Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1868-10-30
Ihe Poor Murdered WOmdn !
MRS Su1.rdff.


A cnrrespt M, m of the New York World
has heen holding long conferences with Mr.
Ford, the pfopt etor of F,rd's Theatre ia
Washington, where Mr.. Lineoln was assas-
sinated, and Mr.. elf rd, the carpenter at
the same theatre. The Worlds correspond
ent details great many interesting croum-
stances and facts relating to the assassina-
tion and the trial OF The parties charged with
the crime. Both the gentlemen avow the
conviction, from circumstances and facts
known TO them, that Mrs. Surratt was not
| only innocent, but wholly ignorant and un.
| suspicious of any design npon the person or
| life of the President. She was convicted
| upon false testimony, deliberately fahrI
| Gated by the persons who had the mang ge
| ment Of the trial. They knew the talsty o
| the testimony they introduced, tor they hac
previously stuff d the witnesses with il, and
| bound them to give II, under threats oi be-
| ing arraigned along with the accu ed
| Weichman, the principal witness of Holt
| Stanton aud Bingham, was dealt with il
| this way, with great effect. He was natu-
| rally q coward, and in terror for his neck
| which Stanicn & Co. soon tou1d out, aud by
| sugg' sting such facts rs they wished to b'
proved, rendered bim a first rate witness
| Mr., Ford, who had heen arrested and was
| in prison with the rest of the accus d, give
| the following incidents bearing on thi
| point
"H, (Weichman) came to me in prsol
one day with the hlte face be always had
and told me that wien he WAS before Stan
ton few days after the ASSASSINATION
| Stanton said 10 him "rbe President
| blood is Just as much On your hands as on
| Booths Although this was mere hgur,
! Of speech by Stanton, Weichman had tuynet
| il over 10 his own head 50 often that i
seemed to have almost convinced him tha
the Presidents blood was on his hands, OF
at least, that a cord was prepared tor him
wlly lily. Was such a peTson likely TO b
| a reliable witness?
"On another occasion, after the trial ha
hegup, was taken from prison and put |
he same ambulance with Weicbman an
Lloyd WeichMan bent towards Lloyd an
aid TO him
~ testified yesterday that you aohiSptre
to Mrs. Surratt that day, when We drov
down there"
"Ll0yd turned and Indignantly deniet
this assertion, in words that proved TO m
that there had been no c0llusion or secre
conversation at all between him and Mrs
Suiratt at Surrattsyille. IL was plain thi
such precious piece OF testimony bad bee
l uIdWn from W tlNituin Wy uhtiN ltlhhAs gu
the ne ecessity impressed upon hun Of say in
something TO some puint."
Mr.. G ford relates the following, illus
trative IF the same system of labricatiu
testimony
"wood, keeper of the prison, ordered u
all, Que day, to Judge Hol's ofice. Judg
Bingt am was Il ere, and said TO Weicl
mau
. "Why didn't you swear what you sal
, you wonld, yesterday
'I've forgotten it, Sir" said Weichman.
Damn yon % responded Judge ngta
"I'll make you swear to II and muEe; an
| III make you get me more testimony again
that woman or III hang youl"
Wechman, scared limp, managed to sa
. "If I could get out, l could get more te
timony."
"'Where S'' asked Bingham.
"Down by the canal"
"Bingham sent detective with Weic
man at once, to hunt the witness or witnes
. es up. He then bullied Maddox into sa
ing things. Thon he called me and saiC
sYou see thaiw and went on more mod
rately, as he saw | wss not frightened"
Spme If the leading parties in perpetr
ting this murder Of an innocent womo
overwhelmed with remorse, have laid vi
q | TENT nAuu3 on tuttuHNhCH UAh iAOib O.
Stanton, with tougher sensibiltieS thu
their associates, or Judas Iscsriot, 81 Ill wa
!, abroad In The face of day, and chalepge u
. abhorrence and delestat ON of mankind.
The curtain has not yet been lifted fro
all the mysteries OF that day OF judcl
4, murder A majority of the court r, coz
mrnded Mrs. Surratt TO mercy /; that I
cornmendation, it Is said, never reached q
President. Whyl Who will that horr
> untold The Judge OF the District graz
n ed Writ OF hlbeas corpus for Mrs, Surra
~ a Proclaim itinn WAS forthwith is,ned an
,1ias If the President, declaring the writ
habeds corpus sus ~ ded, and ordering I
niiarS Ia exc ute the pr sonfrs. The
facts bring home 10 Mr.. johnson an awt
respOnsbihty. lIs has been too l0ug site
for his own tsme. As the matter n'
6 stands. his namr is more or less mixed
!" with the hssest murder "i modern times.
&c The following particulars, snppiled
70 Mr.. Ford, will be- p,rused with painful a
y Indignant feeling
Is "Nrs Surratt-0f whom had no mo
y knowledge ih,n you had previous 20 y
r imprisohmpnt bore 40 res'mhlanc" 10 I
ID ideal no her o. Bfutus. Her manner "
re that of mat on bowed do IN ny unexpr'
r. al and ut,,eseryrd disgrace, aud who 4
ntN0 a upon htl l'lAk''H W. '"Pf
nn,lrr he load. P,rtaps you baye !
:, heard that she was ironed during the trl
she WAS ifoued abo ut both her aukle'
irooed with bah and 81 ala She stepT
- INTO the room where the courb sat "
~ great dificuiry, and one Of her attenda'
'e behind vas obs rived to stop and supp
u her ron burd, with his hand,
"Her case deeply Interested me, AS It {
others. Her seutence surprised aud stl
ned her. She had faith, as she bat writ
her son John IN Canada, that II was imp
sjble for n eourt to find he guilty OF "
she wa. rallies of. To hear herself c
d.mn. T. he hung fom aallo~s m
y bre TO er iee listening 20 snme I
/, rhle, srngy porteht conveyed in sn
hs known ,oague. rhe sound of Vt clam
Sgain,t her Grain tho vogne terror #
'or b1u So her hear But it took some u
f,r her TO comprehend that IL had the
liner. certain, taIal meaning which il b
- Aud only day and night we're left
Ms 10 dig,,t Us mean ns aud prepare for
death. An appeals ~ merry 20 her "
on of no await wrote a letter 10 the Pr
dent urgt Z bin to remit her sentence,