Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-09-26
Was Mrs. Surratt Manacied.
To the Editor Of the Tribune:

-@NN'NO'
S1R:-This mornings papers, on
what pretends to be the authority of
Governor Hartranft, state that Mrs.
Surratt was not manacled during her
imprisonment. I attended the trial of
the conspirators one day. There was
a railing the whole length of one end
of the room, about three feet from the
wall, in which was door leading, they
said, to the prison. The prisoners sat
i'll Il row, behind this railing, Mrs. Sur
raft being nearest to the door leading
into the ante room at that side, and
quite near that leading to the prison.
I was given a chair in the aisle, just
inside the door, and SO near to Mrs.
Surratt that could easily hare shaken
hands with her over or through the
railing I sat there two hours, some
times touching the railing, when the
| crowd pressing at the door for en-
trance, induced me to move my chair,
so that part of the time / was not more
heavy black dress, falling on the floor
see them, but every time she moved
them I heard chains CLARK. I had, be-
| fore that, lived fifteen years on a
familiar with the sound of chains,
and the difference between that of a
wagon and log chain. The sound was
that of log chain. It could not have
| been made by anything but the heavy
| links of a chain, and that chain must
| have been fastened to both her ankles.
| The sounds could not have been made
in any other way The chains on her
ankles must have been heavy enough
to prevent her lifting her feet, for she
only slid them on the floor, one at a
| time, for little change of posture.
She seemed to avoid moving, SO as not
TO attract attention to the chain; for
every time they clanked she blushed
painfully, blushed SO that [ could see
it through the heavy Grape vail she
wore over her face. [ sat until she
was removed. She arose with difficult
ty, leaning on the arm Of the officer,
who seemed to be kind. She did not
lift her feet in moving to and through
the door. but slid one at a time, lit
| tie way. [ think not further than that
| the heel of the forward foot came Oh a
! line with the toe of The other; but all
| the time the links ground and clanked.
| She could not move one foot an inch
without making them grind. Mrs.
S5urratt sat before or rather on one
side Of her Judges, chained with links
OF iron as heavyas those of log Chain:
and while she sat thus she was
grossly insultcd by spectators, men
and women, or things that looked
Ike men and women. Once she
turned pale when one Of these crea-
lures said 81 hope they'll hang her
just look Al her She looks like q
devil = I could not bear it, but spoke
out and said : She does not look like
devil She looks like good, kind
hearted woman, and you are mean
coward for insulting prisoner" \
man, in reply, said to me "Shc's
rebel" and repeated, Coward cow
ard -
Mrs. Surratt looked up and our eyes
met. The expression of her face will
haunt me to the grave, and [ thank
God for the look of gratitude it wore;
but, as we were getting up quite side
show, an officer forced his way to us, to
see what the matter was. l told him
that people were insulting the prisoner
He made them stand back, moved my
chair to the other side of the aisle, and
set a man at the door to keep order
and prevent my holding communion
ton with the prisoner. Mrs. Surratt's
chains were common subject of con-
versation III Washington at the time. I
wrote an account at the time, which
was published and extensively copied
and commented upon, and this morn
ing IS the first time have ever heard
any denial of the fact that Mrs. Sur
raft was fettered as she sat wcarily
through the long hours and days Of
that trial JAEE O.. SwIssIIELM.
Pittsburg, Sept. 10, 1873.