New-York tribune., 1867-04-26
THE SURB4TT MYSTERY.

A dispatch from Washington to the HeFdtd
says:
"It is the opinion Of persons high authority and nflu
cuce here the trial of John H. SurIatt VIII be ulti
matcly abandoned The impression is that there gen
era convection prevailing in official quarters that the
unfortunate Mrs Suirat was not guilty OF thc crime lor
which she executed and that the trial Of her son
would only result in clearly establishing that fact
such development Of course, would not he reshcd Ny
the Administration and others concerned III the trai ana
condemnation of the mother There is another cause,
however not credablc, assigned why the President
would not wish the trial TO occur but as would east
deep sur upon the reputation Of one who lately has NOT
been sleeping on bed OF roses refrain from gNS u
publicity. Ii might only he creating another sensation
and perhaps without Justification for the gratilCato o.,
scandamOngers However this may be- u Is MOI ntNeM
hat the evidence IN poseSsi0n O me government VIII
warrant the trial Of John II. Surratt."
We think it time to say that the many
mysteries surrounding this Surratt case should
cease Since the assassination of President
Lincoln. we have had endless surmiScs, and
maLeshifts and tricks. in reference to the crime
and those accused. In the first place We had
the Government prOclamations accusing Davis,
and Sanders, and Thompson of the assassna-
ton Then we had the trials, in which these
persons were sOlemniy arraigned as participants
in that crime. There are few things that our
! children will less care to read than that sell
! same trial. with its wayward and rude justice.
! Then came the swift execution Of Mrs. SuIratt,
( although Payne, an assassin by his own
/ confession, asserted her innocence. We had
| the escape of Surratt-hs wanderngS under
Government espionage-the fact that it was
known where he was, and no effort made to
arrest him until Mr. Boutwell,, speaking the
public opinion of the nation, compelled his
arrest We have also had the imprisonment of
Davis as an assassin-if there is any value
in the Judgment OF the commission that
tried Payne and his companions. His con-
tinued imprisonment without trial, or the pre-
tense of trial, is in itself mystery and q
shame. Then came Gen. Buffers fanlous
speech. showing that the diary of Booth had
been suppressed, on the conspiracy trial, and
tine declaration of a great lawyer that Mrs
SmTatt had been innocently hanged. Imme
diately came an announcement that the War
Department would print the Booth diary so
soon as something or other occurred. Well:
time enough has passed for twenty things to
happen and nothing is heard of the Booth diary
Finally, we have the most provoking delays
about the trial of Su1att, with an announce
ment that he is not TO be tried, because
the trial might establish the fact that Mrs.
Surratt was not guilty at all !
IL is time that this Juggling should cease
and especially as the Sunatt case is only part
of the iuggling that has been permitted since
the death of Mr.. Lincoln. That tragedy is
one of the most mysterious i'll the annals
of crime. There is something hidden that
we crave to know What it is we cannot
say: hut the records Of the trial, the con-
tinued imprisonment of Mr.. Davis, and
especially the shufflng of the Government, com
pei distrust and suspicion. Why has not Booths
diary been publishedl Why is George n.
Sanders not demanded from the British Gov
eInmcnt if the Administration really believes
he was partner in the crime of Booth? Why
is not Davis, either punished or released
And why is not John II. Surratt, against
whom, ut least all the evidence we have points
neningly, brought TO justice!