Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1867-05-10
The surratt Mystery.

a dispach from Washington to the
Herald says;
TT is the opinion Of persons high in
authority aud influence here that the
trial of John I'll. Surratt will be ulti-
mately abandoned. The impression
is that there is a general conviction pre-
vaiiing 10 official quarters that the un-
I fortunate Mrs. Surratt was not guilty
/ Ofthe crime for which she was executed
and that the trial Of her son would only
/ result 10 more clearly establishing that
! fact. such development, of course,
would not be relished by the Admins
tratlon aud others concerned in the
/ trial and condemnation of the mother.
I There IS another cause, however. not
very credItable, assigned why the Pres
ident would not wish the trial TO occur:
but, as it would cast a deep slur upon
the reputation Of one who lately has
not been sleeping on a bed of roses, I
refrain from giving It publicity. It
might only be creating another sensa-
ton. aud, perhaps, without Justification,
for the qualification of fscandal-moUgers
However this may be, it is not belived
that the evidence in possession of the
Government will warrant the trial Of
John III. Surratt"
We think it time to say that the
many mysteries surrounding this Sur
ratt case should cease Since the assas-
sinatiOn of President Lincon, we have
had endless surmises, aud makeshifts.
and tricks, IN reference to the crime and
those accused. In the 6rst place, We
had the Government proolamatious &C
cusing Davis, and Sanders. and Thorn
SOB OF the assassi nation. Then we had
/ the trials, IN which these persons were
sOiemnly arraiRued as participants IN
that crime There are few things that
our children viii less care TO read than
that selfsame trial, with its wayWard
and rude justice. Then came the swift
execution Of Mrs. Surratt, although
Payne, an assassin by his own confession
asserted her Innocence. We had tie
escape of Surratt--his WRnderinFs,
Government espionage-th fact that
it was known where ho 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 asEassln--if there is any
value in the judgment Of the oommis-
sion that tried Payne and his com =
pauiOns. His continued imprisonment
without trial, OF the pretense of a trial.
iR In itself mystery and d shame.
Then came Gen. Buffers famous
speech, showing that the diary Of
Booth had been suppressed, On the
conspiracy trial. and the declaration of
a great lawyer that Mrs. Surratt had
been innocentIy hanged. Immediately
came an announcement that the War
Department would print the Booth
diary so soon as something OF other
occurred. Well time enough has
passed for twenty things 10 happen, and
nnthing is heard Of the Booth diary
Finally, we have the most provoking
delays about the trial of Surratt, with
an announcement that he is not to be
tried, because the trial might establish
the fact that Mrs. Surratt was not gull
ty at all
It's time that this juggling should
cease /; and especially as the Surratt
case is only a part of the juggling that
has been permitted since the death of
Mr.. Lincoln. That tragedy is one Of
the most mysterious il the annals of
crime. There is Gomething hidden
that we crave to know. What it Is we
cannot say; but the records of the trial,
the continued imprisoDment Of Mr..
Davis, and especially the shutting of
the Government compel distFust and
sCs spiciOn Why has not Booths
diary been published WHY'S George
N. Sanders not demanded from the
British Government if the Administra-
tiou really believes he was a partner in
the crime of Bootb2 Why is not Davis,
either punished or released2 And Why
is not John III. SuFratt, against whom,
at least, all the evidence we have points
UneTringly. brought to justiee2