Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1869-07-10
ALEAF FROM rrrsroRr.
Statement or Edman spangIer, On,
tff, Of the Alleged Assassina-
49,. ~ ton COnspfratOrs. 49,.

n ace Of the Alleged Assassina-
d f,g, IA, ton COnspfrntOrs. No.. q
Edman spungler, who was tried and
sentenced by a military commission
in May, 1865. on q charge Of being EN-.
gagged in the plot to assassinate Pres
ident Lincoln, and pardoned by Pres
ident Johnson, publishes the follow
ing statement, an abstract of which
appeared in the Washington dis
patches to the Avalanche of the Gath
instant: l5'i1.' '''''il' q
STATEMENT OF EDMAN sPANGLER.
Il have deemed Ii due to the truth
to prepare for publication the follow
ing statement-at time when / hope
the temper of the people will give me
a patient hearing-0f my arrest, trial
and imprisonment, for alleged COM
plicity in the plot to assassinate the
late President Lincoln.gGI have suf-
fered much but / solemnly assert
now, as always have since 1 was ar
raigned for trial ut the Washington
Arsenal, that 1 am entirely innocent
of any fore or after knowledge of the
crime which John Wilkes Booth COM
save what / knew in COM
mon with everybody after it took
place. 4 further solemnly assert that
John Wilkes Booth, or any other per
son, never mentioned DO me any plot,
or intimation of q plot, for the alb
ductiOn or assassination of President
Lincoln; thatI did not know when
Booth leaped from the box to the
stage ut the theater that he had shot
Mr.. Lincon and that did not, in
any way, SO help me God, assist in
his escape; and l further declare that
am entirely innocent of any and all
charges made against me i'm that con-
nection. / never knew either Sur
raft, Payne, Atzerodt, Arnold, OF
Harold, or any of the so-called con-
spirators, nor did I ever see any OF
them until they appeared in custody.
While imprisoned with Atzerodt,
Payne and Harold and after theii
trial was over, I was allowed q few
minutes exercise in the prison yard.
/ heard the three unite in asserting
Mrs. Surratt's entire innocence, and
acknowledge their own guilt, confin-
ing the crime, as they did, entirely
to themselves, but duplicating the
witness, Weichman, in knowledge oil
the original plot to abduct and with
furnishing information from the Com.
missary of Prisoners Department,
where Weichman was q clerk. 90
1 was arrested on the morning OF
the 18th of April, 1866, and, with Rit-
farcnotInh /o1oo a coov,a 81, "a - \ - -,
to the police station on Z street, be-
tween Ninth and Tenth. The Ser.
geant, after questioning me closely,
went with two policemen to search
for Peanut John, (the name of the
boy who held Booths horse the night
before,) and made to accompany us to
the headquarters of the police on
Tenth street where John and were
locked up, and Ritterspaugh was re-
leased. After four hours confine.
ment, / was released and brought be-
fore Judges Olin and Bingham, and
told them of Booth bringing his horse
to the theater on the afternoon Of the
14th of April, (1S65) After this in.
vestigati0n, i said: What is to be
done with me ?'land they replied =
!" We know where to find YOU when
You are wanted" and ordered my
release. Ireturned to the theater
where l remained until Saturday,
when the soldiers took possession Of
1T; but as the officer of the guard gave
an attache and myself pass to SLEEP
there, we retired at 10 pm, and at ]
am, a guard was placed over me
who remained until 8 am, Sunday,
when was released. / did not leave
the theater until Sunday evening,
and on our return, this attache Gar
land by name and myself were ar.
rested by detective Larner. Instead
of taking us to the guard-house, he
said he would accompany us home IL
sleep there, but we all went to police
headquarters on Tenth street, and
when Garland asked if we were
wanted, an officer sharply said
" No" Ireturned to the theater that
night, and remained the next day till
| went TO dinner, corner Seventh and
q streets. That over L remained O
few minutes, when Ritterspaugh
(who worked at the theater with me,
came, and meeting me, said: "Ihave
given my evidence, and would like
now to get some of the reward.n
l walked out with Ritterspaugh fol
half an hour, and on returning to lie
down left word that If any one called
for me to tell them that / was lying
down. Two hours afterward 1 was
called down stairs to see two gentle
men who had called for me. They
said that L was wanted down street.
On reaching the sidewalk they placed
me in a hack and drove rapidly to
Carroll Prison, where / was confined
n week. Three days afterwards De-
tectlve, or Colonel Baker came to my
room, and questioned me about the
sale of a horse and buggy (Which be-
longed to Booth), and TOLD him all
about IL freely and readily. On the
day following | was called into the
Office of the prison in order TO be rec
ognized by Sergeant Dye, who mere
ly nodded his head rs / entered, and
then left. dye subsequently, testified
that he was sitting on the steps of the
theater just before Booth fired the
shot, and to seeing mysterious per-
sons about.) L was allowed on the
fourth day of my Imprisonment TO
walk the prison yard, but from that
evening was closely confined and
guarded until the next Saturday mt
midnight, when l was again taken to
the Office to see. the detective, who
said: "Come, Spangler, pve some
jewelry for you" He handcuffed me
with my hands behind my back, and
guarding me TO n hack, l was placed
in it and driven TO the Navy Yard,
where my legs We're manacled and a
pair of Lille handouts placed on my
wrists. | was put in n boat and
rowed to monitor, where / was
taken on board and thrown into a
small, dirty room, between two wa
ter-closets, and on bed of filthy life
preservers and blankets, with two
soldiers guarding the door. I was
kept there Gorthree days. i had been
thus confined three DAYS on the