Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1867-07-10
. The Surratt Trial.
WASHINGTON, July 8

WASHINGTON, July 3.
The attendance at the court room to
day was not SO great as heretofore be.
cause the weather has been excessively
hot and many sight-seers went to the
Capitol. The counsel for the prisoner
conducted themselves with much cour
tesY through their cross examination
which was none the less searching than
on previous days, but there was nc
bullying or insulting of witnesses. The
evidence was of g very important char
acter.
Witness Wood, who swears to shay.
ing Surratt at a shop in this city on the
morning of the assassination, when be
looked dusty, as if he had been travel
ing, is a respectable middle-aged mu.
latto, almost white, whose character
for veracity cannot be ~impeached. He
was entirely positive as to the identity
of the man and gave details of the con.
Yersation and occurrences in the shop
while waiting on Booth and Surratt.-
The cross-examinstion did not in the
least shake his evidence.
The witness Rhodes, who swears that
Surratt is the man with whom he talk.
ed just before loon that day in the
Presidents box at the theatre, and
who had been fixing the bar that held
the door against the admission of per
SOM from the dresS-circle, is an original
specimen of the country grandee, who
noticed the prisoner at that time par
ticularly because, as he said, Surratt
told him he was connected with the
theatre, and it seemed to him that a
man with such a broad forehead and
lanternjaHed face would not be able
to change his expression readily, and
therefore could not make q frst-class
actor. He was also entirely positive as
TO the identity of Surratt, and did not
trip IN the least through the cross-ex-
animation, which was very close.
MI. Heaton, who swears to seeing
Surratt IN front of the theater a little
after 8o'clock that evening, is a relia-
bic citizen of Indiana, and is now in
the General Land Office. But he did
not seem to be entirely positive as to
the identity of the prisoner.
The witness Ramsell, q Massachusetts,
soldier, shout Is or SO years of age,
swore quite confidently that he saw
Surrstt on horseback very early next
morning after the assassination, about
two miles out of the city and on his
way to Baltimore. He was not cross
examined.
The witness Bates, who declared that
in his Judgment Surrstt wrote a note
signed Toney, dated here the day after
the assassination and directed to
frarnfk e ~nn11 ~ANl ,--a-k
oand has had charge Of that branch Of
business for some years in the War De-
partment. Surratt manifested consid-
cradle emotion during the time the
first witness Of the day, Wood, was on
the stand, but after that kept his face
In the usual forced uneoncern. The
government will close its case on Fri
day, TO which day the Court adjourned.
The Defence say they win want about
two weeks for the presentation of their
evidence.
WASHINGTON, July 5.
The criminal courtroom was well
filed to-day. Several members ofCon-
gress were among the spectators
Judge Fisher appeared IN better
health than for some days past. Sur
raft also seemed refreshed by a days
rest, and except at one two points
took things quite coolly throughout
the session. The evidence to-day was
not generally important. One witness
testified to seeing Booth about six
o'clock on the day of the assassination
while on horse back, talking toa man
on the sidewalk In an earnest manner.
This man the witness thought looked
ike Sarratt, but there are reasons for
believing 1t was another person, who
viii be called as a witness by the de-
fence. There was considerable amuse
ment among the members of the bar
at the manner in which Judge DIN,
Justice of the Court tripped himself
He was q witness two years ago, and
testified that when he visited the Pres
ident's bex the Sunday morning after
the murder, the plastering, dug from
? a hole in the IN the wall, in which the
bar that holds the door was placed,
had been removed, while to-day he ties
tilted that it was still there; he also
said then that the chips cut from the
hole in the door had been taken away,
while to-day he says they were still
there. There was q great stir in the
court room when little Tad. Lincoln
appeared on-She stand. He said that
Surrett looked like the man who Ur-
gently pressed for an interview in the
latter part of March, 1865. with Mr..
Lincoln when he was at City Point,
but refused to state his business and
30 was refused admission. Surratt
showed unusual nervousness when
called on tostand up for Identification
by this witness, and his face flushed
more than at any other time. The
prosecution will close to morrow and
would have done 30 to-day, but for the
unavoidable absence of one or two wit
nesses. Two or three witnesses are to
be recalled for further cress-examina-
ton, and it Is doubtful whether the
defense will open before Monday.
July 8.
The defence in the Surratt case began
the presentation Of their evidence to-day.
The court room was crowded to excess,
many of the spectators being rebel SYM
pathizlng women, who appeared to great
" enjoy al the points made in the priso-
ner's favor. The testimony was directed
TO breaking down the evidence OF Ser
geant Dye, end, incidentally, that of the
man Rhodes, who sWore to seeing Surratt
in the theatre on the day of the ssssssina-
toni The brothers Ford were called to
prove that Rhodes could not have been in
the theatre, because the door WIS not
open; but they could only swear tina door
was generally locked, though they knew
nothing about its condition on that day
Some evidence was taken to show that
Booth could not have been the person
who dropped the letter in g New York
street car, for his hands were very Large,
while Mrs. Hudspeth testified TO the fact
that the person she saw had small hands.
The parties called specially to break down
Sergeant Dyes evidence were Hess and
CarliB, neither of whom are first class
witnesses. There were q good many con-
trRdictions in their testimony; for on the
one hand they proved too much, and OF
the other entirely too little. They ac-
counted FOR the calling of time but once,
while Dye swore it was called three times.
They were not dressed at all like men
whom Dye says he saw. They deny the
presence of Booth there, while Dye knew
him well, and saw him for nearly half an
hour. They attempt to prove part of the
facts brought ont by the prosecution, and
then say there WAS nobody in front of the