The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1867-08-10
THE MURDER OF MRS sURRATF

Newspaper readers are familiar with many
Incidents connected with the arrest, trial,
conviction and execution Of Mrs. Surratt,
said to be one of the guilty persons who par
ticipated in the assassination of Abraham
Lincoln, at Washington, on the 18th Of
April, 1854. At the trial. before a Military
Commission, it will also remembered, that
no positive evidence as to her guilt was es-
tablished, while on the other hand nothing
but circumstantiaI evidence was produced, |
and that too Of fimsy nature. After /
being condemned to suffer death, the find |
ings Of the Commission were sent to Presi- |
dent johnson for approval Accompanying
the document was recommendation for
mercy. This recommendation never reached
the President, and he signed the death war
rant, which, in all probability, he would not
have done had he seen it. Soon after the
execution many dark hints were thrown out
to the effect that something was wrong and
even leading papers and able writer's de-
claimed boldly that an innocent woman had
been murdered Time passed. Another Of
the supposed aceomplices Of Booth was ar
rested-a son Of unfortunate Mrs. Surratt-
and whose trial has been going on at Wash
ington for weeks, during the course of which
many strange things have come to light,
among which is the identical recommends
ton that the President failed to see. 1t has
been charged that Andrew johnson signed
the death warrant after having read the re-
commentator for mercy this charge he
| lin, 1s,rlr 70 Of1y
readers on one of the bloodiest pages Of
American history, we print below the plea
for mercy and the Presidents denial OF the
charges made against him, from which II
can be easily seen that he was innocent o.
striking a blow at an aged and christian
woman 0, Stanton, Stanton what thoughts
r keep your soulless eyes from calm repose
e Here are the facts;
"The undersigned, members of the Mill
! tarv Commission detailed to try Mary E
Surratt and others, for the conspiracy anC
e murder of Abraham Lincoln, late Presiden
T | of the United States, especially pray thu
n President, in consideration of the sex an'
= age of the said Mary b. Surratt, if he can
upon all the facts of the case, find it con
r sistent with his views Of duty to the coun
q try to commute the sentence Of death which
=
the Court have been constrained to pro
nounce, to imprisonment in the penitentiar.
$ for life Respectfully submitted Signed
d d. @. Hunter, Major General, Presidents A
=, Avery Kauts, Brgadier and Brevet Majo
!. General; r. d. Foster, Brigadier and Breve
major General; A Eakin, Brevet Brigade
L General Chas. II. TOmpkins, Brevet COlone
:. and A. @. M.
It The recommendation was drawn up b
= Hon john A Bingham, Judge Advocate
and the following members Of the COmmii
9 sion refused to sign it Gen. Lew Wallact
e a. P. Howe, f. NJ. Harris, and Col. ID. /
e Glendearing
Y Now for the denial of the charge.
rs Washington Telegram of the 9th says:
Il President johnson unequiyocally denie
N the report regarding his action upon the pr
pers and finding of the court in the assass
- nation trial. They were fret submitted I
W the Cabinet, and then he signed his appr
/? val He says the official record was pr
N scented to him by Gen. Holt, and he says
was signed in his presence; that at thu
70 time no recommendation for the commut
u ton Of the sentence Of Mrs. Surratt was a
n tached to the papers. The approval of th
,e sentence by the President was commence
80 on the next to the last page of the next shet
~ Of averment and finished on the other sid
d. Of the same paper instead Of only writin
n on one side of the sheet, las IN the Otht
n sheets, and this was done Iecause there W;
~ no other sheet remaining and fastened
the document, presented 1t for his signatur
sd as the document can now be found in IL
IS War Department as the recommendation f,
IL Communication. Mrs. Surratts sentence f.
lows all other matter, and is a conclusi,
document In the Official report of the tri
Il Of Beene Pittnan, who had access to I'll
ey records and documents by permission. M
? Stanton proposes making up the boo
Everything appears except the recommend
ton of the court for the Communication Of Il
sentence. Mr.. Pittman says in the intr
ductory of his book that it contains all Il
er ORDERS findings, sentences, documents etc
ir connected with the trial 1t appears Il
ar papers were not presented to the CABIN
until the HdbeaS corpus was made, and aft
70 the sentence by the President. The recon
n mendation for commentator is not in Il
IS hand writing Of Mr.. Bingham, as alledge
err by some.