Baton Rouge tri-weekly gazette & comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1865-18??, 1865-08-01
A Woman's sympathy for Mrs. sufrat.
Letter by Mrs. Jane q. swisshelm.

atty of the law, and my pity for her
fate cannot add one drop to thai
ocean Of sympathy which threatens
to wash away the landmarks be.
tween vice and virtue in making
them equally safe; but when jus
tice 10 satisfied, we may proftably
consider the extent of completely
in that crime for which Mrs. Surrat
suffered. God only knows how she
suffered .a X 8i.-as'' 1913
| 1t il customary to represent her rs
woman with an unlimited amount
of cunning and cruelty in her face {,
but she is simply representative
Southern, woman, no better or
worse than the majority Of South
ern women. know those who
have known her as the belle and
beauty of her county, the petted,
spoiled favorite of friends, the idol
Of parents, husband and children. -
Her face, and indeed her whole fig
ure, while on trial, was soft, roun.
ded, tender and motberly. Her
large gray eyes alone gave indica.
ton of reserved strength. Her be
bavior, during that long and terri
BILE ordeal, was full Of delicacy and
dignity. She made no scenes, as
weak or vain woman would have
done. When her daughter came
into court, and, with quiyering lip,
and streaming eye, appeared on the
point Of breaking down, with ges
ture Of command and entreaty, she
restrained her. ALI the long, hot
days she sat with her heavy mourn
ing veil down, and. large, palm
leaf fan held between her face and
the crowds who gathered and crush.
ed and struggled to gaze at her, as
If she had been an alligator--hun1
dreds Of persons in these crowds
making the most insulting remarks
in her hearing.
Your readers are no doubt fanil-
lar with the form Of the Court room
aud know that her position was in
the southwest corner facing the
east, and that door leads 10 from
an ante-room on the south, about
four feet from the railing behind
which she sat. On my one visit |
had chair close to the wall behind
this door and the railing, SO that |
was within less than two feet of the
rail, with orders to keep that space
clear, but the press at the door for
entrance was so great that ! gradu-
ally moved my chair until it was
close to the rail, and sat there an
hour before being discovered.
During all that time she loaned
her head YEARLY, against the wall,
and by changing hands kept her
baLds steadily before her face, and
every few minutes low, stiiled
moan, escaped her. Men and wo-
men stood tiptoe, and stretched
and strained or, having gained
entrance, stood coolly and made
such remarks as "Where's Mrs. Sur
rat p II want to see her p lob,
goodness, just look if she isn't pre-
tending 10 be modest |" 'Tsn't she
devil ?" "She looks like devil!p
Hasn't she q horrid fAoeT Il
hope they'll hang her--tee, hee,
heel" All these remarks and more
such, some of them again and again
and often accompanied by coarse
laughter, | heard during the two
hours and half sat near her, and
she must have heard them as dis
tinetly as / did. They were evi.
IDENTIFY meant for her.
1t appears to me SO cruel and
cowardly thus TO insult prisoner
in chains, that Icould not refrain
from answering, and several times
said: ''She has not a bad face
She has good face, and If she had
not, it 10 cowardly to insult herw
She dropped her fan and looked
at me with such an expression oil
gratitude 40 1 shall never forget
looked full into her eyes mine
were not dry, while hers filled With
heavy tears. Several asked me if
Il was friend of Mrs. Snrrat," 80
strange did any pity for her ap-
pear.
"Once abe arose and made an of
fort to touch her counsel with her
fan rs be passed out of the door,
/ asked her If she wished to speak
to him, and on Offering to have him
called she thanked, me In low,
sad, sweet tone. | became sus
picious character, and an officer
came and planted himself between
US to see that there was no commu-
nication. afterwards applied to