Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1870-12-16

picious of hiB, and asked me if [ thought he
could be trusted. Said I. Certainly he
cam
Weichman is Southern man, and [ al
ways believed it until had good reason to
believe otherwise, because he had furnished
information for the Confederate Government,
besides allowing rae access to the government
records after Office hours l have very little
to say of Louis J. Weichmau. Bat [ do
pronounce him born periurer;
murderer Of the mcanest hue . Give me
man who can strike bis victim dead. but save
me from a man who, through perjury, will
cause the death of an innocent person.
Double murderer !! Hell possesses no
worse fiend than character of this kind
Applause Away with such character
l leave him in the pit of infalny, which he
has dug for himself, prey to the lights Of
his guilty conscience. Applause
| telegraphed Booth thus:
81 " B., IN Nco York" IF you are
in New York telegraph me.
tJonN HARRISON, Elmira, N "
The operator, after looking over it, said,
''Is it J. W. b" to which I replied,
eyes, He evidently wanted the whole
name, and had scarcely finished telegraph
ing, when door right near the Office, and
opening on the street, was pushed open, and
l'heard some one say, eyes, there arc three
or four brothers of them, John, Junius
Brutus, Edwin and j. Wilkes Booth. p
The whole truth flashed on me in an instant,
and [ said to myself, ''ny God what have
I done"
The dispatch was still lying before ME,
and I reached over and took it up for the
parpose of destroying it, but the operator
stretched forth his hand and said, eve
must lille all kilograms" Ny first impulse
was to tear it up, but I pitched it back and
walked off. The town was in the greatest
uproar, flags at half-mast. bells sollng, &C.
Still did not think that was in danger,
and determined to go Immediately to Balti-
more to find out the particulars Of the trag-
edy. But here | wish to say few words
concerning tho register Of the Brainard
House.
When my counsel, by my own direction,
went to seek that register, it could. not be
found. Our inability to produce it on the
trial naturally cast suspicion over our
abb. That some Of the government ennis
saries distracted that register [ firmly be-
lieve, or perhaps it IS stored away in some
Of the other government vaults, under
charge of some judge high in position but
this is only q surmise Of mine But the
circumstance involves mystery of villsiny
which the All-Seeing God will yet bring to
light. The dispatch 1 sent to Booth ais,
from Eln,ira it was impossible to find
So sure was the government that they
had destroyed all evidence of my sojourn 10
Elmira, that i'll getting me in Wash ington
in time for Mr.. Lincoln's death they brough
me By way of New York city but SO COM
pletety were they foiled in this that in their
rebrttiag testimony they saw the absolute
necessity of having me go by way Of Elnira,
and they changed their tactics accordingly.
This is strange fact, but nevertheless true
that the government, having in its posses
sion this hotel register, as well as my dis
patch to Booth. and knowing moreover, by
one Of its witnesses. that I was in Elmira.
yet tried to prove that was in Washington
on the night Of Mr.. Lincoln death, giving
orders and commanding in general as they
were pleased 10 say. The gentlemen in
Elmira, by whom I proved my abb, were
men of the highest Standing and integrity
whose testimony the United States govern
ment could not and dare not attempt to i'm
peach. [ left Elmira with the intention Of
going to Baltimore. I really did not COM
prehend at that time the danger was in
AS there was no train going soath that eve
ming I concluded to go to Canandaigua, ana
from there to Baltimore by way of Elnir;s
and New York.
Upon arriving at Canandaigua on satur-
day evening learned to my utter disar-
pointment that no train left until the Mon
day following, so took room at the Web
ster House, registering myself as ''John
Harrison
The next day | went to church, remem-
Der it being Easter Sunday. can here
safely say that the United States govern
ment hal not the remotest idea that | stop
ped anywhere after left Elraira They
thought. whom left there, went straight
through to Canada It was very fortunate
thing for me that [ could not leave Canaan
daigua. Now mark ladies and gentlemen,
if you please, my name was signed midway
Of the hotel register, with six other parties
beforu and after. There was no doubt as
to the genuineness Of my signature, because
the very experts brought by the United
States to swear to my signatures in other
instances, swore also that that was my
hand writing After all this the register
was ruled out by Judge Fisher, because he
was well aware if he admitted it my case
was at an end. I could not be in two places
at once, though they tried to mako me so.
''The prisoner might have STEPPED down
from Canada to Canandaigua during his
concealment and signed his name there for
the purpose of protecting himself fer the
future" It was likely IDEA that the pro-
prietor Of hotel would leave blank lin
in The register for nay especial benefit
Need I say that the ruling was most in
famous one, and ought to damn the judge
who so ruled as william in the minds of
every honest and upright man Load and
prolonged applause Had Judge Fisher
been one of the lawyers for the prosecution,
he could not have worked harder against
me than he did. But thanks to him, he
did more good than harm. His unprinci-
pied and vindictive character was too appa-
rent to every one in the courtroom.
could not help smiling at the time to think
OF the great shrewdness and foresight he
accorded me by that decision. At times,
really, during ny trial, l could scarcely
recognize any ves,igc Of my former SELF
Sometimes I would ask myself, cam the
same individual Am I really the same
John Fl Surratt % When that register was
produced in conrt, the Hon. Judge Pierre
mont the leading counsel for the United