The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1868-12-31
THE sURRATT PERSECUTION.

ZION vi HeI sui, NY ohc AU"oiOoio'
The whole history of this Surratt case is re-
markable. The United States Government
made herculean efforts to hunt him down but
when-after tracking him from one country TO
another, and from the barracks of the Papal
Zouaves at Rome to lodging at Naples-the
agents of that Government got fast hold OF HIM
and conveyed him to America, the resolllte de-
termination of the people to deal out stern JUS
tice to all who had any hand in Mr.. Lincoln
death drifted into waverng and hall-hear'eo
policy Many thousands of dollars must nave
been expended to bring about the capture OF
John Surratt; but, having obtained his pody'
the authorities seemed to be totally at loss to
know what they should do with him. The hos
tile evidence was weak and much OF it was
tainted with manifest perjury. There was,
perhaps, an uneasy feeling in the official mind
| that the mans mother had been hanged on tes-
timonv certainly not stronger than that which
was found inadequate to convict her son. Al
together, perhaps the WiSest thing to do was
| TO let John Surratt 90 The Americans are
the least vindictive people i'll the world. Their
wrath, when it is excited, may be terrible; but
| it is soon over, and they bear no malice. When
| Mr.. Lincoln was murdered they would have
hanged fifty Surratts had there been htty to
! hang But Mr.. Lincoln has been dead long
| time; Justice has been done on his actual as
sassns; the Americans have grown moIllted,
and since it is far from certain that John Sur-
raft was guilty, the most generous and ponuc
course was to let him have the benefit OF the
doubt
By this time the vast majority of American
people have arrived at ! conclusion which po-
| iitical men vrntured only to whisper with
| bated breath, so long as the Northern States
were conyulsed from end to end by horror and
anger at the slaughter of their President ne
! conclusion is duplex; itamounts simply TO TINS :;
| that Mrs Surratt ought never to have been
hanged, and that John Wilkes Booth was mad,
The evidence against Mrs. Surratt was OF Inc
| himsiest description. That She knew the as
sassn more or less intimatel y was proved but
there was absolutely nothing 10 show that She
was an accessory to Mr.. LlEc"nS murder
either before or after the fact. All efforts,
however. made to save the life OF the unhappy
woman were in vain. Even had Mr.. Johnson
! been DESTROYS OF pardonng her or of commit
| inc her sentence to life omg imprisonment, II Is
doubtful WHETHER in til" cXcltcd condition "i
| the public mind, he world have vcnturrd 10
exercise the prcrugatlvt ut mercy. hum"r-
Gus section of society was rnra4rd by IN" iact
! that through the atiray III which h" lo>t his HE,
! Booth himself should have escaped an lgn"-
minIouS death upon a public Scaii"Id; and III Il
most unwisc and ungrnrrouS proclamation.
! Mr. Stanton openly accused Nr. Jefferson Ia
Wis Just then a prisoner III Federal hands. "i
! complicitv in the assassination plot. The cry
of blood for blood was universal; and had
Mr.. Davis been tried BY court-marta at WASH
! ingtou in the Summer Of l-61. there can be
| little doubt that he would have been sentenced
+I,n+ II no I.lv
| had time 10 reflect on the circumstances Of the
death of Mr. Lincoln. and now that the real
| history of the affair is known. none but III"
most ianatcal ant-Southrrnrrs would dream
| that Jefferson Davis was any way concerned
! in any way even cognizant of the murdrrouS
plot which succeeded 50 wotully N Ford :
! Theatre. and u>rarricd strangely at Mr.,
Stewards house With regard H. Booth hlm-
self il is fully time 10 ackUoWlrd that In"
murderer was mad Those who had seen him
in Canada during the Autumn of l~6l. must
have been convinced OF this mans insanity.
which was partially hereditary. and to som"
extent aggravated by immodrratr lnduGrnc"
IN stimulantS. Booth was not III the rcmotrSt
manner associated or connected with any at
the Confederate leaders He was murderer
"on his own hook" He had accomphccs. 1t Is
| true but excluding DR.. Mudd and Mrs Sur
raft from the category, they were probably
| hired by Booth to do lis bidding. The wild
scheme of destroying at one blow tn" Prcsi-
dent and his Cabinet had, III all likelihood been
Matched solely in the distcmpcrcd brain OF John
! Wilkes Booth. and was impaired only ut the
last moment to those whom he employed To as
! sst him. With the liberation OF John Surratt
| the curtain tails on the last scene III one OF the
saddest dramas ever played on the stage of life.
Mrs. HARRIET BEECHER STOWE Cox
vERTED.-Thc Macon (Gcorgia) Telegraph of
late date, says:
We hear from Florida that Mrs. Bccchcr
Stowe. the authOress of" Uncle Toms Cabin,
who year or two ago bought place on the
st. Johns River, near jacksonville, says she
wants to live long enough to write another
book to correct the mistakes Of Uncle Tom,
and show that great bundcr was committed
when slavery was abolished. From original
condition of sentimental attachment to the ne
gro, she has elapsed into state Of unconqucr-
able dislike and aversion. She will not have
them about her, either indoors or out.
She turned them all off her place, and allows
no one with black skin to approach her. We
are told that an acquaintance of ours sought t.
send her message by black stewardess on
board a steamboat, but she refused to allow the
negro to approach her. Her mind, rs we have
been credibly informed is very much nhamed
against the negro; and this, probably, from
comparing their efficiency and aptitude as Ia
F bOrers and servants with that of the Northern
whites Her fancy nctUre of the African has