The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1867-04-05
5fLlstGlIaue0us.


We give below the remarks of Mr..
Bingham, of Ohio, and General Butler,
of Massachusetts, delivered few days
ago liz the United States House of Rep
reese ntatives. These gentlemen are both
leading Republicans, and hence their
views of the trial and execution of Mrs.
Surratt, and the capture of Fort Fisher,
are not without interest. Furtherm ore,
the remarks of General Butler show
that the belief entertained by many of the
Innocence of Mrs. Surratt, was pot confined
to Democrats alone, but was coucurred 10
by prominent Republicans like himself
In the speech referred to he used language
that would two years ago have consigned
a man of different political procivities to
the casemates of some one of the military
prisons then 80 much in use
Mr.. BUTLER, of Massachusetts,, asked
and obtained leave to make a personal ex.
PLANTATION, and said he had caused to be
laid upon the desk of each Der COPY
of a speech by the gentleman from Ohio,
(Mr. Bingham, as takon from the official
jourra Of the lIous,, and also report o..
the speech as it appeared from the re.
p0rter's notes before ii was corrected. -
He would call attention to the fact that
the speech, as taken from the reporters
notes, contained double the amount of
matter given in the official report in the
Globe. He had always understood that
in a debate involving purely personal
matters these changes could not be made.
But what made the charge here yet moro
odious was that it was put in such shape
as to make direct attack in such way
that he (Butler) could not have answered
it as it was put the other day. He would
not make chara cterization by epithet of
what be thought of such course. He
could overlook aud excuse what might
be said in the heat of debate but the
man was not to be cnvied who could sit
down in the cool of the evening when all
Was calm about him and bring such au ac
cusation against his peers as could not
have been answered at the time the debate
actually occurred. The speech was neve,
delivered as printed and therefore he Mr..
Butler) could not reply so it. In the
speech, as delivered, the gentleman says ::
"By what right does the gentleman thus
assail me, or the tribunals of true and
honorable men who found the facts upon
their oaths and pronounced their judg-
ment? What does tho gentleman know
of the evidence in the case and what does
he care for the evidence when he thus
assails the official conduct of those men
who constituted the court % lie (Mr.
Butler) did not know Of the evidence taken
upon the assassination trials. lie had cx-
amined it with great o,re, and the view he
had expressed the other day as to the in.
nocence Of Mrs. Surratt was no spo-
radio thought of his, but was made up
after clear aud calm elaboration. 10 his
speech the gentleman from Ohio mr.
Bingham) said he was an advocate Of the
United States. He Mr.. Butler dcuied
the fact. Mr.. Bingham was the special
Judge Advocate of the United States and,
as such, it was his duty to care for the
interests of the prisoner and to present
all the evidence bearing upon the case
There was an important part Of the evil
dence which was not produced upon that
investigation. When Booth was captured
his captors found upon his person, among
other things diary, in which Booth set
down all the facts connected with the con-
spiracy the names Of those engaged in
it; his motives for the act, and probably
some sort of excuse for his part in the
matter. Why was this evidence sup
pressed and why was not this diary placed
in evidence before the Commission p
His tobacco pipe, bis compass, and even
portion of his clothing was brought
before the Commission for the pur-
pose of Identification, but tbs diary,
which might have given an important
light was not produced at all This diary
is now before the Committee on the Ju-
dietary of this House. He wished it to
be understood, however, that he had not
had access to the diary, nor had he received
any information that he should refer to
from any member Of that committee,
but what he would state he had got from
hearsay This diary was now before the
Committee on the Judiciary and with
eighteen pages that were certainly in it at
the time of the capture cut out. He want
ed to know whether that diary was not
whole when it reached the hands of the
Eovorpn,ont oM.;,j, All ;f :, ,,,,