The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-03-22
Woman Hanger.

Washington Correspondence Times.J
A stranger sitting in the gallery of
the House will notice upon the floor
below an old man, with spare form,
wrinkled face and grar eyes, generally
dulled ind glazed in their appearance,
but at times shooting out a CLEAN
such as one finds common TO the in
sane. His manner is peculiar. He
sits much of the time with his arms
folded, looking in IN abstract, gloomy
way upon the floor ; at others, he wan
ders about in a restless manner, and
at all times he seems to be alone
If we were 20 follow this man from
the House to his home, We would find
that on the way, either IN his commit
tee-room or at the restaurant below, or
at some drinking house upon the
avenue, he would stop and poIr down
his throat nearly a full glass of wins
ky or brandy As night comes these
rotations increase, and when he re-
tires to bed at night it is to be under
their influence to such an extent that
he tails into deep heavy sle'p Dur
ing the long watches of the night the
gas burns in his ROOM, and he seems
to have the same terror of darkness
common to frightened children.
This is the punishment of murder.
The man thus haunted aid tortured
through life has upon his hands the
blood Of an innocent woman. AT all
hours, wrking or sleeping, she is he
fore him /; sometimes pleading pitrous
ly tor her lite, at others dangling like
ii bunch Of old clothes on the glllows,
while the shrieks of hsr agonizrd
daughter are never out of his ears.
The horrible phantom is ever pres
ent 1t sits in grim silence at his
board, sleeps in his bed, walks by his
siie, and The man, shuned by his fel-
owmen. is never alone. Again this
hor lille torment there is but one rem
edr, and that is whisky and opium.
hat dui.s the sense, while driving one
to insanity and death.
When the assassins of the late Mr..
were on trial, before Il tribu-
nal organized to convict, the pro>ecu
attorney seemed animated by an
devilish. blood! hirsty desire
to kill. in the mad Jury OF an excl
mob a group of suspected people
were driven like trighted sheep INTO
Ghe military court, and the head pros
had hut one object, and that
~as to ha.g them all, and others too, |
# the bloody Vengeance of the multi
.ude was not .satiatcd. Instead of
.ingling out the guilty, and drawing
he mighty arm OF law about the limo
cent. he sought only a general tragic
nob's thirst for bEool.
lie had it ell his W way He was
proud to he the fitting instrument,
md the Government gave nim uuliIn- |
ted control. A miserable wretch
yhO, To save his own worthleSsness, I
volunteered he so called e., idence, oc-
the stand, and vas guidrd in
il testomOny by the deviiSh ingenui
= of the legal prosecutor, who knew
at every word his witness uttered
a lie, sworn to with the onse of
he gullows dangling before his eyes
OF such guilty knowledge on the
OF The prosecution we have
Ibundant proof One Illustration is
efficient: This Weic' ma swore upon
me uav that some time in March pre-
lie had met Booth at the Kirk
wood House, and gave the details of
he interview. He said he recol cc:ed
veil the room and the conversation
ftrr the court adjourned for the day,
he ASSISTANT counsel hurried to the
Iotel with the willing witness and ask
d him To point out the room This
he man did, and when asked how he
new, he sail it was the apartment
f a member of Congress, then alb
ent from the city, An examination
f the register revealed the fact that
t that time no Congressman occu-
led this room, bat II had been there
n December and January. So that,
the story was true, the interview Dc
urred during the holidays, when the
lrmber WAS absent.
These facts were communicate to
ne a linrsou ISu] of the Government
II tic assistant urged that the man
e put upo the stand to crrrect mis-
To his utter ast0nishmrni
he prosecutor positively reiusrd.-- {
,uch corr ction would m II hi the Dry
+ the case, that $ ept all the prison
rs down to one common doom
G"d's vengeance is slow but sur.
he biol of the innocent does not &;
Iy III vain fol retribution, The hard
man realized the horn lille sui
ide of crime. ;
The cruel rope that swung ont the
lnocrnt roman in that hot summers
III before the gIoating eyes of the
rmed crowd caught in It's moose the
eek Of the murderer. In thai mo- 3.
passed from him all the sweet
shat makes lie precious to u,
nd whe- her tainted by his brother |
lembers of Congress as an assassin {
f a or left to his own gnaw
lg Consciousness of guilt, lie with
is only a continuous horrible
cath.