Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1865-05-18
j. H. WILSON,
Brevct Major General.

The unravelng of the assassination con-
spiracy is rapidly progressing before the Court
in Washington. The charges on the prison
ers now in custody arraigncd are for malicious
ly, unlawfully and traitorously combining,
confedcratng and aspiring, together with
John II. Surratt, John Wilkes Booth, Jelfer-
son Davis, George n Saunders, Beverly
Tucker, Jacob Thompson, VIM. c. Clearly,
Clement c. Clay. George Harper, George
Young, and others, unknown, to kill and
murder President Lincoln, Vice President
johnson, Secretary Seward and Lieutenant
General Grant. Atzcrott was to have been
the assassi. of Mr. johnson, and to O'Laugh
lin was assigned the task of numbering Gen.
Grant. The evidence shows that Mr. john
son was in his room all that evening, and At
zerott took room at the hotel on that fatal
Friday morning in which he and Booth were
| in conversation. At nine o'clock that night
after the President went to the theatre, a
horse was at the door, but when Booth fired
the cowardly shot Atzcrott's courage seemed
u hive IdiiCu iOi an !iO'II lpoHi
without assaulting Mr.. johnson, leaving his
pis tol under the pillow and bowie knife I'M
the mattrass, his coat upon the wall, and fled
on the horse. One Of the Witnesses Weic-
man, who was on terms Of close intimacy
with John II. Surratt, and who, in fact,
boarded with his mother, makes statement
which directly connects jeff. Davis and his
Secretary of State Benjamin, with the assas-
sins. lie states that prior to Surratts going
to Montreal, at the beginning of April, he
(Surratt) had visited Richmond and that
when on his return from Canada he was in
formed of the surrender Of the Rebel Capital
he refused to believe it, saying that . he had
been with Davis ard Benjamin, and they
told him it would not be evacuated" Lloyd,
who kept :" Surratt's tavern, where Booth and
Harold were supplied with arms and wills
key on the route from Washington to the Po
tomac testif9s to his receiving a visit from
Surratt, Harold and Atzerott five or six weeks
before the fatal night, when the arms and
ammunition were left in his hands. Mrs.
Surratt also called at the tavern on the day of
the assassination, and arranged for the prompt
delivery Of the a. shooting irons" to Wilks
Booth when he should call for them. Mary
| Van Tine, in whose house in Washington
ULaughlin and Arnold occupied rooms. gave
important evidence as to the relations exist
ing between booth and her dodgers, proving
that they were on the most intimate terms
and always associated together. j. j Early
tcstiies to accompanying o Laughlin from this
city to Washington on the day preceding the
murder and the first act of the latter was to
visit Booth, with whom he had protracted
interview. The evidence of Early is some
what confused as to the movements of o.
Laughln on the night of the murder, he tess
tifying that he cannot remember whether he
seen him before or after the assassination,
only knowing that it was ut late hour that
they met Lieutenant Henderson, who was
also of the party who accompanied OLaugh-
lin from here to Washington, also testified to
the latter being with Booth. S. Il. j. Stregg
and other witnesses gave evidence detailing
circumstances connecting the prisoners with
Booth in the great crime.
The city papers are filed with the pro-
cccdings in trying the assassins.