Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-11-18
Startling and Conclusive Evil
deRce OF Mrs. SurTatt'S
Innocence.
The Crime OF the Century.
How q GuiltleSS Woman was
Sacrificed to the Rage
OF RadicaliSm.
Innocence of Other Prisoners,
Arnold, DR.. 2Mudd, s.Spangler, o.
Laughlin and John II.
SuFratt Ex0nerated.
Demand for their Release.
The Conspiracy, the AssasSina-
ton and the Sequel Reviewed.
Corro.psndence of the New York word

Core: pendence of the New York Word.
BALTIMORE, Nov. 10.-If governments
were intended TO be superior 20 the sway
of human passions, and to be admins
tered according 10 firm intelligence and
justice, no government on the earth stands
in such need of warning as thst which has
obtained another four years lease of power
over the United States Since Radicalism
has been in all ages and countries, as in
ours, provocative of social turbulence and
crime, it is not unnatural to suppose that
the incoming Radical administration may
have serious disorders to con end with
Prosperity and tranquility 10 the South
will be insecure as long as the policy
which has been pursued al Washington is
unremitted; the lives of certain high off
cials.may be.endangered; President Grant
himself may have, az Abraham Lincoln
had, a maniac for a Nemesis.
These gloomy things will be melted only
by persistence in the profound mistakes
which have characterized the course of the
party in power in the past; and results
worse than these-even the disruption Of
the whole political and social system, and
disclosure of a widespread sympathy with
the policy Of political assassination-may
happen, If more discrimination Is not used
by the Government 10 its dealings with
public offenders. / presume that the as
sertiOn | am to make will surprise but few
intelligent persons throughout the country;
that the forward and Vindictive action of
the military court which consigned Mrs.
Surratt TO the scaffold, and decreed the
lonely imprisonment for life Of several
other persons az innocent as she was of
participation in or foreknOwledge of the
plot for Mr.. Lincoln's murder, resulted in
begetting sympathy for Mrs. Surratt and
these prisoners in the minds of vast mum
bers of people, sympathy which has
partially extended to the memory of the
real criminals, and which, according 10
subtle law of human nature, il at least
equal in ferVency to the regret caused by
the death of the President.
A sympathy in part 80 inevitable and so
inevitably perverted, is mixed in the popu-
lar mind with delestation of Mrs. Surrstt
and the rest Of the prisoners, inspired by
her loaths0me death and their wretched
servitude. On the one hand, the woman ia
regarded az a martyr, on the other, her
memory and her family is disgracel. And
so, by the mingled doubt and indignation
with which the action Of the Government
in her case afflict the public sense, the sac
rifce of Lincoln and the guilt of Booth
are both obscured and deprived Of some
measure Of their significance.
l.
Mrs. Surratt, living with her daughter
! L. l. =,
her house on III street, Washington. This
method Of eking out her income was rem
dered necessary by the stringency Of the
times and by the fact that her husband had
left a certain claim on the Surratt property,
in Surrattsvllc, unsettled to the satisfac-
ton Of the executors Of Hon. Charles L.
Calvert, formerly owner Of the estate. The
executors were anxious for the payment Of
this claim and on the Friday previous TO
the assassination Of Mr.. Lincoln, Mrs. Sur
raft made a journey to Surrattsville-a
short way from Westinghouse collect
money from her creditors wherewith to re-
duce the debt. Failing TO obtain all the
necessary means, and having received two
letters from the executors the week Of the
assassination reminding her of her hus-
bands dues, she resolved to make another
visit to SurraltsVille on the following Good
Friday, and collect a sum owing to her
from man named Mott, in the neighbor.
hood of the estate.
That same Good Friday happened to
have the terrible sequel in the night now
| familiar to all mankind.
1t seems that J. Wilkes Booth, an actor
Of Shaksperian tragedies, and young man
| s.,,I,rt,l f-rY,. H.,
with certain liking for The character
named Brutus in Roman history, ought not
| to have arisen from his bed on the morning
OF that day at all. Il would probably have
been better for the nation ard for the NOR
als of the age if the young tragedian had
been seized by fatal pang at the heart, aud
! been found dead by CUrOner's Jury before
| the clock had struck ten Of those remarka-
| bic twenty-fuur hours. But J. Wilkes
Booth nevertheless did awaken and arise
| good deal later than Ususl-and attired
| himself with scrupulOus care that wa:
hahitual 10 him. He presented himself il
the breakfast room at a tardy time before
noon. but was 80 fortunate as to eat hi
meal in company with a young lady CUES
Of the hotel (the National Hotel wit
may, perhaps, have held her appetite II
check for the pleasure of meeting him.
After breakfast and badinage, B0Oll
| ouittcd the National Hotel, at the corne
of Pennsylvania avenue and Sixth street
and walked up Sixth street to II street, L
Mira. Surratps mouse. Mrs. SurratIs sol
John and Booth had been very intimate
! | indeed it is plausibly supposed that job
, | II. Surratt had been taken into Booth
, | l., 4bn IF y,lr 70 NJ
duct Abraham Lincoln, President of tn
United States, and convey him bodily an
squirming to Richmond, the tempOrar
capital of the temporary Southern CanfeC
eracy. AS John II. Surrait was on tbs
morning in Elmira, n. Y, or thereaboui
Z "a good distance from Washington, hi
a mother, and his friend J. Wilkes Booth
the latter might reasonably have wished I
: hear tidings of him. Or, as Booth ha
. been accustomed to call frequently at job
. Surratl's room while Surratt was in th
CITY. and had been introduced TO Surratt
- mother, some social interest or other ord
Z nary concern may have grown up betwee
u Booth aud the family which Booth strOlie
u up to inquire about.
e Mrs. Surratt had returned from churc
It ? short while before Booth arrived. 1t b.
,, ing Good Friday, the Catholic service ha
n been, SO usual, concluded in time for a
i early dinner, which she had al tia. m
n ment finished. Weichmgn, a iamiljs
e boarder, was at The door with the bugs
l. which was 10 convey her to Sdrrattsviil
e As daylight would last ouly until a qua
n ter past six P. NJ, she was in a hurry
IF 90 into the country, transact her bushes
J. and return ia time to serve tea to b
,e boarders.
a Therefore, whatever inquiries Boo
- NAV have had TO make Of her must ha
~ been brief, and so must have been her 7
70 plies. He walked back into The parl
= with her and remained scarcely five minut,
&c when they appeared at the front dooFwa
A. and Mrs. Surratt left with Weichman
10 SurrattsVille.
ne While the buggy-ride 70 Surrattsv
st was in progress, J. Wilkes Booth replaC
10 the hat which he had lifted to Air4. Surr
II at her departure, and sauntered hack DO
Mt Sixth stree to Pennsylvania syenr
Thence he took the easy, careless, grace
stride which was one Of the characterize
DE Of lis street appearance, up Pennsylvai
n avenue, and around the corner of Tel
ny street toward FUrPs Theater, to get his
ters At the theater the scene Iranspi