The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1867-08-15
The Recommendation of Mrs.
Surratt to Mercy.

The Washington correspondent OF the
New York Times writes:
The recommendation for mercy for Mrs.
Surratt, made by some of the members Of
the Military Commission which tried the
assassination conspirators, has at last been
unearthed, and reads as follows:
osThe undersigned, members of the Mil
itary Commission detailed to try Mary T..
Surratt and others for the conspiracy and
the murder of Abraham Lincoln, late
President of the United States, &c, res
poctfulIy pray TIE President, in consider
alton of the sex and age of Mary Z. Sur
raft, If nc can, upon all the facts in the
case, And it consistent with his sense OF
duty to the country, to commute the SEN
fence of death which the Court have been
constrained to pronounce to Imprisonment
IN the Penitentiary for life. Respectfully
submitted.
sD Hunter, Major General, President;
Aug. kautz, Brigadier and Brevet Major
General; r. S. Foster, Brigadier aud
Brevet Major General James A. Ekin,
Breyet Brigadier General Charles II.
Tompkins, Brevet Colonel and Acting
Quartermaster.
The recommendation was drawn up by
Hon. John A. Bingham, Judge Advocate,
and the following members Of the Court
refused to sign it: Gems. Lew. Wallace,
A. p. Howe and T. 81. Harris, and Col.
D. r, Glendenning. This recommenda-
ton is written on q sheet of foolscap,
which is joined to the sheet on which the
approval of the death-sentence is signed
by President johnson.
IL the Washington kilograms Of the 4th
inst. the following statement in this con-
ncetion appeared:
Judge Pierrepont, in his address to the
jury yesterday, said: ''When it was sug-
gested by some of the members of the mil
itary commission, that, in consequence of
the age and sex of Mrs. Surratt, it might
possibly be right to change her sentence to
imprisonment for life, the President signed
the warrant for her death with the paper
right before his eyes"
Judge Pierrepont must have been mis-
informed, as the President was not aware
until two months ago, through private
source, that any of the members of the
military commission Joined in recon-
mendation or suggestion that the sentence
Of death passed upon Mrs Surratt be COM
muted to imprisonment. This informa-
fion was privately given to him before the
|commenccment of the trial of John II.
Surratt. He then denied, as he now de-
MES, that the recommendation or suages-
tion was ever officially brought to his at
tention.
The Washington correspondent of the
Baltimore San follows up the subject, and
under date of Aug. 5th writes as follows:
1t is understood that Mr.. johnson un-
equivocaIIy denies that the papers and
3ndings of the court were first submitted
70 the Cabinet before he signed his appro-
val of the action of the court. He says
the official record was presented to him
by General Holt, and it was signed in his
presence ; tbat at t4at time no reconmen-
dation for Communication of sentence of
"urratt was attached to the papers.
leoproval Of the sentence by the
Istiwas commenced ON the next to
ill &c on the last sheet of the doc
~ n! finished on the other side of
oo paper, instead of only writing
%Fie Of the sheet, as on tie other
and this was done because there
D other sheet remaining, and fastened
re document presented for his sigma
As the document is now found in
Var Department, the recommendation
ommuta;ion of Mrs. Surratt's ntence
,.eO'r8 all tie otta' matter, and is the con-
: dusion Of the document
In the official report Of the trial by Ben.
Pittman, who had access to the records
and documents, by permission of Mr..
Stanton, for the purpose of making up his
book, everything appears encept The recon-
S'le'actltl0n tol' communication Of sentence Mr.
Pittman says in the introduction to his
book that it contains all the orders, find
ings, sentences, documents, etc, connect
ed with the trial
1t appears that the papers were not pre-
sented TO the Cabinet until the application
for ha6eDs corpus was made, and after ap-
provai of the sentence by the President
The recommendation for Communication is
not in the handwriting of DIR. Bingham,
as is alleged by some