Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-07-08
BURNING OF SHIP NELSON
THE H.srTE REv-OLUTTOS'
&c. &C. ac.. &C.. &c.
Hanging OF Harold. Payne. Atzerott
and mss. Surratt-The scenes at N q

WAsHiSGros, July All the condemned
consprators sentenced to be hanged to day were
executed. On a petition of Mary E. Surratt.
through her counsel, Messrs Aiken and Clam
Dit, Judge Wyile, OF the Supreme Court of this
District. an issue Of writ of habeas corpus was
made to General Hancock, commanding him to
produce in Court, at 10 o. clock this morning. the
body of Mary +. Surratt, with cause and day
of detention The writ was served on Gen.
Hancock at the Metropolitan Hotel, at O'Clock
1his morning by United States Marshal Good
ing. he Immediately consulted with the Attor
ney General and Secretary of War At 1890
the General had not obeyed the writ This fact
was brought TO the notice of the Court by her
counsel. but The Judge said he had not the powe
10 enforce the writ.
Early to-day guards were placed all around
the Arsenal grounds To prevent the intrusion OF
persons to the scene of execution. none being ad
mitted excepting those previously supplied with
tickets by Major General Hancock
The relatives of Mrs Surratt and Harold
spent several hours with them during the fore
noon, and they also attended by their
spiritual advisers. as were also Payne and At
lerott.
A few minutes after one O'Clock the outer
prison doors were opened. aud Mrs. Surrstt, sup
ported on her way to the gallows by two mill
tarv Officers came frst; next came Atzerott, and
Harold and Payne, accompanied by guard ana
their respective ministers of the Gospel. Front
seats were provided for them on the platform in
the following order Mrs Surrstt, PAYNE. Har
rold and Atzerott. The officers entrusted with
the execution and the ministers occupied inter
mediate positions
Major General Hartsuff, who has been from
the commencement in charge Of the prisoners,
came forward and read the order Of the War De
partment. already published. approving the sen
fences. and ordering the penalty of death TO be
inflicted. A heavy guard was stationed on the
walls surrounding the grounds, while below, sol
diers were formed on two sides Of a square. Per
haps several hundred civilians were present. anx
ious spectators of the solemn scene. One Of the
priests attendant on Mrs. Surratt repeated short
prayer, to which Payne, who was seated next 20
her, attentively listened. The minister who had
been administering to Payne, expressed in the
name Of the latter biz sincere thanks to General
Hartsuf and the officers and soldiers who had
charge of him. for their personal kindness They
had not uttered an unknd word. nor given an
missarate his misfortune f6ce minister Then
uttered brief prayer, asking for Payn the for
giveness of all his sins and passage out of this
world into the joys of heaven.
The minister who attended Harold also uttered
thanks for the kind treatment of the prisoner.
and offered a prayer that God would receive mis-
soul Harold was affected 10 tears.
The minister who attended Arzerott also re
turned thanks for him to Gen Hartsuff and other
officers for kind attentions, aud then invoked the
mercy of God upon the prisoner
! The condemned then required To rise
| from their seats when the chairs were removed.
They were now all on the drops Their hands
were fastened behind them, and their legs ban
daged both above and below the knees, and white
caps placed over their heads. Atzerott, while
being prepared for execution, exclaimed "Gen
tlemen. farewell; take care and good bye, gen
tlemen now before me-"
One of the clergymen standing near ex-
claimed May we all meet in the other world.
As soon as the moose was placed around each
neck. Mrs. Surratts being the last adjusted
the section of tho platform on which they had
been standing suddenly fell, and the culprts were
hanging several feet from the ground. Mrs. Sur
raft and Payne scarcely moved a muscle. Atre
rott exhibited some twitching, but Harold
showed more nervous sensibiiity than any OF the
others
The bodies hung until life was extinct. anC
were afterwards given over for burial, the rougt
cofins being already at hand for that purpose
The arrangements for the execution were per
feet Major General Hancock preseu
throughout the proceedings.
1t Is said Payne. last night, made a statemen
ia behalf of Mrs. SIrrstt, generating her from
completely, and that another person subscribed Il
an Aft iavit impe aching the testimony OF an i'm
portant witness against her.