The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1873-06-25

tue SCGedHlS Of muEutT UDt Dei1I
much of hero, he tries to make his
way out of the house as he ascends
the assassin is behind him, who,
thinking that this man is going down
to give the alarm, springs on him,
plunges his knife in his back, fells
him, and passes by.
William, the colored boy, in the
meanwhile had run about crafty to
get assistance, and returns With three
soldiers just in time to see the as
sassin mount his horse and ride off
All this took less time to happen
than it takes to relate.
j. Wilkes Booth, the arch-assassin,
educated to theatrical tableaux, must
play the Brutus he assassinates the
President before two thousand peo-
pie, leaps on the stage and exclaims,
"Sic semper tyrannisn He flies,
but whole army is after him, and
he is run down like q cowardly fox.
But the assassin of Mr. Seward no
one knows there is no clue to his
identity. All the detectives are at
work upon all sorts Of impossible
theories this man battles their
acuteness. For three days all at
tempts to get trace of him are vain.
Booth, having thus exposed himself,
gave the detectives point at start in
their plans of detection. They soon
learn Booths strange afiiliatiOn with
John Surratt and his family. Ae-
cordingly an order is given for the
apprehension of the Surratts. At ii
p. NJ of the 18th the officers 90 to
Mrs. Surratt and inform her of their
mission. While they are waiting in
the hall for her to get ready, knock
is heard at the door An officer
opens, and Il labOring man, with
pick-axe on his shoulder, appears
He, seeing the officers, says, Think /
am mistaken
Whom do you want TO see - the
officer inquiries.
Mrs. Surratt'
"YOu are not mistaken, then, walk
in"
! He walks in the door is locked be-
bind him.
do you want to see Mrs. Surratt?
( "Yes"
What for?'
"She has engaged me to dig al
gutter for her in the garden" "
Where have you worked ~
81 have worked about the Streets
Where did Mrs. Surratt engage
you ?'
"She knows ! work by jobs she
got me in the street and engaged me.n
did you come to dig gutter to-
night ~
NO; / came to ask her when she
wants the job done"
An officer goes and asks Mrs. Sur
ratt if she has engaged a man to dig
gutter?
Oh, no not she +; she engaged no
man; gets excited; she fears it is a !
thief; she is so glad the officers are
in the house
She comes in the hall, looks at the
man, and declares she never saw him
in her life Yet, as it is proven by
the evidence in the trial, this man had
been for three davs, March IL, Is,
and lG, guest at her house, ate at
her own table, went to the theater
with her son, &c
This man gives his name as Lewis |
Payne Lewis Payne is arrested
under the suspicious circumstances. |
William Wells, the colored lad, was
sent for F.; being shown 30 a room con-
tanning several people, he is asked if
he recognizes the assassin among
them?
No; he does not see him.
Several other people are then
brought in, when suddenly he walks !
towards Lewis Payne, and in an ex-
cited manner exclaims: There he |
is l knew / could never forget that |
lip,r The recognition was complete.
Next morning | accompanied Miss
Fanny and Augustus Seward to the |
Monitor, where Payne was held a
prisoner. What feeling must have
peryaded the bosom of this girl while |
she was going to meet this assassin,
who, before her own eyes, had so
brutally assaulted, and all but killed,
her father. She had seen him in a
dimly-lighted room, under great ex-
element. Would she recognize him
now? The idea of meeting this man
face to face, although where he was
harmless, would have excited vain
fears in many a girls heart but she
was composed, and her demeanor ex-
pressed only the dignity of her own
strange position. She met the naval
officer on the Monitor with the same
cain and gentle manners so natural
to her The officers, on the other
hand, felt almost reverence for this
girl who, instead of making demon
stration of her narrowing grief, was
commanding self, and in her own un-
affected manner received the express
ions of their respect and sympathy
with unfeigned gratefulness. /
Payne gradually rose from the
hatchway, and with neck exposed,
head uncovered. showing a serious if
not stolid face, and colossal frame, he
stood unmoved before this frail girl,
who would not even utter a curse
upon him. God alone knew what
passed in those two hearts at that
moment. Strangely quiet they stood
before each other Were they over
whelmed by the magnitude of crime
that was beyond mans redress !? The
scene was a solemn One-too solemn
for man to utter second; silence, \
broken only by the kissing wind and
surging waves pervaded the whole
ship. 1t was almost a weird trans
formation from mysterious power.
Miss Fanny was hanging on my
arm. Did / feel culver? Probably
did, for gently drew her from the
painful scene. Conscientious even at
this trying moment, she could not
identify the man; her identification,
she thought, might be his death. She
had only seen him by dim light as
if frightful vision. That is all she
said
To the questions of the detectives
Do.xo ooc,roroJ hasitotipOlv and