The Portland daily press., 1865-05-15

voted regret and sympathy with the United
States.
The House had debated Mr.. Baine's bill re-
ducing the franchise without action.
Trial of the Assassins.
WASHINGTON, May Is.
The Court is held at the Old Penitentary,
in an upper room, with two windows at the
west, and two at the north. These windows
are ironed with fiat bars. On the wall on the
west side on raised seats were DR. Mudd.
David G. Harold, Lewis Payne, Edward
Spangler of Foris Theatre, Michael O'Lough-
lin, Atzerott and Samuel Arnold. Sitting out
side the paling was Mrs. Surratt, leaning on
small green baize table beside her.
Beyond her on the other side of the table
near the northern windows sat the counsel for
the accused, who are as follows: Mr.. Thomas
Ewing, son of the Ohio ex-senator; Attorney
Stone, Mr.. Walter s. Cox, Hon. Reverdy John
son, and Messrs. Aiken and Clampett.
Running east and west beside the northern
wall, runs long table, also covered with
green baize. At this table sat the Court.
Mr.. Mudd looked calm, collected and atten-
tive. learning on the table that surround
ed him, as If to relieve his wrists from the
weight ofthe handouts that encountered them.
M APPEARANCE OF THE PRISONERS.
Arnold was restless, raising his hands to his
hair with nervous twitching and constantly
varying the direction of his looks; now glanc-
ing from face to face, then bowling his head
upon his hands, which he supported on
his knees. His handouts were somewhat pc
culiar, not being connected as usual with
chain, but by bar about eight inches in
length. ok
Payne was dressed in gray wooden shirt
and dark pants. He seemed more intent in
trying to obtain full view of the sunny land
scape through the barred windows, than Of
combining his attention to the details of the
proceedings. Ashe looked, a strange listless,
dreaminess peryaded his face; his hair hung
over his face and often clouded his dark blue
eyes; his thick and somewhat protruding lips
were as if glued together; his legs were eros
sed and his hands rested upon his knees.
Laughlin was keenly observant of every
move made in the Court. He leaned back
with his head against the wall, fully exposing
his broad, but not high forehard, crowned with
a full bushy head Of black hair. He has dark
eyes and a pale bloodless complexion, and
wears heavy moustache and wide imperial.
Atzerott is a man of some five feet six in
ches in height, and had it not been for his
manacles he might have been taken for mere,
spectator. He possesses a style of face most
common in the Southern gentry. His hair
and beard are Of the reddish color. His eyes
are light. seiss s ,s =
One police officer sat beside each prisoner.
Mrs. Surratt has already been correctly des-
cribed. She is stout buxom widow bef1tting
Falstaffs' ideal of "fat, fair and fortyo She
was dressed in black, and looked a4fttle flush
ed.
OBJECTION TO REvERDY JOHNSON AS couN-
Sell. IS
The first testimony taken in the case of the
several parties arraigned, was portion of that
which the government deems it necessary for
the present to withhold from the public.
When that testimony had all been render
ed, Brig. Gen. T, w. Harris stated that he
arose to object to the admission of Reverdy
johnson as counsel pleading before that Court
and that he did this upon the ground that in
an opinion delivered by Mr.. johnson, that
gentleman had expressed his disregard of the
sanctity of an oath.
Gen. Harris then stated that he referred to
an opinion expressed in a letter written by
Mr.. johnson at the time Of the Maryland
Convention, held with reference to the adop-
ton of the new constitution Of that State.
Mr.. johnson made lengthy reply, when
the objection was withdrawn. rs al.
The Court being re-opened, Gen. Harris
stated that he desired to withdraw his obec-
ton, as he considered Mr.. Johnsons expla-
nation a satisfactory removal of the grounds
on which the objection was founded.
Mr.. johnson expressed his willingness and
desire to take the oath, but the Court deemed
it unnecessary.
q TESTIMONY OF DETECTIVE LEE.
A. W. Lee being duly sworn, testified as
follows: q -
@. Do you belong to the police force? A.
Yes, sir, to the Military police.
@. State whether at any time you .examip-
al n - Al u. - 4
House? A, Yes, sir, was ordered by Maj
O'Bourne to go into the principal part of the
building, and see how the house was situated.
Imade an examination, and told him one
could get from the roof to the stairway in the
back of the building, which would admit him
to any part of the building. told the Major
the circumstances. iIl4
no. When was this? Here the witness
looked at a paper.l A. It was the night of the
18th of April. / then went, and while there
friend came to me and said there was rath-
er suspicious looking person who had taken
room the day previous, and i had better 90
and look. l went and found in the register,
badly written, the name of B. A. Atzerott.
made 1t out, but in fact nobody could make it
out until asked the proprietor, and he made
it out on the register.
@. Where did you go after thatp A.
went up stairs and saw one of the clerks, and
asked him to go up to the room with me. 1
found the door locked, and he said the party
had taken the key with him. Iwant to one of
the proprietors, and asked if he had any OBJ
jections to my going into the room if we could
find key to At. He said no; but though we
tried his keys we could not get in. I asked
him If we might burst in the door. He said
he had no objection, and we burst the door
open. When l went in saw coat hanging
on the wall. Col. Burnett here ordered a
bundle to be passed to the witness. This
bundle on being opened by the Colonel. was
found to be coat, enrolled in which were
sundry small articles. Witness-That coat
was hanging upon the wall just in that way
as YOU 20 in on the left hand side. That's the
coat, sir
@. State what examination you made Of the
room? A. Well, saw that coat right opposite.
The bed stood in sight. went towards the
bed, and underneath pillow, or bolster, l
found a revolver bound with brass. Here
the pistol was shown to the witness, and it
also passed through the hands OF Mr.. johnson,
who remarked, sIt is loaded."l Witness con-
tinuing-I then went down stairs to find Maj.
O'Beirne; and we went up stairs to the room
again. TOOK the coat down, and found this
book, and that also.
@. Did you look inside of that book, and
see what was written? A. Yes. sir: there
was an account, on the Ontario Bank, for
S455. then put my hand in the pocket, and
found this handkerchief with Mary r. Booth
on 1t. / then pulled out this other handker-
chief, and had some difficulty in making out
the mark; but think it is F. A. Nelson or
+. e. Nelson. found this handkerchief. with
IN. I fx<xtk !. Il. -