Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1865-06-21
Abstract OF Mr.. Ewing's Defence o
.''' Spangler.

Mr.. Ewing said that In what he had 10 say
In behalf Of the prisoner, Edward Spanglcr,
he would confno himself TO y royiew Of the
evidence, reserying what hol had TO say In
regard TO the Jurisdiction of the Court and
the character Of tho charges and specifca.
tipns until he should present his argument In
the cases Of Mudd and Arnold.
lie first considered the character Of the nc.
eused, his relations to Booth, and Booths
habit Of resorting to the theatre and fratcr.
MIXING with the employees.
Mr.. Ewing proceeded 10 detail the testi.
mony Of John T. Ford ms 10 Spangler's posi-.
tion at tho theatre, tho fascinating influence
Of Booth over tho lower classes and the good
nature and Kindness of hcart OF Spanglcr
There was not, Mr.. Ewing urged, the
slightest indication in the evidence that
spanglsr ever mot Booth except about the
theatre, or that he was In any manner impll.
Gated In Booths plans Nothing appears in
any Of the evidence, except that OF Dyo and
Slightnan, to show the slightest knowledge
by sphnglcr of Booths guilty purposes.
The act Of Spangler in repairing Booths
stable was the act Of drudge; and tho fiIct
Of his taking Booths horse and buggy to the
horse market was as good against j. X. Ford
and Gifiord asagainst Spanglcr, bun, In fact
told nothing against either Of them. The
TOIlC III CNEltN UNk NiH Just
like forty or fifty others about tho the
ntre, used as bordor ropcS From tho
evidence II would appear that he slowed II
away for his fishing excursions as 4 crab line
IN that dovelish scheme for the assassina
tion of the President ho could imagine no
use to which that piece Of rope, eighty one
feet long could !" :" Rsea, and If used at all
J. N"Doter place would
and not at Spang
..s poarm-s &c. lIo (Mr EWING
had felt some embarrassment In being able
to explain exactly how the prisoner cRme
legitiTiately in possession OF this rope;
but it should be remembered that the Court
had not required m explanation hs To the
equally suspicious and incongruous articles
found in Spanger's carpot bag-the shirt
collar and writing materials Laughter,
in which the shirt -collarless Sphnglor Joined
The testimony of Peanuts as to Spangler's
cursing the President while preparing the
stagobox would not go great way as oyi.
dcnce; but as an Oflset to IL, suppDsing him
TO have used tho language stated, aud under
the irritation caused bybeing called from
his regular work " prepare tho atAge!box,
We have tho fact, Of his having chpped his
hands when the Prosident entered the thea
tte, seeming as rcioiced as any one. '1'
Tho fact that Booth did not want tho sad.
dlo and bride taken from his horse, and that
5pangler wanted 70 take IL on, md subse.
ssquSntly did 50, showed that spangler had
NO idea of Booths purpose, -.
| The preparations for the assassinutiOn In
connection with the dAgs.box also testify In
Spanglors favor. The evidence shows that
Booth had occupied Box No. previous "a
the assassination that he always engaged
that box, and that he had done so to make
\ his preparations. A giuilet, such aswould
be usod In boring tbs hole IN tho box, wa.
found In Booths room after tho assassina
ton, but was Afterwards lost.
4 These facts tell In Spanglcrs lhvor, ai
showing that Spanglcr was not confederate
Of Booth else he would have been delegated
BY Booth to do this work instead OF doing II
himself SO Of tho work Of making the ex
oayaiiOn in the wall, which had evidently
been done by Booth some night while occupy
ing the box. Tho fact of the Sorrows being
lOOso In the box door was shown by the tes.
timony Of Raybolt to have boon caused by
his bursting open the door on a previous oc.
easion. .....
AZ regards the bar produced IN court, II 1.
evident that II was not prepared spocinlly fol
tho purpose, and that II 1t was really the bai
used Il was not prepared by Spangler, as he,
4 carpenter, would not have prepared II SC
eluInsily with nails in the butt
4 Tho testimony Of Slightnlan as to spanglci
saying Yos" TO Booths request TO help hin
al he could Rt the time Booth rOdo up the
rear Of the theatre, Is positively contraaictcd
by the testimony Of tho utility man, DerbOui
Tho evidence shows concluslyoly that
Booth came to tho house with his horse but
once that night, and thus Booth could have
had no previous opportunity TO oOmnunicRt,
with him that night. Slightman's testimony
u unsupported by the other evidence, AM
ineonslstent with Il. Spangler's whole con
duct, both before and after the fatal shot wa,
hred, goes to show that II he did answer Mt
hrmatively Booth s request, he did not com
prchend what II meant Tho fact that Booth
knocked tho householder down, ON emerging
from the theatre, shows that Booth, who nat
urHIly supposed IL was SpaDgler hc was thu
striking had no completely with Spangler
| Mr.. Ewing thop reviewed tho testimony Of
Sergeant Joseph NJ, Dye, as TO seeing q
roughly dressed man In front Of the theatre
with whom Booth whispered ere entering the
theatre, previous 70 shooting the President,
bye swears positively that tho roughly
dressed man wore heavy black moustachS.
II Is positively shown that Spanglcr wore no
niOustacho on that night, and was never
known to wear one. The fact, too that
Spangler could not have been absont to the
| front Of tho theatre for three quarters Of IN
hour from his duties, was also conclusiyeiy
shown.