North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1867-04-03
An Amazing Confession.

Every friend of injured innocence should
read the Congressional debate Of Tuesday
of this week-26th March. 1t is almost
certain tha, an innocent woman has been
hung by devilish contrivance Of men in
high station.
On Tuesday Ben. Butler and Bingham
renewed their bitter personal debate about
the trial and conviction Of Mrs. Surratt,
showing that villainy of the blacklist dye,
rests somewhere. Blu. before we proceed
to give Buffers charge. let Us make some
recapitulstion. Ben Butler is now mem
Der Of Congress from Massachusetts.--
Bingham is an old member from Ohio; he
is sharp, shrewd. ready and somewhat elo-
quent as speaker, aud as q lawyer able,
though thorough malicious aholitionist.--
He was feed TO assist in tho trial of per
SONS charged with assassinating Lincoln.
Reverdy Johnson was the Attorney Of
Mrs. Surratt. and his commanding abilities
crowd Bingham and Holt. They sought
to get rid of him Bingham objected to
his conducting Mrs. Surra,t's defrnce be-
cause Johnson had advised the voters Of
Maryland to take certain test oath and
vote against the new Constitution, no odds
what :heir scruples were, as the Conven-
tlon had no po~er to prescribe any such
oath. This advice, Bingham argued, was
so dishonorable that Johnson ought not to
be permitted to act MS attorney. johnson
fred up At the insinuation, and limited that
as old as he was. still he was young enough
to call Bingham to personal account
johnson would not appear in Court after
the objection was made, but wrote out
defeuce of Mrs. Surrstt and lad it read b,
a younger Attorney.
bingham lately r-volted in tha delight
Of conducting the prosecution. There was
plenty Of money, plenty Of detectives, and
any quantity of evidence, The Military
Commission convicted Mrs. Surrat. and she
was sentenced to be hung. We we'll rec
olect the sad incidents ofthat dreadful day.
Mrs. Surrat was brought upon the scaffold,
her face and figure muttied up with black
covering, and looking more Ike sack than
a human being. The hansman did his work
the Door woman was sent into eternity.
Now let Us return to the Butler and
Bingham debate in Congress on Tuesday
of this week. In the face of all men, 10 the
hight Of day, aid before Heaven, Butler
spoke in short as follows: Mrs. Surrstt
WAS convicted without sufficient evidence
She was an innocent woman. Booth kept
note in small book of the place he Was
at every day Of what re did; OF his plans;
and of his motives. When he was shot in
the barn, his tobacco pipe WAS secured and
that small book Ii came Into possession
of Bingham. The tobacco box was shown
to the jury, but the book was withheld -
Eighteen l,aves were cut out. BY whom!
For what purpose! Butler charges that
the book with the eighteen missing leaves,
would have cleared Mrs. Surralt, if shown
10 the jury. but that bv altering and keep
ing back the book, poor Mrs. eurratl was
wickedly found guilty And hung.
This is about the substance, and we ad-
wise everybody to get the debate of Tues
day, between Butler and bingham, and
read it.
What 10 this country coming to? Men
of high place, of power, of ability, working
together to Convict aud hang n poor hap
less innocent woman oucn men MS Speed,
Holt, Stanton and bingham, deserve the
rope in this world, aud everlasting fire in
the next,
Read the debate.-Jefersonitn.