the Winder family: "Dear Cash-Meyer - Send me some fruit!"

Cashmeyer may be, and we sincerely hope he is, the innocent, vain, foolish detective his partizans would have us believe, but before we can agree with them, one point at least must be explained. Of all men in the Confederacy, he was best acquainted with the "blockade runners," and through them had the best and most frequent opportunities of communicating with Baltimore, receiving letters or other things thence and sending them thither. This being the case, this lawful means being open to him, why should he resort to a clandestine and disgraceful method of communicating with his friends?

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