The Portland daily press., 1867-07-24


A d. Richardson, whom our readers VIII re-
member as an admirable war correspondent,
and terry Yards as the author OF war books, so
,,ilad has written a letter to the Tribune on
tbe surratt ifial and collateral topics He re-
,ret. that Ford's Theatre, should have been
converted into aslnedieal museum though one
may see there such cheerful and improving
objects as aportion ofthe broken neck of Wirz,
two pieces Of Booth spinal column and verte-
bre ,aad other articles of medical interest calcu
lated to delight the souls of the Bob Sawyers
of the land rather than those Of non-profes-
sional observers. Passing to the trial of the
last of the known conspirators he says:
Half a mile away, is the old. low Court
House, of brown sand stone and brown stuceo,
John II. Surratt is being tried for his life Inc
building occupies the front OF large, grassy
square, shaded by sober catalpa and siNef
/, aied poplar, and sweet with the breath OF
clover Every morning at TO- from the sor19io
iail in the rear, comes young man e, 20
slender erect, habited in black broauciotn,
and low, round-topped bat Up S S,;st, paul.
10 avoid prying eyes. His delicate Wrists are
held together by handouts; and a brawny
marshal in brown linen walks beside him.
They go up the stone stars ana lie taxes seat
moved
Beside the prisoner sits a brother and ono or
two other relatives, with long hair and cadav-
erous Southern faces. Women, chiefly SYM
pathizers, from the District, curious visitors in
Washington, members of Congress, and mem
bers of the bar, fill the other chairs and settees.
Outside the railing throng of jostlng men,
whom an old, queruouS, specialized, Secession
bailiff is always ordering out of the passages
and threatening to arrest. In the rear milky
way of intent white eyes looking out from an
inky cloud of eager black faces .tf .s..-zf
On the bench sits Judge Fisher, appointed
from Delaware by the President whose muir
der he is investigating. clear, firm, manly
face, with frank eye and brown mustache. On
his right, Just beyond the witness stand, the
| Jurors sitting in two rows against window
and wall. They are plain business men, rep
resenting two millions OF property, interested
| in the good order and good name of the Dis
| trict. A few are Catholics like the prisoner.
| Several were SeceSsiOniSts. One or two are
| feared; but on the whole are deemed as good a
| jury as could be legally impaneled in this com
| munty. Before the prisoner, always upon
his feet, is his leading counsel Bradley, senior.
| Thics-set, with bald fat-topped head, and far
aDart, searching eyes he looks little like Gen.
| Ben Butler A shrewd criminal lawyer, te-
nacious and mercless upon witnesses, he is SO
4 pugnlcious as to lose his own temper now and
then, and thus impairs his strength. After
each answer that pleases him he turns to the
y
as words, "Gentlemen, you hear MatF Mer-
rick, prompt and clear headed, and his own
| son assist him. " t.A' 'D1 l''''N- ~
District-Attorney Darlington and his asso-
ciate, Wilson, officially represent the Govern
| ment; but Pierrepont of New York chiefly ex.
| amiues the witnesses. He is courteous, firm,
strong at cross-questioning testimony away,
| and in knowing exactly where to stop. A..
Weiehman, whose testimony was SO notice
able, isa well-tormed, comedy, ruddy young
| If h.,x ofa,
| Surratt's eye faced him defiantly through the
three days fiery ordeal of Bradiey's cross ex-
| animation. .sgifU5es sa..afio.tf
S. Marie is rather short, dafk-haired, black
eyed Canadian, with D musical voice and an
Italian face. The first words he spoke touch
ed some chord in my memory. Where had l
| heard the mellow tone and seen that olive
cheek. In a moment 1 thought. II was at
Richmond for five or six weeks, in the Au-
tunn and Winter Of '63. st. Marie came into
| serter from. Delaware Union regiment. To
| "Junius" and myself he declared himself only
/ q picked-up straggler, compelled to adopt this
character to avoid the suspicion that he was a
Northern spy AS we paced up and down be-
| tween the condemned cell and the barred win
dows of that foul room during the long days
and. nights st. Marie was voluble on his roy
ing life, poetry, French literature and philoso-
ply. His manners were refined, and he was q
great sentimentalist; but Union prisoners new
| u - priSuutr lS
| will be entitled to large portion of the $25.
| 600 reward. While here st. Marie was in con
slant, though apparently groundess, terror Of
being assassinated. When he suddenly ap-
| peared on the stand TO testify SINGLE deadly
I glance passed between him and Surratt. II
| was hike flash OF lightning, but the hot blood
leaped to the prisoners pale cheek, and his eve
was murder in the first degree +. GdI
| As Surratt sits in court with hat removed,
| we see his face more clearly A small
head, long, glossy, light brown hair, brushed
up from full fair brow; small, aquline nose,
| SO hollow at its parting from the forehead that
a child's finger laid across would hardly fill the
indentationj eyes gray, deep-set, near togeth-
/ er, earnest, secretiye, but with q good deal of
comp )sure, ga ned perhaps in SO long daring
| Fate TO do its worst; mouth weak, halt hidden
| by light, auburn inoustaohe and a long, mar
row pointed tuit of beard pendant from the
| narrow chin. The face is almost triangle,
| narrowing down regularly from the forehead
| on each side to the pointed chin ,.f
| SO The young prisoner sits, Slowly moving a
palm fan, noticing each little detail in LAWYER
witness, and spectator, usually serene, some
| times smiling, through the summer days, while
the scales vibrate, weighing his life or DEATH
| What memories must crowd upon him! His
youth at the Jesuit College; his deep zeal for
| the Rebel cause; his long NIGHT Journey. with
information, from Washington to Richmond ;
| then with money and messages from Richmond
to Montreal running pickets; shot at by scouts !;
| sad partings and glad meetings with his be-
rotl.sd, "a waits here to taLe tho 'sse,,1 aud
| give her woman's voice Tor his Rife; the long
Canadian hiding, going out only by night and
in priesty vestures; tidings of the trial and ex-
ecution of his familiars; of the impending fate
of his mother-(for human natures sake his
counsel should prove their assertion that he
desired to come and save her, but was not al
lowed to)-then of her ignominous death; the
secret ocean passage; the concealments in
England and France; -the half years service
as a common soldier; talking, everywhere of
the one great subject that filled his thoughts;
his arrest at the little Italian village; his leap
of 81 feet over the parapet to escape, with the
conuiyance Of his guards; his flight to Naples;
then up the Mediterranean; no permanent ref,
nge-no rest for the sole of his foot; his land
ing at Alexandria to find the file of Janssaries
waiting to arrest him again, and st. Marie,
like IN avenger of blood, standing by to identi-
fy him. Then ship-board, prison, manacles,
and this long waiting for the verdict.