The national Republican., 1866-07-31
HONOR TO wHom IloSon Is DUE.

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The Rspess Of the Ce.asa,tsss o. Claims Of
the United States House Of Rspressntasivss
Upon the Dtssrtbusion Of Awards Onsred
for Informatisn ssd Arrest OF the Assas-
sinasion censparatsrs Ignores the Civil
Onssrs ana Pslios. ~ -
The report Of the COMMITTEES above named statss
"Your committee have carefully considered the
claims Of the parties presenting evidence 10 them.
or a. TO the merits Of whose claims they have been
able 10 procure evidence" and after detailing d.
legations such as that on the might Of the 18th Of
April, 1895, Susan Mahonsy, now Susan jackson,
eolored servant girl Of Mn. surrstt, By fsisnins
sleep, overheard disclosures and witnessed transae-
tions at Mrs surratt's house showing that the in.
mates Of and visitors at that house were connected
with the assassination plot. On the next day (ths
18th she made haste 10 communicate thess facts
TO her aunt Mary Ann Griffin" and on the next
day (the 17th) Mary Ann Grimm In turn ''commu.
nicated tho same TO John H. Kimban, who acted
upon this Information" and who, 'immsdately
upon receiving tkGt bresaid information, started
for General AuKur's heAdquarters; that on the way
he was Joined BY Mr.. P. NJ Clark, who was making
voluntary efforts TO discover the assassnsj that the
two wore instrumental in setting the force In mo-
tion for taking possession Of the Surratt house.
The COMMITTEES. therefore, regard the said Kimball
and Clark a. pbfties to tho proceedings which, a.
hereinafter shown, resulted In the capture Of Payne.
Immediately upon the examination Of kimball at
General Aueur's headquarters, force Of ave de-
possession Of Mrs. Suratts house, and In short
time Payne came there and fell into their hands."
Hence the disposition Of the award Of IS, 900 to
certain parties for the capture Of Payne
The sworn statements Of credible men and officers
s to the facts connected with the information and
disclosures procured and furnished BY the Metro
politan police and detectives to the War Depart
ment, in the night Of the 14th and morning Of the
18th April, 1895, are ignored for secondhand Cos
sip from needy hsngerson, for the exclusive use Of
military favoritss and nesrsssss.
sundry evidences Of the most reliable character
were duly fled with the War Department, showing
oonclusively that Detectives Olsrvoe, McDevitt
and Donaldson, and Officers Skippon and Maxwell
had far discovered tho plot and the Of the
principal parties connected withahe assassination
that 'cith,n three hours from As moment Of its ere
.onfon they in pos,esson Of the Snrrnn house,
made Thorough search thereof, and had all Its In.
mates-including this same Susan jackson, whose
after:gossip Is made Of such vast consequence
under arrest. Through LswisJ wsichman, there
and then arrested, and others, during the very
night Of the murder these detsctiyss obtained and
furnished to officers Of tho War Department the
names Of Booth, Atysrodt, surratt, and Wood alias
Payne, before dayhgM or ths morning Of Safnr-
day, AprH 15th; also, information that two OF the
party (thon supposed to be Booth and Atserodt)
had crossed the Navy Yard bridge.
use of these detectives with the aid Of squad Of
men, to pursue at daylight. Morning arrived, the
military authorities failed to produce the horses,
and they were not obtained until near 10 O'Clock
m Of the 18th, whom the detectives started In pur
suit. At Fort Baker, upon request from Provost
Marshal Ingraham, squad Of one sergeant and
ave mon was obtained to accompany them. After
unremitting labor Of two days and nights in search
Of tho fugtives without rest for themselves or the
horses and all worn out they returned to tho city
In the night Of Sunday, having failed to overhaul
the conspirstors but being able to furnish valuable
On the return Of Detective McDevitt twho coop
Grated With ClaIyoe. but went another roqts,) on
Saturday night hs obtaiRsd informAtion from
wsichman that II he could be in baltimore before
morning he could get the person OF John II. Sur.
ratt As the only means to do SO was to command
special train, hs procured request from the su.
perntsndent Of Police to the Secretary Of War ask
Ing for orders to that effect. After the delay incl
dent to the alarm Of the times, . request, passing
from the Secretary Of War through third parties,
accompanied BY the letter Of The Superintendent Of
Police and other papers, desiring Mr.. McDsvitt to
take the same to the house Of Assistant Secretary
Dana, who, itsss stated, would make the necessary
arrangements 10 effect the arrest. Alter the psrusai
of the papers, Assistant Secretary Dana requested
Mr. MoDevitt to call at his office at ii o'clock the
next day. Regarding this rs trifing with tho sub.
ject and insult to him and his errand, he quietly
informed that digntary that at that hour he should
be In Baltimore by the morning train, bat which,
from his information he feared would bo too late.
lie obtained no aid and left. =; - H l.r
McDevitt also first got information oonnecting
bis mothers house and furnished to Gen Augur's
office q likeness Of him, and upon subsequently,
calling at headquarters to get the use Of II he was
threatened with arrest by tho colonel In charge.
subsequently, these detectiyes, taking With them
weichman md man named Hollahan ~ witnesses
nd ipEor nwah tn
ada but there lost track Of him by barely six hours
time.
From this hasy sketch II will be readily seen that
the committee, instead of making an exposition Of
facts, has In large measure pursued myth, and
perverted the true history Of the case. The facts
show that ere dawn of the morning Of the 18th (he
night Of which Susan Mahony overheard disclos-
ures these detectives obtained and reported to the
Secretary Of War information which implicated sew
sral Of these parties and sought aid to enable them
bo II known that, whilo this same Susan Mahony,
Mrs. Surratt and daughter, Weichman and Holla'
han, on this same night Of tho assassination the
l4th Of April were Under arrest and In The snrrat!
house, clarvoe and Aopeyitt obtained from those
persons there present facts aad namss Which un-
mistakably implicated Mrs. Surratt, John y. Bur.
ratt, Booth, Atserodt, Harold, and Wood, - known
there, but Paym< as afterwards asoertainsd. Hsnos
II will be observed that several days In advance o
the committees alleged results Of Susan Mahony',
"haste the War Department was put In possession
of aIl the material facts which primarily led to the
| capture Of Payne, AtIerbdt, Booth, Harold, and
Mrs SurTatt spanglsr and his man John, vho
held Booths horse. were arrested and locked up by
the police the night Of the murder.
These officers were the first to got the true track
taken by Booth, Harold and Surratt, (but Harold
having taken Asteroids house, was then supposed
to be the latter and were the first to pursue atsl
searching the premises Of Surratt and Harold, not
withstanding the hindrance resulting from the un.
fortunate delay Of the military authorities in fur
nishing horses.
The result and all subsequent history shows that
their premises were we'll taken that their informa
tion was correct, and that bad their efforts been
seconded by ths authorities who had and EXERCISED
power, Booth and Harold could mover hsys lsf,
Maryland, and Burratt would have been caught at
Baltimore The actual capture Of Payne was the
fortunate result Of aterthought at best for hay
ing been headed of by the guard on Navy Yard
bridge In his effort to follow Booth, he was left
cagsd in the city; henco it was that, seeking the
protection of Mrs surratt's sympathizing roof and
not knowing the house to be haunted by the valiant
squad of Major II. W. Smith, he very innooently
"fell into their hands"
Such are facts susceptible Of tho most convincing
proofs, which have been filed In the War Depart
mont and ought now to be In possession Of the
committee, as especial reference was made thereto
by said detectives. Yet we find that not one Of