Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1865-06-20
SECOND EDITION.
5x Outlook p. II.
THE CONSPIRACY TRIALS,
Proceedings This Afternoon.
THE CASE OF SPANGLER
ARGUMENT OF MR. EWING

The Court met per adjournment, at p. N.
Mrs. Surratt, as on yesterday, was permit
ted, on account Of indisposition, to occupy
seat in the passage between the cour: room
and the witness room, for the benefit Of fresh
air.
Mr.. Ewing said that in what he had TO say
he would confine himself to eyiew of the
evidence, reserving what he had to say In re-
gard to the jurisdiction Of the Court and the
character OF tb.. charges and specifications un-
Ill he should present his argument in the cases
OF Mudd and Arnold.
He first considered the character Of the ac-
cused, his relations TO Booth, and Booths
habits OF resortng to the theater and frater.
nlZiDg with the employees.
Mr.. Ewing proceeded 20 detail the testimony
OF John I. Ford as to Spangler's position at the
over the lower classes; and the good nature and
kindness OF heart of Spangler
There was not, MIR. Ewing urged, the slight
est indication in the evidence that SpangIer
ever met Booth except about the Eheatsr' or
mat ne was In any manner implicated in
Booths plans. Nothing appears in any of the
evidence, except that of Dye and Sleightman,
to show the slightest knowledge by Spangler
OF Booths guilty purposes.
The act OF Spangler in repairing Booths
stable was the act OF a drudge and the fact OF
his taking Booths horse and buggy to the horse
market was as good against J. r. Ford and
Clifford as against Spangler, but In fact, told
nothing against any of them. The rope found
in Spangler's carpet bag was just like 40 or so
others about the theater, used as bor-
der ropes. From the evidence it would
appear that he had slowed it awayfor
In that devilish scheme for the ASSASSINATION
OF the President he could imagine no use
to which that piece of rope, 81 feet long,
could be used, and il used at all in that con.
nection, its proper place would have been at
the theater, and not at Spangler's boarding
place. He [Mr Ewing had felt some embar-
rassment in being able TO explain exactly how
the prisoner came legitimately in possession Of
Court had not required an explanation as to
the equally suspicious and incongruous arti-
Giles found in spangler's carpet bag,-the shirt
which the shirt-collarIess Spangier joined
The testimony of Peanuts as to SpangIer's
cursing the President While preparing the
dence; but as an offsett to it, supposIng him
to have used the language stated, and under
the irritation caused by being called from his
regular work to prepare the stage box, We have
the fact OF his having clapped his hands when
the President entered the theater, seeming as
reJolced as any one.
The fact that Booth did not want the saddle
and bride taken from his horse and that Span.
gler wanted to take 1t off and subsequently did
SO, showed that Spang!er had no idea Of
Booth purpose.
The preparations for the assassination in
connection with the stage box also testify in
Spangler'3 favor. The evidence shows that
BSotn had occupied Box No. revious to the
assassination; that he always engaged that
box, and that he had done so TO make his prep.
arations. A gimlet such would be used In
boring the hole In the box door was found in
afterwards lost.
These facts tell In Spangler' favor, as show.
ing that Spangler was not a confederate of
Booths, else he would have been delegated by
s Rn1fth 70 dp HIS WoTk instead OF doing it Eim-
In the wall, which had evidently been done nv
The fact of the screws being loose i'm the hoy
door was shown by the testimony OF Raybof
to have been caused by his burs ting omen tn.
door on previo US occasion.
AS regards the bar produced in Court, it is
evident that it was not prepared specially for
the purpose, and that If it was really the bar
used it was not prepared by Spangier as he,
e , carpenter: would not have prepared it so
The testimony OF Siiehtman as to Snang,er
saying ''I es' to Booths request to help him all
he could at the time Booth rode up to the rear
Of the theatre Is positively contradicted by the
testimony Of the utility man, Derbonf
The evidence shows concI usively that Booth
came to the house with his horse but once that
night, and thus Booth could have had no pre-
that night Slightman's testimony is unsup-
ported by the other evidence, and inconsistent
with 1t; spaagler's whole conduct, both be-
show that il he did answer affirmatiyeIy
Booths request, he did net comprehend what
it meant. The fact that Booth knocked the
rse.hoIoeI ooWn on emerging from the the
alter shows that Booth, who naturally supposed
1t was Spangler he was thus striking, had no
completely with Spangler.
Mr.. Ewing then reviewed the testimony
OF Sergeant Joseph M. Dye. as to seeing
q roughly dressed man in front of the the
alter with whom Booth whispered ere en-.
ter1ng the theater, previous 10 shooting the
President. Dye swears positively that the
roughly dressed man wore a heavy black
moustache. 1t is positively shown that Spane
Ter wore no moustache On that night, and was
never known to wear one. The fact, too, that
Spahgler could not have been absent TO the
front OF the theater for three quarters of an
hour from his duties. was also concIusiyeIy
shown
Mr.. Ewing was proceeding with his argu.
ment when our report closed