The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-12-13

LincVIn's AssassIns.
From the Times.
The marvellous recital of the adventures and
pursuit OF the conspirator Surratt furnishes an
opening to the heretofore unwrllteD chapter in
the history OF President Lncoln's assassination.
But deep as is tue interest with which the nara
tive has opened, 1t is dull compared with the
public antcipations Of the revelations which are
TO be made before the chapter is brought to a
close. That the actual facts may be got at, the
whole truth be brought out, and the implicated
parties be dealt with justly, Is what is now ear
nestly desired by the country, and must be looked
for in the trial which will soon occupy the at
tention of an American Court.
Fourteen months elapsed from the time that
our overnment received information that Sur.
ratt had fed TO Canada and thence to England,
until the time that he was captured in Egypt,
after his escape from arrest near Rome. During
fhGt entire perod-in iact during the period
from the commission OF tue crI ne until his Cap
ture-we can trace the footsteps oil the wretched
fugitive. Aud II Is a most extraordinary CIR
Cumstauce that, from this city to Montreal, from
Montreal to Three Rivers, from Quebec to Liv-
erpool, from thence TO Paris, aud from Pari, to
Rome Surr VT appears to have everywhere
FOUND accomplices to assist his flight and fur
nsh MIN with sdcu means as ne needed. 1t
would seem as II the term accOmplices must be
applied to these parties; for, after reading the
documents, 1t cannot be doubted tnat, while
aiding HIM, they @ert perfectly well aware of
the part he PLAYED iu the grand and memorable
tragedy OF Aprll Ia. He was secreted at Mon
treat, and assisted with money, for several
months after hIs hight from TINS country. He
was secreted BY priest al Three Rivers. He
had hls passage paid In steamship from Canada
10 England.
While at Liverpool, and staving at the Ora
Tory of the Church OF the Holy Cross he tex
pecteN " IT he did not receive, funds from Mon
treat. Moreover, IN England, he received
money IRON Lonion to carry HIM TO Paris and
ne obtained also Letter TO party in Paris who
ior @arded him TO Rome, where he enlisted IN
the Papal Zouaves. Wnile ia the Pope's mill
tary service he was well supplied with funds
from one quarter or another. These items of
information are not derived from one solitary
source, which might b. OF doubtful reliability;
but tney are found in aIlidaylts aud consular
statements taken In Canata, England, Rome,
and elsewhere, by parties who had no kno "
ledge OF the proceedings of each oher. From
these facts alone, il is evident that there is not
a little that is startling yet to be brought out
concerning the ramlhcations OF the great con.
Epiracy.
While saying this, however, it is we'll for the
DNDnc TO be cautioned against hasty imputa-
lions upon parties mentioned in one or two pas.
sages OF the dispatches and their Enclosures. In
one place witness states, and subsequently
EWears to the sta ement, that Surratt told him
The assassins acted under the orders of linen
not yet known, some OF whom are still in New
York, and others in London" In otner parts
there are more explicit statements than this;
Dut independently OF the fact that several of
of each other, we should be slow to credit the
RANDOM remarks OF man VINO seems at times
like fool, to have boas,ed of his part in the
conspiracy, and to have threatened other SAN
2UinHy deeds in the future. Even his alleged
declaration that he had acted by the insJruc-
tlons OF persons under the immediate orders of
Jefferson DAVIS, and his reply to question as
TO the impllcatlo on OF Davis IN The Assassination
II am not going 10 tell YOU" need not be taken
as OF any value whatever. The ordeal of q co Irt.
room is required Tor such allegations and such
characters.
There is an allegation attributed to Surratt in
the most intelligible, and we Judge, the most
reliable, of all the statements made in the des-
patches, which seems conirmatory of what was
at one time thought to be plausible theory.
we refer to the remark made to the officer of
the vessel in which the cuiprit sailed for Europe
that ne had Deen concerned in plan for car
rylng OIL President Lincoln from Washington,
which," he added, "was concocted entirely by
d. Wilkes Booth and himself" 1t was held by
some to be probable, at the time OF the trial,
that thls kidnapping of the President was the
original scheme of the conspirators, and that it
might be the project which was countenanced
10y leading Southern Rebels 1t might be re-
garded as legitimate act in time of war, and
certainly, ,wlh MI. Llncoln's habits, it would
not nave been difficult deed to accomplish.
According TO firlher statement OF Surratt on
this point, ne received letter while in Canada
IRON Booth, saying that "it had become neces-
sary 10 change their plans, ," AMI it would appear
that before Surratt could reach WASHINGTON
after this, the assassins had finished their work.
Iudny ldCtS aireanS on record appa.
rently. contradictory OF this theory; but the
point is one which, like others of interest pre-
Ylously mentioned, remains yet TO be cleared up.
While the country is waiting for the arrival
OF Surratt and speculating upon the revela-
tfons made IN the documents we published on
Tuesday, the officers OF justice will doubtless be
busy collecting material to verify or elucdate
such new points and hints as have been fur
nished concernIne the assassination. II has
been urged in some quarters hat it would be
advisable to oiler Surratt exemption from pun
ishment, and assured liberty AMI safety in the
future, if he would make a clean breast OF all he
knows, and furnish confession OF all the facts
of which he was Cognzant about the origin and
history of the plot and the parties who were i'm
plicated in it. We should judge from what we
already know OF the mans character and state
ments, that he would not be unwilling to offer
confession in exchange for his life. But we
believe that the facts will be quite as likely
70 De Drought to lgnt, in the first Instance,
if, after pleading mot guilty." the law and
the lawyers are allowed to take their course
with him.
We cannot refrain from mentioning, in con-
necton with the publication of these documents
the atrocious charge recently and repeatedly
made by member OF Congress, that the Ad-
mlnistration, or rather the President and Secre-
jects tor the assa9 sins vengeance), had, with
evil intent, attempted to conceal from the public
the facts which had lately been brought TO sher
knowledge about the real responsible authors of
the great conspiracy. The object OF this shame
less charge cannot be mentioned without de-
grading our country in the eyes of the world.
We know that the author of this charge has
attempted to modify the form in which ii was
ORIGINALLY put forth, but even in the manner,
and with the purpose, he now gives IL, 1t is an
mconcelVa0le outrage. We trust that in all its
parls, in all Its lmputations, and in all its In
as it was made.
The Evacuation of Rome