The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-07-20
WHO HUNG MRS. suRRArr.

aA~ SASAS<s NAASsSs Wv . a.
The Richmond Dispatch deprc
Gates the movement to make Goncr
al Hancock the Democratic candidate
for President. 1t denouuccs him as
President of the
"Unlawful military commission
which sat in the city of Washing
inSton IN 1865, and condemned tc
death so many persons, including
Mrs. Surratt. If General Hancock il
opposed 10 military law, kulslux acts,
&c, now, he must have learned u
good deal since 1865. And, indeed,
we should not think it strange if he
were to avow that misled by the
speclous argument of Attorney Gen.
eral Speed in 1865, no sat as a men,
ber of an unlawful military commits
sion, but that subsequent reflection
and investigation have caused him to
repent of the act. Certainly if he be
lieves that the President of the Uni.
tod States can, in Time of peace,
lawfully establish military courts
which may deprive persons not only
of liberty, but of life, he is not fit
man for that high Office. 1t is equal
ly certain that he must have been
of that opinion in 1865, or he would
have resigned his Office rather than
shed blood unlawfully."
The court which tried and con-
demned the conspirators was as fol
lows, to-wit: ". ..-......
President, Major Gen. ID. Hunter
Members, Major Gen. Lew Wallace,
Brcvct Major Gen. A. V. Kautz,
Brig. Gen. A. p. Howe, Brig. Gen.
X. S. Foster, Brevet Brig, Gen. J. A.
Ekin, Brig. Gen. Thos. NJ. Harris,
Col. Chas. H. Tompkins, Brevet Col.
ID. r. Clendennin.
The prosecution was conducted
by Judge Advocate Gen. Holt, Col.
Burnett, of Indiana, and Hon. John
a. Bingham, of Ohio.
The prisoners were defended by
Reverdy johnson, Tom. Ewing, Jr.,
and other lesser lights Of the District
OF Columbia. H..
The Commission was engaged
in trying the case from May 18th to
June 10Th, when they brought in
verdict of guilty against the accused
On the 9th of July President
Johnson addressed the following or
der to Gen. Hancock, commanding
tho Middle Military Division, with
Headquarters at Washington, D. c.,
as follows, to-wit:
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
July 9th, 1865.
"Tho foregoing sentences in the
cases of David Z. Harold, G.. A. At
zerott, Lewis Payne. and Mary E.
Suratt, are hereby approved, and it
is ordered that tho sentences in the
cases of David Il. Harold, G. A. At.
zcrott, Lewis Payne, and Mary e.
Surratt, be carried into execution by
the proper military authority under
the direction Of tho Secretary of w ar
on tho 9TH day of July, 1865, between
the hours Of 10 u. m. and 2 o'clock p.
M, of that day.
ANDREW JOHNSON,
President"
Hancock was tho Presidential ex-
.ecutioncr as commanding officer OF
that division, and had nothing loft
but to obey the order of the Presi-
dent, or else resign, if he disapproved
of tho action Of his superior, fact
which was not developed at that
time. The contrary presumption
however, is established by the fact
that be remained in command and
designated his provo-marshal to hang
the prisoners, and sent complinen-
tary invitations to his friends to
witness tho execution, one of which
we have before us.
We know from the public state
ment made by Bingham, from his
place in Congress, that eight out Of
the nine members of the court and the
Judge Advocate, and his two assis-
tants, appealed to johnson to com
mute the punishment of Mrs. Suratt,
but that individual who was .groomed
by Montgomery Blair, and saturated
with Washington City whisky, turn
ed deaf car to tho appeals Of mercy,
and ordered her, with the other con.
spirators, to be hung by Hancock, in
what wasregarded by all at the time
most indecent haste.
We have thus referred to this
bloody drama, at some length, to
vindicate the truth of history, and
to prove that lift was great crime
to thus summari)y execute the assas-
sins Of Lincoln, and the intended muir
derers of the chief officers of the
government, that the principal actors
in the drama were either then, or are
now, leading democrats in good
standing in the party, and to show
the usual stupidity of the Richmond
Dispatch in assigning to Hancock q |
position as President Of the Commits
sion, when he was in fact only its
Jack Ketcb.
Dennis a. Mahoney, the wheel
horse of Iowa democracy, SO long as
that party had numbers and charac-
ter enough to cntitle it to any sort
OF decent respect, served in the 7th
Iowa General Assembly, with our
candidate for Governor, Of whom he
has the following generous words:
t.Hbo nominal ~ tho Ranuhlioap