The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-05-02
The Assnssins.

have already given sketch to our read
ers. His associates, however, are not SC
we'll known and the following sketches
of the more notorious of the parties may
not therefore be out of place:
L. DAVID c.! HAROLD: ..-s
This accomplice Of Booth, and who,
next to Atzerot, appears to have been BIS
| chief assistant in the horrible transae-
tion in which he engaged. was resident
of Washington City, and son of the late
A. G. Harold, we'll known citizen OF the
Sixth Ward, Washington City and for
many years the principal clerk in the Ma
| val Store, Washington Harold, the as
| sassin, was educated at Charlotte Hall,
st. Mary's county, Md, and was we'll ac-
quainted with the topography of that
| district He has long been known as an
idle. dissipated young man, leading n
| fast life on invisible means of support
For a couple of months previous to the
murder he had been very intimate with
Booth Harold is only twenty-three
years of age. Secretary Stanton lately
offered reward of twenty-five thousand
dollars for the arrest of Harold.
,-5E 80 GEORGE A ATZEROT.
George A. AtzerOt, another accomplice
and assistant of Booth, for whom Secre-
tary Stanton offered reward of twenty
five thousand dollars, was arrested near
Middletown, Montgomery county, Mary
land, on April 20 He was found at the
house OF his cousin, Ernst Hartmann
Richter, by Sergeant Gcmmill, of Cap
tain TOwnscnd's company, First Della
ware cavalry. Richter at first denied
the presence of Atzerot in the house, and
afterwards, with his wife, told conflicting
stories about him. The Sergeant found
by questioning parties whom Atzerot had
visited that the accused had come from
Washington a day or two before, aud at
the house of one of the gentlemen, while
eating dinner had, up0n the assassina-
ton of the President being broached, alb.
ruptly stopped eating and made use of
the following language: "lf all of them
had done their duty Grant would have
been fixed in the same way" Atzerst
has been on quite intimate terms with
portion of the Surratt family, and alleges
that his business from his home, at Port
Tobacco, in Charles county, was with
one of that family in reference to a coal
oil speculation that they We're about en-
tering into He says that he knew Booth
quite well, bnt had not seen him for some
time. He alleges that he left his home
about two weeks since, and has been
about Washington most of the time
since, endeavoring to sell horse to the
I'm.
statements verged upon the ludicrous.-
First he had one horse which he brought
from Port Tobacco with him; then he had
two horses, one of which belonged to
Surratt; then again they were both his,
and so on, mixing his accountup in such
manner that it was almost impossible
to make head or tail of it He had heard
of the assassination of President Lincoln
while standing on Pennsylvania avenue,
hut paid no attention to it, although
there was great excitement on the street
at the time He stopped in Washington
all that night, and the next morning
Saturday went TO Georgetown, return
ed to Washington, went to Georgetown
again, and took the stage for Rockville;
from thence he went to see some of his
of his cousin. Atzerot is a German by
birth. and was hired assassin, paid to
do the deed by those who had money but
had not the courage to do it themselves.
1t is reported that he said to one of his
friends, some weeks since, that he "was
poor now, but in a few weeks he would
have plenty ofgold."
LEWIS PAYNE, THE PERSON WHO ASSAULT
ED SECRETARY SEWARD.
This person was arrested i'll Washing
ton on the night of'the 18th inst, at the
house of Mrs. Surratt. He was taken
before the persons who were in Secretary
Stewards house on the occasion OF the as
sault. all of whom identified him as the
person who had attempted to commit the
murder. He gave his name as Lewis
PAYNE, but il is believed that il is not his
true one, and that he Is in reality Thorn
rs, the so-called French lady, who cap
tured the steamer ST. Nicholas, in 1861
On the oath inst, this man, while coli
fined in the Old Capitol prison, at Wash
ington, attempted to kill himself by
knocking his brains against the wall, but
failed, though being badly injured. This
man was suspected of having been St.
Albans raider.
THE WRITER OF THE LETTER SIGNED
l. "SAM"
This individual, whose name has been
kept secret by the authorities, was ar
rested in Baltimore, April 18th, and turn
ed States evidence, confessing the plan
of the double assassination, and putting
the detectives on the track. He is a
we'll known resident of Baltimore, and
admits that he was engaged in plot to
capture the President, in order TO force
the government to an exchange of pris-
oners. When the general exchange was
announced, rSam" refused to engage
longer in the scheme. and endeavored to
disuade Booth and the others.
MRS. S. Z. sURRATT,
who was arrested at her house in Wash
ington, on April 18th, was the mother of
John H. Surratt, and the occupant of the
house at which Payne was arrested
With her were arrested Miss Anna Sur
raft, Miss Honora Fitzpatrick aud Miss
Holahan. -.t
ABouT 50 pieces of artillery, which
were buried by the rebels in the fields
and along the roads, during their late ia
nous retreat. have been unearthed by
our men and brought safely into Burkes-