The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-05-19
TRIAL OF THE CONSPIRATORS.
AbstracI of Testimony for the Cow
ernmenL

| A delegation from Indiana waited on the
| President to-day to urge communication Of
the death sentence of the conspirator Bowles,
| Willing and Harvey.
On Saturday it was moved that if the record
| created no objection on the part of the Judge
| Advocates or the counsel for any OF the ac-
cused, the presence of the several witnesses
need not be considered necessary MIR. Maxim,
| counsel for Surrelt, expressed his willingness
| to cOncede to such an arrangement, except in
in the case of Welshman, whom he desired
present. -. ~ ~ g..s..
WASHINGTON, May 15.-The charge against
! the prisoners is in substance as follows: For,
on or between the 9th of March and the 10th OF
| April, 1865, cOnspiring with John II. Surratt,
John Wilkes Booth, Jefferson Davis, George
N. Saunders, Beverly Tucker, Jacob Thomp-
son, William c. Cleary, Clement c. Clay, Geo.
Harper, George Young and Others unknown,
to murder Abraham Lincoln, President of the
United States, Andrew johnson, Vice Presi-
| dent William ii. Seward, Secretary OF State,
and Ulysses s. Grant, Lieutenant General.
! New YORK, May 16.-The following is
summary of tile testimony taken on Monday:
! The examination of the witness j. P. Reilly
elected no facts concerning the intimacy of
| OLaughlin with Booth. .......... n
Lieut.. Henderson testified he saw O'Laugh-
| lin in Washington April 6. and he told him he
had an engagement to see Booth that day.
Samuel R. j. Strugg testified that O'Laugh-
iii was lntlnate VIII DOOtn; saw tnem con-
versiDg about the 1st of April. There was
third party, and when approached O'Laugh-
| lin took me aside and said Booth was busy
| with his friend talking privately.
| In his cross examination he said he might
have asked O'Laughlin to take o drink, to
which he answered in the way stated.
| David Stanton testified that he saw O'Laugh-
| lin the night before the assassination at the
house of the Secretary OF War. He was stand
| ing on the stOop, and asked me, where the
| Secretary of War was. 1 told him he was
| standing on the stoop.
| OLaughlin remained there till requested
him to go off. When pointed the Secretary
out he did not 90 to him.
ID. q. Reed testified that he saw John II.
| Surratt in Washington on the day of the assas
sination, having bowed to him and received
bow in return. He noticed that he wore spurs
at the time. .-
Peter Flattervaul testified that Booth came
to his restaurant, next to the theatre, on the
| night OF the assassination, about ten o'clock,
and drank a glass of whisky. He then went
out. In eight or ten minutes afterwards he
heard of the assassination. He saw Harold
the same night, or the night previous, who in
| quired for Booth. It was between six and
| seven o'clock.
Sergeant Smydt testified that he was sitting
| in front OF Fords Theatre, about 8 P. NJ on the
14th, and saw an elegantly dressed man come
| out OF the theatre and talk to two rough look
| ing persons; heard the well dressed one say
IL think he will come out now" referring. he
supposed, to the President. He then went into
the saloon, staid long enough to take drink,
cine out as if he was becoming intoxicated,
whispered to the toughest looking man. and
went into the passage that leads from the stage
| to the street Then the smallest one stepped
| up just as the well dressed one appeared again
| and called out the time.
He started up street, remained awhile, and
| came down again, and called the time again.
| Presently he called the time again. louder than
before. 1 think it was then ten minutes after
ten, He then started on a fast walk up the
| street.
The best dressed one then went inside the
theatre. This one the witness recognized as
Booth, from his photograph. He also said if
the prisoner Spangler had moustache he
| would take him for the rough looking man.
Rufus, stable keeper of livery stable, testifies
to the intimacy between Booth, Surratt and
| Atzerot. Atzerot told him that Surratt. early
in April had been to Richmond and coming
back got into difficulty, and that detectives
were after him. Jas. H. Humphrey livery
stable keeper also testified to an intimacy De-
tween Booth and Surratt. The testimony
taken before doors were opened to the re-
| porters for the press includes that of a man
who has been in the rebel service and which
went to show that as early as 1868 Booth, and
Others contemplated the assassinationsof Presi-
dent LINCOLN and the burning of Northern
cities. Secret meetings were held consisting
of rebel officers at which Booth was President
and the assassination was freely spoken of in
| the streets of Richmond; other witnesses testi-
fled that they had seen Booth in consultation
with Sanders, Clay, Holcombe and Thompson
in Canada. Capt. Theodore McGavern de-
scribed the assassination and said though he
| knew Booth he did not recognize him as the
man who went into the Presidents box and
afterwards Jumped on the STAGE
Major Henry X. Rathbun, who was in the
| Presidents box, read the statement which he
| made, and which was published shortly after
the occurrence. He did not know Booth, nor
could he recognize the assassin in his photo
graph.
William Withers, Jr., musician at Ford's
Theatre, met the assassin under the stage, and
| was forced aside by his striking at him with a
knife. He recognized in the assassin j Wilkes
| Booth, who rushed out of the back-door of the
theatre. He did not see Spangler that night.
Spangler ought to have been there to change
| the scenes. The route Booth took to get out
OF the theatre was entirely unobstructed
Sometimes there are so many people there that
one cannot pass, but that night everything
seemed clear, which was unusual. He did not
recollect ever seeing Spangler wear NOUS
tache.
Joseph Simmons, (colored), employed at
Fords Theatre, testified that he saw Booth
and six o'clock on the 18th. He saw him
next when he jumped from the box to the
stage. When he went out in the afternoon
he invited Spangler out to take q drink.
Booth and Spangler were quite intimate.
Spangler used to attend to Booths horses
when Booth was away. spangler's position
on the stage was on the right hand so as to
face the audience opposite te Presidents box.
Spangler was on the stage attending to his
business as usual that night Do not remem.
Der him during the second act. Never saw
him wear q moustache.
John Miles, (colored(, employed at Fords
Theatre, testified that Booth brought horse
| from the stable to the back door of the theatre
| and called for Ned Spangler three times about
nine or ten o'clock on the night of the assas.
sination. After that did net see Booth, but
heard horses feet going out OF the alley. About
3oclock in the afternoon saw Booth coming
, from the stable where he kept his horse
with Ned Spencer and Joseph Maddox. The
stable is not fifty yards from the Theatre.
| Spangler was pushing scene when Booth
called for him. A boy called John Peanut held
| the horse. Spapgier ran across the stage when