Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-09-30
ANDY JOHNSON AND MRS. sURRiTT.
Did He Refuse to See Miss Annie Sur
raft In Her Mothers Behalf?
What Gen Mu.sey. HIS Private Sec
Rotary, says About the Matter.
Audy's MemoIJ Evidently Preacher

ton in the case OF Mrs. Sur-au, as given 70
correspondent of the New York Herald and pub
hshed in The STAR OF Saturday, is consider
ably at variance with the statement of General
K. ID. Mussev, Of this city, who. at the time OF
the execution of the Presidential conspirators,
was Andys private secretary. Inhis statement
10 the Herald reporter Mr.. johnson is repre-
scented as saying that he never knew until after
Mis-. Surratt had been executed, that her daugh-
ter had been seeking him; that Preston King
had nothing to DO with repulSing her. that Mus
sey, his private secretary, finding Annie Sur
raft looking in frantic way for him, (the Presi-
dent,) unable TO understand her, very likely re-
fused her admissions; aud that he knew nothing
OF this for some time after.
Gen, MuSsey's recollection of tn Q circum-
stances attendant upon the execution of the
conspirators is as follows: The execution il will
be remembered, took place on Friday, July :,
lSt5. on the Wednesday previous the President
said TO General Mussey (then holding the rank
of Colcne), "Well, Colonel, / am going to look
over those court martial papers relating to the
trial of the conspirators with Judge Holt, that
If any one wants to see me you may say am
occupied with important business"
Gen. NJ. replied, every we'll Mr.. President"
Some time atter-perhaps two hours-the
President came out of his private office and
said 10 Gen. NJ, "Well, we have locked the
matter over and have come to a decision" He
then went on to give the names of those who
had been found guiltJ; named those who had
been sentenced to death and said they would be
hung on Friday of that week.
General Mussey, who was writing at the time
saws that when the President mentioned the
date fxedf the execution he, Gen. NJ, was
Impressed with the shOrtness OF the time allotted
the Prifoners and said, To-day Is Wednesday
and the cOnspiratOrs will have but two days in
rather short, Mr. PRESIDENT"
To this the latter replied in substance: ayes,
il Is rather short; but then these people must
have fOreseen their fate from the commence
ment OF their trial which has been long ONE
He then added "NOw, Colonel, can't see any
one on this business; il any one calls to see me
about the matter-if any one has any fresh Ia
formation OF any pew eyidence-refer him 70
Judge Holt. The thing is settled, > far as /
am concerned, and can't see any one"
Gen. Mussey's reply was, "All right, Mr.
President, your orders shall be obeyed."
Having been a journalist, Gen. NJ. saw at
once there was big item" for his friends, the
newspaper men, in the announcement OF the
result OF the conspiracy trials, and asked the
President If he might give the news In regard %
the execution to the press. The President re-
pied IN the affirmative, and few minutes later
representative OF one OF the evening Journals
of this city dropped in Gen. rs office Az made
his usual inquiry for news. Gen. Mussey told
him the result of the court martial and gave b NJ
permission to print it the same afternoon, but
subsequentlyit was decided Gen. Mussey thinks
at the instance of Secretary Stanton,) not to
give out the Information for publication until
evening in order that the As Dciated Press
might disseminate 1t simultaneously throughout
the country.
| ",
conspirators, Payne, Herold, AtzerOtt, and Mrs.
| Surratt, was published to the world, and before
| nine O'Clock the friends Of the condemned, in
Guiding the Rev. Father alter, OF this city the
sisters of HerOld, and Gen. nj. thinks, Annie
| SuITstt, were at the White House to see TIE
President. Acting on the Presidents peremp-
ufy order, Gen. Mussey, naturally enough de-
the callers were the counsel for the conspira tors,
who apparently wanted to see the President and
| re-argue the whole case before him. OF course,
adj mi n FB-a-i
| dent. Before noon kilograms in relation to the
| execution began to be received at the White
House. Some spplauded the prompt measures
OF the government, and hoped nothing would
occur TO prevent the execution of the sentenC :;
| while others prayed for mercy III behalf OF the
prisoners.
| On Friday-the day fixed for the execution
| the number of callers and kilograms incre ased.
| Gen. Mussey was at breakfast in the White
nonse when informed that a daughter OF Mrs
Surratt desired to see him. After he had finish 20
his breakfast, instead OF returning TO his on &c
| by the private way, as usual, he went round bv
way OF the main staircase, where he met NJ -
| SUrratt
What followed is related in The STAR Of Fri
| day afternoon, July Z, 1865.
| "IECIDENTs At THE WHITE HOUSE.
| About half past O'Clock this morning. Miss
| SuTra(t, accompanied by female friend, again
| visited the White House, having been There
| last evening for the purpose of obtaining an n-
| terview with the President. President johnson
| having given orders that he would receive no
| one to-day, the dOOrkeeper stopped Miss Sur
| raft at the foot of the steps leading up to the
| PRESIDENTS Office, and would not permit her 70
| proceed further. She then asked permission TO
| see Gen. ID ussey, the Presidents military sec
| setary, who promptly answered the summons,
and came down stairs where Miss Surratt was
| standing. As soon as the general made his ap-
| pearance, Miss 5. threw herself on her knees
before him, and catching him by the coat, with
loud sobS and streaming eyes, implored him 10
| assist her in obtaining hearing with the Pres
| ident. Gen. NJ rssey, in as tender a manner as
possible, informed Miss Surratt that he could
rnr ann. lx- 4, h.
sons orders were Imperative. and he would re-
ceive no one"
The same account speaks of the presence OF
| the Misses HerOld at the White House Oh FRI
Gay, and or their unsuccessful efforts to see the
President in behalf of their brother.
Although he does not distinctly remember in
forming the President OF Miss Surratt's desire
to see him, Gen. Mussey is almost sure he did
so. AT any rate the President must have been
made aware OF it, if net through him through
Mrs. douglass, now Mrs. Gen Williams WHO
came TO plead in behalf OF Mrs Surratt. and
who must have seen the Presidents daughters.
with whom she was on terms OF intimacy IL is
scarcely possible that the Presidents daughters
could have known OF the errand OF Miss Surratt
without informing their father of il. That the
President knew OF III ISIS Surrett's presence ar
the W hlte House on Friday, and of her desire TO
see him IN her mothers behalf, Gen. Mussey
has no doubt whatever.
Early on Friday morning, while the President
was being shaved, he sent Tor Gen. Mussey who
slept in the White House, and who was in bed at
the time. Gen. NJ, believing that the President
desired to see Kim at once on important bust
ness, hastily slipped on his pants, and
without waiting 20 finish his toilet. obeyed the
summons, when the President said: =" Colonel I
have received long telegram this morning.
which wish you would read; but there was no
special hurry about it." 1t was an appeal for
clemency in behalf of the conspirators, and
Gen. nj. read the main points of the dispatch
aloud AT one point the sender of the dispatch
contended that the execution of the parties
would be unconstitutional, because thew were
tried by a military instead of a civil tribunal
AT this juncture the P esident interrupted the
reading TO say, so, that point has already been
settled" (referring to the decision OF the Attor-
ney General that the prisoners were lis BILE to
the jurisd fiction of q military commission be-
carse the offence was committed against the
commander in-chief of the armies of the United
States, and martial law prevailed in the Di.-
trict OF Columbia.l He then repeated what be
had said before about his desire to have any
additional evidence submitted to Judge Holt.
As before stated, Gen. M. did send Rev. Father
walter, the Herold sisters, Miss Surratt, the
Iminks, y and several others to Judge Holt, on
Thursday and Friday.
Gen. Hancock, then in command here who
mao general charge Of the execution of the CON-
splrators, had sent General Mussey q ticket OF
ADMISSION to the arsenal grounds 70 witness the