Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-05-18
TRIAL OF THE ASSASSINS.
INCIDENTS AND lNFERENCES.

The Military Commission resumed its
consideration of the great conspiracy Mon
day at ten O'Clock. We published yester-
day sn extract f,om the testimony Of
Weirhman, relative 20 Surrat.s visit to
Richmond. The Baltimore american sum
marizes Other points in the evidence, as
follows.
LLOYD, who kept SIrratt's' tavern,
where Booth and Harold were supplied
with arms and waisisy on the route from
Washington 20 the Potomac, testiiies TO his
receiving a visit from Surralt, Harold and
4 zerott five or six weeks before the fatal
night, when the arms and ammunition were
left in his hands. Mrs Surratt also called
Al the tavern on the day o. the as>assina-
ton, and arranged for the prompt delivery
or the s'SnOoting irons 70 Wilkes Booth
waeu he sLouii cSd Tor them. Mary Van
Tine, in whose house in Washington O'Laugh
lin and Arnold occupied rooms, gave impor-
tant evidence IS 20 the relations eXis ing be-
tween BoO.b a her dodgers, proving that
they were on the mos. intimate terms and
always associated together. b. j Early teS-
titles 10 accompanying O'Laughlin tom this
city to Washington on the day preceding
the murder, and the first act of the latter
was 10 visit Booth, with whom he had pro-
tracted interview. The evidence of Early is
somewhat confused rs TO the movements of
O'Laughlin on the night of the murder, he
testify NJ that he cannot remember whether
he seen him before or after the aSSassina-
ton, only knowing that il was az a late
hour that they met. Lieutenant Henderson,
WhO was also of the party who acco wpanied
OIaughlin from here TO Washington, also
testified 10 the latter being with Booth
5. K. j. Stregg and other witnesses gave evil
dence detailing circumstances come citing
the prisoners with Booth in the great crime.
A special despatch to the New York
Times, dated Monday, says:
Tue prisoners, at the opening hour Of the
session, appe ,red generally composed, aud
no perceptible change was observable in their
demeanOr until tho at ernOon, when the first
witness was called to the stand.
To-day, as on Saturday, some three hours
we're consumed IN reading and revising the
journal Of the previous days proceedings.
Arnold was again lost sight Of and il ap-
pears as though O'Laughhn had gone with
MIN until David Stanton, an inmate Of Sec
rotary Stanion's house hold, appeared upon
the stand and stated that on the nigh. OF the
illumination, the 18th of April, whilst Gen.
Grant and Secretary Stanton were being
serenaded the residences of the latter, the
witness found solitary man standing In the
hall seemingly surveying the premises and |
pretending 10 be a beng really intoxicated. !
This man being so far removed from the |
crowd which Was upon the street, witness I
asked him what he vas doing there. The !
iltruder IN response asked where Mr.. Sian |
ton was. He was ordered TO leave the house. !
Witness recognized the accused in the pris- |
oner's bench. Putting this with the pre- |
ceding testimony, which proved O'Laughlin's |
recent intimacy and confidential talks with |
Booth, We have some tangible support Of |
Yates theory that he is on Of the sssassinS, |
whose part in the drama " sprobabiy TO take |
the lie OF the Secretary Of War. This, |
however, appears 10 be ali thus far developed |
against him.
Ia the evidence, to-day, We hear nothing |
further Of De. Audd, scarcely anything of
HcrrOld or Atzer,th, nothing Of Payne, and |
but little of material testimony as TO Mrs.
Surratt. The whole weight OF the days
work falls on the person Spangler, whose
status in the execution Of the plot was al
most eOnclusively defined in the concluding
testimony OF this session.
The witness, Joseph N. Dye, who saw
three men, one Of whom was Booth, en-
gagged in Suspicious mAn9uyring in front Of
the theatre Just before the assassination,
being asked ii he recognized among the ac-
eused one Of Booths companions, after n
close scrutiny of the faces OF the prisoners,
declared that SpAngler'S cOuntenAnce was
the one he saw on that night, except the
moustAche which Booths companion wore
on that occasion. Here Spangler, for the
irst time during the trial, gave evidence
nd aff OfI
mis- condition. His face flushed up in
stantly, and a. quickly became bloodless.-
His mouth twitehed, his eyes filed, he
beat his hands upon his knees, and his
whole frame seemed conYulsed, nor did he
fully recover bis usual quiet, listleSs look
until the next witness, who had long known
him, testified that SpIngler never wore
moustache. Again he was crushed by the
positive testimony that he that day was
heard to promise Booth TO help him all he
could, and was called out by the assassin
when the latter rode mp 10 tue rear OF the
theatre on horseback, few minutes before
the assassination; that when asked about IL,
Immediately after the murder, and whilst
standing az the door through which Booth
escaped, the accused replied "Hush don't
say anything about it." The other prison.
ers turned 10 their seats and gazsd At their
|
ind the weak man, heretofore uuheard OF in
the evidence, now taking 50 prominent part
in she drama. II may come out in the tss-
timonJ for the defence that Spangler was
NOS Booths confederate in the grea. crime.
But so far the evidence fastens guilt upon
MIN too strongly TO DO easily removed.
Much Of the testimony offered this after
noon was such as in 4 criminal trial in q civil
court would be first presented. Such eyi
dence as was given By Major Rathbone, Mr..
Ferguson and others, Of tho immediate cir
cumstances connected with the murder, the
death Of Mr.. Lincoln, etc., We look for as
the natural foundation for all the other eYi-
dence, and on account Of the irregularity in
the presentation Of proofs, it is difficult to
determine how nearly complete the case
has been made ont against them.
There are between seventy and eighty
witnesses for the Government. so far asnov
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