Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-10-08
GEN. HARTRANFT.
Penusylyania-The Grant Candidate
for G0verner
From the New York Freeman's Journal and

Prom, the New York Freeman's journal and
Catholic Record
It was not tyonlda- soiippiay, that occur
red in Washington, in 1865. 1t was .co-
1n0n-ba HANGING, 1t was not Tor political
offence. It was for the crime Of keeping
| boardino-hoase; and, womanlike, not know
| inc. or srspecting, what some Of her board
ers' and their visitors, might be plotting
| elsewhere.
THE public conviction, among all parties,
has long ago become settled that poor Mrs.
Surratt was as ignorant as baby Of any
Intention to assassinate President Lincoln.
! Rut she kept boarding house for young
men. And it happened that set Of young
men gathered at her boarding house, some
of whom became implicated in the afro
cious murder of Abraham Lincoln.
This was the sum Of her offending. But
| a ferocions spirit of vengeance got abroad,
| that demanded signal victims. TWAS the
spirit of the mob, not the spirit of justice.
II demanded extraordinary victims. II
Wilkes Booth had been married, and had had
two or three babies, from five months 10 five
wears old, the mob-spirit would have wanted
to put these to desth-perhaps TO roast them
at slow fire. Not having these, the most
atrocious thing the mob could do was to
hang Mrs. Surratt. She was kind-hearted
widow, of advanced years, and in reduced
| circumstances. That is how she come to
be keeping boarding for young men,
| during the war troubles.
1t Is not necessary to go over again the
horrible recital. Enorlyh to say that if, in
stead of having been murdered, without the
| forms of law, she had been imprisoned, it is
| certain that, long ago, she would have been
set at liberty, from the full conviction of the
public mind that she knew nothing what
ever of the crime that was about to be COM
mitted by some OF those that abused her
| hospitality.
Gen. Hartrsnft's conspicuous part in that
,uljudieiGl murder, is well known. He did
that, for which, if the guarantee of our free
institutions, by TIE vigorous enforcement
of Id,o, were to De carried out, he might,
and ought for terror to like evil-doers in
all time to come--to be put on trial for has
life, as a murderer, before a jury Of his
countrymen. He hanged Mrs. Surratt, who
is now recognised as having been an limo
cent woman. Aud he did it without any
warrant Of ldsC (! And, instead of having
been tried for Il, before jury Of his coun-
trymen, he is, now, putting himself on trial
before all the freemen of Pennsylvania, to
see whether be is not the proper person to
be elected Governor of that State. Not by
any hesrsay accusations, not by common T't-
NOR only, but by evidence produced, and
sifted, In courts of Pennsylvania, be has
been proceed to have abused subordinate
State trust confded TO him, and to have
shared in immense plumber Of the treasure
of that commonwealth.
This is q matter that 1t is proper to leave
to the voters Of Pennsylvania, who are all,
directly or indirectly, tax payers. If they
want this kind of a man Governor OF their
State, rather than Mr.. Buckalew, known
so well as a gallant and upright public man
tried and found worthy of Trust, they have
a right to have Hartranft-nay, they will
deserve him, and all he viii do against
their common welfare.
But there is the other question, relating
to a wider human sympathy. AS one
whose grandparents bones all rest in
the earth Of Pennsylvania, We feel that we
have right to be interested in this other
question. In the days when our grand
fathers lived in Pennsylvania, no man
that, IN time Of peace, at the order OF
lawless military commission-den0unced as
lawless-contrsry to the Constitutions and
the laws-hdn9ed an innocent DOHtuH,
would have been permitted to have re-
manned on that soil |!
And, for Pennsylvania, especially,
we hops there is caivdLry enough
among those who breathe its air, and live
on its soii-irrespectiVe of the base and
swindling character of the Radical candi-
date for Governor of that State--Io draw
ont the most complete Democratic vote for
the gallant democratic candidate, Mr..
Buckalew, against the military hangma't,
HarSranft-who dragged to the scafiOld the
already almost lifeless form of poor Mrs.
Surratt-innocent of the charges made
against her-and for whom, in vain, the IL
lustrious and right-hearted DR.. Spalding,
late Archbishop of Baltimore, plead with
her murderers that they would grant her
few days respite, that she might have time
for recovering composure, and for prepar-
ing for her terrible death.