The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-01-04
THE Hpreur OF ImPuDENCE.


that the world has lately witnessed, is now
in our city, and will be served up tonight
for the delectation of the good and true
people Of Richmond. We allude to the
brazen-faced impudence of John ii. Sur
raft, whose name has been emblazoned in
letters foot and half in length, upon
every vacant wall in the city during the
past week, announcing that he would lee
ture on this evening at st. Adams Hall;
before the people of Richmond, and tell
them the thrilling story of his marvellous
adventures by land and sea, and wondrous
hair-breadth escapes,in eluding the bounds
of justice, who were close-chasing on
his track, in fact hunting him down."
for his alleged completely in the murder of
Mr.. Lincoln. This man has lectured in
the North, and has been permitted to do
SO without interruption, because the peo-
Pile there are tolerant of all things and all
persons. They will let any one have his
say in peace, even though his hands may
be red with the blood of their best beloved.
He asked for a hearing to justify himself
and they willingly accorded it to him.
He spoke his speech in Maryland first. and
was warmly applauded in that hybrid
State, which during the war was neither
" fish, flesh nor good red herring" In
New York he was listened to by a
beggarly crowd of sympathizers but
the respectable people of all parties
let him severely alone. 1t was the
bravest thing he has yet done,-and
we give him credit for ito go among
the very people, whose chief he had
plotted to STAY, and boast of the murder
GUS act,-vaunt it in their very faces. But
they did not modest him. Had he shown
the same courage, when she who bore him
was in danger, the world would have ac-
corded him at least that admiration it gives
to devotion and bravery, even in pirate
or brieand chief. But that he should have
come to Richmond to insult the chivalrous
people of this city, by telling, in semi
boastful vein, the story of his infamous ca
reer,-justify his acts before an audience of
gallant men, who did their duty openly
and manfuliy in the field, aud not Snoak-
ingly, and by stealth, and in dark and hid
den recesses,--to speak before men and
women, who would scorn to do mean
thing, even though the cause they fought for
much less their own lives, depended upon
it's what we donominate the very
"heght of impotence"
The story of this man is before the
world and all right-thinking men in the
world have condemned and scorned it, as
they do the story-teller. To us, person.
ally. he need not have told it at all; Tor as
we were in Washington at the time, and
are pretty good at collecting and digesting
facts. orr conclusions as to bis completely
with the great crime were quite speedily,
and, we think, correctly arrived at. But
out of his own mouth he is condemned
and no jury in the country would fall TO
convict him on his own evidence; and
were he to throw himself upon the mercy
of the court in expectation of clemency
upon the strength of this confession, he
would receive no favor; for every
body must see at once that he was quite
as deep in the plot as Booth. The whole
idea of the abduction of Mr.. Lincoln was
an after-thought. 1t never entered the
head of any of the conspirators. In the
confession of Payne, who attempted
the life of Mr.. Seward, and who was
the boldest and most fearless of all
the conspirators, there was not one word
about kidnapping He declared that from
his first conneu.~. with the conspiracy,
the idea was the murder of the President,
the Vice President, and Secretaries Stan
ton and Seward, and if the public will
but recall the facts to mind, they will see
how well the plan was laid, how cunning
" perfected, and how nearly accomplished.
Booth and Payne performed their
part of the contract to the letter,
and accident alone prevented johnson
and Stanton from sharing the fate OF
Lincoln and Seward. Now all this re-
ouired time. 1t was not an impromptu
affair gotten up on the spur of the moment.
Booth and Payne and Atzerott, did not
meet on that evening in the coffee-house
adjoining Ford's theatre, and after taking
a stiff "todger of brandy" conclude upon
this deed Of blood They did not then
and there determine to change the plan CT
kiduap ping into one of murder. No; for
had not Booth. early on that day, visited
the private box of the President, and fixed
the door in such manner that no one
could enter from without to interfere with |
his purposes ~ and was not Payne we'll
informed of the condition of things at the |
residence of the Secretary, SO well, in
deed. that he at once found the room in
which he lay on his bed of sickness, and
dealt him those terrible stabs? No;
this plot had been thickening for days,
if not for weeks, and was we'll
known to all the conspirators,-
n -.aoc,o~;ao hafora tho fact II