Smyrna times., 1865-07-12
THE CONDEMNED.

AhG OOAs DI'A ~ %+"'
PAINE. Harojd 1t.,roH, and NS Su,Yat
H,ngnI-AHcnpt o. SIRE Writ Of la
Lc9& Cot7uS.
WASHINGTON, July On the petition of
Mary +. Surratt through her counsel, Aiken |
and Ciampitt. Judge Wyle. Of the supreme |
Court Of this District, directed an issue OF the |
writ Of hnbcaS corpus to Gen. Hancock, com |
manding him to produce in court at 10 0 clock |
this morning the body of Mrs. Surratt, with |
the cause and day Of her detention.
The writ was served on Gen. Hancock at the
Metropolitan Hotel, at O clock this morning !
Immediately consulted with the Attorney Cen |
cral ana the Secretary Of War. At half past
ten the General had not obcycd the writ.
This fact was brought to the notice Of the
court by the counsel, but the judge said he
had not the power to enforce the writ.
At an early hour to-day, guards were placed
all around the Arsenal grounds to prevent the
Intrusion Of persons to the scene Of execution,
none heing admitted excepting those previous
y supplied with tickets by Major General
Hancock.
The relatives Of Mrs. Surratt and Harold
spent several hours with them during the fore
noon, and they were also attended by their
spiritual advisers, as were also Payne and At
zerott.
\ few minutes after 0 clock the outer pri-
son door was opened, and Mrs, Surratt wa,
supported on her way to the gallows by two
military officers
Next followed Atzerott, Harold and Payne,
accompanied BY guard and their respective
ministers Of the gospel.
Front seats were provided for them on the
! platform in the following order:
| Mrs Surratt, Payne, Harold and AtZcrOtt.
The officers entrusted with the execution and
the ministers occupied intermediate positions.
Major General Ilartranit, who las beer from
the commencement in charge Of the prisoners,
came forward and read the order Of the War
! Department. already published, approving the
sentences. and ordering the penalty OF death u
be inflicted.
\ heavy guard was stationed on the wall.
surrounding the ground. while below soldiers
We're formed on two sides of a square. Per-
hap> several hundred civilians were present,
anxious spectators of the solemn scene. One
Of the priests attendant on Mrs. Surratt re-
! peatcd Il short prayer, to which Payne. who
was seated next to her, attentively listened
The minister who had been administering to
Payne expressed in the name Of the latter his
sincere thanks to General lIartrantt. and the
officers and soldiers who had charge Of him, for
their personal kindness They had not uttered
an mkimd word, nor given an unpleasant look
or gesture. but seemed to compassionate his
misfortune.
The minister then uttered a brief prayer
asking for Payne the forgiveness Of all his sins
| and a passage out of this world into the Joys Of
heaven. The minister who attended Atzerott
also returned for him thanks to General Hart
ranit and other officers for kind attention, and
then invoked the mercy OF God upon the pris-
oncr. The condemned were then required to
rise from their seats, when the chairs were re-
M a. Il,
hands fastened behind Them and their legs
bandaged both below and above the knees, and
white caps placed over their heads
AtZcrott, while being prepared for the exc
cutlon, SAID, " "GcntlemCn, farewell. take good
care; good bye, gentlemen, now before me.
One OF the cicrgymen, standing near, exclaim-
| ed, " May We all meet in the other world. "
As soon as the moose was placed around each
neck, Mrs. Surratt being the last one adjusted
the section ot the platform on which they haG
been standing, suddenly fell and the culprits
We're hanging several feet from the ground.
Mrs Suratt and Payne scarcely moved a
muscle. AtZerott exhibited some twitching,
ana Harold showed more nervous scnsibility
/ than amy of the Others
The bodies hung until life was extinct and
afterwards given over for burial, the rough cot
tins being already at hand for that purpose.
/ The arrangements for the execution were
/ perfect
7 Major General Hancock was present through
out the pI icccdings. 1t is said Payne last
night made statement in behalf Of Mrs Sur
catt cx0ncrating her from completely, and that
another person subscribed to an affidavit i'm
pcaching the testimony of an important witness
again her.
! Mrs Surratt was on the scaffold next to the
/ penItentiary; then came Payne, Harold and
/ At2crott. \ clergyman attended each of them
on the scatfold. Harold shed tears before the
cap was drawn. Payne was stoical, but said
nothing, looking MOstly toward the sky. All
were hung i'll manacles, save Mrs Surratt.-
Four soldiers performed the execution. Graves
were dug near the Scaffold and cotiinS were be-
side them ready for the occupants. Payne was
strangled to death, but the nccks OF all the
Others Were broken.
The execution did not occupy more than 20
minutes, and was devoid of extraordinary incl
dent or accident. Contrary ~ the prevailing
Impression, no speeches were made on the scaf-
! fold, and it is doubted whether Mrs. Surratt
| left any confession Payne said, during the
night, to his clergyman, that he thought If he
| killed Seward it would bring peace to the
South. Atzcrott exhibited the most fear in
prison and on the scatiuld. Harold bore up
| better than was anticipated, and Mrs. Surratt
! seemed almost inanimatc, having to be sus-
tanned in her cell and on the scafiold
/ The bodies hung until , . clock, when they
were cut down, and life was found to be eX-
tinct on examination by the army surgeons
/ The moment the execution was over, all civil
ians were ordered out of the prison yard.