Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-10-08
THE sURRATT OAsE.I
Ex-Presiaenf johnson Looked for in
Neutrality-suspicious. Testimony from
q Member Of LlncoIu's Cabinet.

Ex-President johnson Locked FOX In
washing ton-FresEa Testimony from
. Member Of LincoIu's Cabinet.
Special to the Cincinnati Commercial.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 5.--Ex-President
johnson, whose coming here has been fire.
/ quentlg announced, has failed to turn up.
His letter stating that he would be here
was written before the failure Of the First
| National Bank of this city, Of which be b
said to be creditor In sixty thousand dol
lars. This sum grew ont of the bonds to the
| amount named, which the Butler tssmell-
ing" committee in the impeachment trial
found to be In the hands of the bank above
named, and which was proven to be John
sons private property, made up OF the hard
earnings during bis lifetime. When he
ceased to be President, the First National
Bank proposed to him to convert the bonds
into moBey and leave the proceeds on de-
posit with that bank-aIlowing him six per
cent. interest on his deposit. He had TIE
utmost confidence ia the concern, and
readily acceped the proposition.
Mr.. Johnson's purpose In coming here IS,
however, 20 gather testimony from wit
nesses aud from the records to meet the al
legations of Judge Advocate General Holt,
who seeks to prove that Notwithstanding
The military commission unanimously rec
commended that the sentence of death upon
Mrs. Surratt be commuted to imprisonment
for life, johnson heartlessly permitted her
to be hung. This Surratt hanging disturbs
all the principal actors connected with the
Administration who had responsibility in
the case. 1t is the ghost who will not down.
1t has more hsads than Banquos ghost. 1t
tortured Stanton and haunts Holt; and
pursues Bingham and the rst Of them.
These men feel now that the woman Sur
rstt was not proven to have been cognizsnt
OF Booths purpose TO kill Mr.. Lincoln, but
thss her knowledge extended only to the
long previously planned abduction of che
President. Butler on the floor of the
House, it viii be recollected, cha ged
Bingham, a Judge Advocate in the
Commission, with being guilty of
legal murder and the blood of Mrs. Sur
raft was on his hands. At the same time
Butler charged that Booths diary, then in
the possession of the War Department, and
not st that time made public, had been
tempered with In order in some measure to
strengthen the case against Mrs. Surrstt,
and protect Bingham ct al. from public CEN
sure. This Booth dairy when afterward ex-
amined, gave nc evidence that it had been
tempered with; but, nevertheless, there re-
mains that ugly legal question standing
against johnson, Stanton, Holt and Bing-
ham ct al, which Butler referred to, and in
which he has been sustained by the Su- |
preme Court of the United States in other |
cases. The Civil Courts were open in this
district and friendly to the Administration, |
having exclusive jurisdiction, and were |
ready to speedily try this case. Mr.. Hollis |
Military Commission, therefore, had no le- |
gal existence. 1t is this in part that dis
turbs the surviving managers Of that trial. |
a member of Mr.. Lncoln's Cabinet in |
formed your correspondent yesterday that |
he called on Mr.. johnson day or two after |
the harging of Mrs. Surratt, and inquired |
about the recommendation of the commits.
sion for Communication of the sentence. Mr.. |
johnson was surprised, and said be bad not |
heard of such document. This ex-mem- |
Der of Lincoln's Cabinet says, from all the |
proofs, he is satisfied that Judge Holt pur- |
posely withheld that recommeE dation from |
Mr. johnson until after the execution, |
knowing well that if the latter had seen it,
Mrs. SurraGt would not have been hung,
and that there is evidence that the recon- |
mendation was not with the body of the |
papers of the trial when they were handed |
to the President.