Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-07-15
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s
Through her counsel, Wessrs Aiken sns
Clampitt, Jodtse Wylie, of the Suprema
/ Court of this district, directed an issno
/ of a wr1t Of hsbeas corpus to Gen. Han
II cocl--e01a1fdn tlfngs him to produce i
court at 10 o'clock this morning, the
BODY of Mary f. Surratt, with causo
and day. of detention. The writ was
served on Gen. Hancock at the Metro.
politan Hotel. at 3 O'Clock this morning
| by United States Marshal Gooding. He
having consulted with the Attorney
General and Secretary of War at 10:36.
the General had not obeyed the writ
This fact was brought to the notice of
the court by her counsel and the Judge
said he had not power to enforce the
4 writ =
- Early to day guards were placed all
! around the arsenal grounds. to prevent
i the intrusion of persons to the scene of
| execution, none being admitted except
ling those previously supplied with tick
1 cts by Gen. Hancock. : s4aJ ~
| The relatives of Mrs. Surratt ants
IIarrold spent several hours with then
during the forenoon, and they Were al
/ SO attended by their spiritual advisers,
as were also Pay1ie and Atzerott A
i few minutes after L o'clock the outer
prison door was opened, and Mrs. Sur
raft was supported on her way to the ga
lows by military officers Next followed
Atzerott, Harold and Payne, accompa-
i med by guard and their respective
ministers of the gospel. - ssss-
i Front seats were provided for them
on the platform in the following order.
/ Mrs. Surratt, Payne, Harold and AT
lzerott- the officers entrusted with the
4 execution and the ministers occupied
intermediate positions. Maj. Genera
j Hartraupt, who has been from the CON-
mencement in charge of the prisoners,
came forward and read the order of the
War Department, already published
i approving the sentences, and ordering
1 the penalty of death to be inflicted. A
heavy guard was stationed on the walls
surrounding the grounds, while below.
soldiers were formed on two sides of a
square. Perhaps several hundred civil
ians were present, anxious spectators OF
the solemn scene. t......
One of the priests attendant on Mrs1
Surratt repeated short prayer, To.
which PAYNE, who was seated next to
her attentiveIy listened The minister
/ who had been administering to Payne,
spoke in the name of the latterhis sincere
/ thanksto Gen. ,HartTauptan the officers
and soldiers who had charge of him, for
their personal kindness; they had not
| uttered an unkind word nor given an
unpleasant look or gesture, but seemed
/ To cofupassionare his ,aisfortune. The
| minister then uttered a briefiprayer,
/ asking for Payne the forgiveness of all
/ his sins aud O. passage out of this world
Into the ioys of heaven, The minister
i who attended Harold also returned
/ thanks for the kind treatment of the
prisoner, and offered prayer that God
would receive his soul Harold was
i affected to tears. The minister who
Iattended Atzerott also returned thanks
for him to Gen. Hartraupt and other
officers, for their kind attentions, and
then invoked the mercy of God upon
the prisoners. The condemned were
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 bandaged both below and above
the knees, and white caps placed over
| their heads. xs#ra z,,,.:-#i
Atzerott, while being prepared for
| the execution, exclaimed: Gentlemen,
/ farewell: take care and good bye ger-
ltlemen now before mepsfsOne of the
lclergymen standing near exclaimed;
ssMay we all meet in the other world.
AS soon as the ropes were put around
their necks, Mrs Surratt being the last
one adjusted, the section OF the platform
on which they had been standing, sud
| denly fell and the culprits were hang
ing several feet from the ground. Mrs.
Surratt and Payne scarcely moved
muscle. AtZerott exhibited some twitcl-
ing, but Harold showed more nervous
| sensibility than any of the others.
i The bodies hung until life was extinct
| and were afterwards given over for burr
/ al, the rough coffins being already at
/ hand for that purpose 81 f45 ~"
The arrangements for the execution
were perfect. Mai. Gen. Hancock was
present throughout the proceedings.
1 Tt is said PAYNE made statement last
night in behalf of Mrs. Surratt, exon
Grating her from completely, and that
another person subscribed TO an affidavit
| impeaching the testimony of an impor-
4 tant witness against her. f'ee - -.
| WASHINGTON, July Sth.--The ChreH-
icle brands as ridieulouslys false, the
Statement that Secretary Seward has
placed his resign alton at the disposal OF
tne r = ''if7l.'" ) .ssdi bah j. aaa *
New, YORK, July Sth,--The World, In
its account of the execution, says tZe-
rott made the following statement
yesterday morning:
He took room at the Kmkwood House
on Thursday inAgfder to get pass from
Vice President Johnson, togo to Rich
i mond.v Booth was to leaveg the Rich
mond theatre, and the President was to
be invited to attend it when when visit
ing Richmond, and captured there. 80
= Harold brought the pistol and knife to
j the room about half-past two o'clock on
Friday He, aAtzerott said, would snot
have anything to- do with the murder of
johnson, when Booth said that Harold
had more courage than Atzerott and he
| wanted Atzerott to be with Harold tourge
4 him to do it. There was a meeting at res
taurant about the middle of March, at
i which John Surratt, Booth, O'Langh-
Ian, Arneld, Payne, Harold and himself
were present, when plan to capture
Il the President was disclosed YTo2s
i They had heard the President was
to visit a camp, and they proposed to
capture him, coach and all drive thro'
| Lang Old fields tn II r where the