Gen. Holt and Sanford Conover

[SSlater]

I have stumbled onto an Untitled File Folder, in my own files -that has floored me.
It is an "Exhibit to the deposition of Gen, Holt". It is 37 legal size pages, of handwritten material. Written between July 1865 and Jan, 1866, between SANFORD CONOVER and Gen. HOLT.
Would you believe that CONOVER was hired by HOLT to go find John Surratt and find witnesses that would testify that Davis , et. al, were part of the assassination.
By Aug. 1865, Surratt was found by others, but all of Conover's cost for himself and all the witnesses was financed by Holt. Conover didn't have to find Surratt, but all the rest he accomplished.
He found all the witnesses he needed, and then some. His letters to Holt usually referred to the witnesses by initials. I can give you all the names, (like - Carter, Wright, Irish, etc. but not here.)
(During his search for witnesses, one of his own children died. I don't have details how he handled that.)
This tells me that the Judge knew the witnesses BEFORE the trial, and knew what they would say. (Do you suppose he might have told them -what to SAY.) The Judge paid for all the costs incurred by witnesses for an extended period of time. Now, that's a fair trial.
(I'll read the packet to see if there is more for you to know.)