The Shasta courier., 1867-09-07
"Concience as a Detective.

That is the title of an interesting article in
the August number of Harper's Magazine
The exploits of conscience in the way of
bringing criminals to punishment are COM
memorated in the adage that 90 murder will
out" The writer ia Harper adds to the list
of exploits in that line the case of Surratt
The jury failed to agree; but we cannot
call to mind the maneuverings of the man,
from the moment he heard the Jews of the
assassination, in Elmira, New York, till his
arrest in Egypt. and be quite satisfied of his
innocence. He staid in Canada, like a
guilty coward, as planner of assassination
must ever be coward, while his mother
was tried and hung. If he had in his veins
one drop of manly blood, he would not have
done so. He was accused with his mother of
completely in the assassination. He and
Booth and other registering young men,
were shown to have taken advantage of a
mothers roof to plan-abduction, first, but
which naturally grew and ripened to murder.
Had Surratt gone to Washington, and
interceded for her, his mother could have
been saved-whether he was. guilty or
innocent. If he could not be shown guilty
the completely of his mother would not have
been further charged If he had then been
found guilty, his life would almost certainly
nave dppcdSCu thO ldNI dhu hio
been spared. In any case, she would have
been spared by his presence. The law would
have taken his case up first, and doubtless
have exhausted with it, SO far as concerned
the Surratts but he was not of such stuff.
He preferred to save his foul carcass while
his mother swung on the gibbet. An
innocent man, or any man worthy to be the
son of d virtuous woman, would in any case
have rome to Washington
The narrative of Dr. Mcmillan is
remarkable illustration of how Toward
conscience" may hunt a man down. Worked
uTeon as even Surratt's coarse nature was by
a sense of guilt in his Vaccinations for the
life Of good man, and still more by the cam
kering reflection that be had murdered his
mother, this wretch confding his secret-as
we can readily divine-though it is not so
shown-to Catholic confessor, he is
instructed that he can do penance by embar-
king for Europe and serving in the ranks of
the Popes army in Rome. But conscience
will not down. Ii must introduce himself
to Dr. Mcmillan, and talk persstently of
himself, till he forced upon unwilling ears
the whole story of his completely with Booth.
McMillian's account, given to the public.
served to trace the accused by. He made q
confident, again, of one ST. Marie and that
aided in his detection and arrest.
Another case in illustration is that of the
broker, Ward, fourishing. and under no
suspicion, in Wall street, New York, who
went out of his way to assure detective
that Belknap, a United States Paymaster,
who had been suspended for being robbed of
$4,000 three years before, had really lost
the money at cards-that he knew all about
it Called upon several times, Ward at last
declined to give the desired particulars
The detective then satisfied himself that
Belknap never played at cards. He then,
suspecting Ward, commenced an investiga-
ton, and found Wards antecedents bad
He followed him, Ward going meantime, to
Charleston, and establishing and at length
found evidence that Ward had perpetrated
not only this but other robberies. Conscience
would not allow the guilty man to rest-he
must make foolish assault upon the man he
had disgraced, in hope of fortifying himself
The newspapers occasionally furnish the
letter of some officer, contractor, or other
person, who RENTS to Spinner, of the Treas
ury, a small or large sum, in the papers
called I" conscience money'-the which the
ANONYMOUS contributor states he detrauded
the United States Treasury of, and wishes to
restore. Some of these contributions are
considerable in amount-one recently
amounting to $500. These contributions
of conscience are more numerous than we
had any idea they were and have become
an important though of course not reliable
course of revenue. Conscience in its double
character of detective and revenue officer, is
good thing for community. Some officers
anonymously send in sums they might keep,
and have reputable precedent for-money
drawn as pay and rations of a servant they
never had. 1t is damaging to the perqul-
sites of the profession-making restitution on
such pretext; and the anonymous propri
etors of conciences will be inwardly cursed
by many fellow who likes the wine he buys
with the odd change. These men with con-
sciences, however are of the mparatively
hight operators and we believe Treasurer
spinner was not more than few hundred
millions out of the way, when he said
1t Is to be regretted that the working of
the spirit which animated the writer's has not
been more extensively experienced and
obeyed by more important offenders for I
venture the statement that if all the hip
rascals had followed the example of the
smaller ones who have contributed to the
conscience fund We would have extipru;sb. !.
ed the national debt long ago."-FTginia
Trespass.