Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-11-13

4
acteristic is some of its aspects, that we
cannot restrain our propensity to com
ment upon it, briefly, that people can
see that Andy retains his old pngnaclty
and audacitv. that he exhibited on his
memorable journey to the tomb OF Doug
lass. When public men sink from sight |
for awhile, and then reappear, there is
a kind of curiosity to see If there mas
been any changes in the characteristics
thew were most noted for when they |
sswere on earth before" The first thing
after reviewing the evidence that the
ex-President makes point upon, Is
that, there is only one witness who SUBJ
stimulates the statement of the Judge |
Advocate General, as to the petition for |
clemency being attached to the record
of the finding and sentence OF the COM
mission, when it was at the ex-
ecutiye chambers, and that this witness
was nobody but the Attorney General,
James Speed His late Excellency
thinks that Speed must have been mis-
taken as to where he saw the record, as
Mr.. Holt was the only person present
while the record was at the White
House, and that he entered and
retired from the house by the
private or family entrance instead
of the public and usual entrance for Wis
itors, and that after the disposition OF
the cases of Harold, Aircraft and
PAYNE, the sentence in the case OF Mrs.
Surratt was considered, Andy says: In
acting upon her case, no recommendation
for Communication of her punishment was
mentioned or submitted to me; but the
question of her sex, which had already
been adverted to and discussed by the
newspapers, presented itself and was
! commented upon, both by Judge Holt
and myself, with particular force and
solemnity He urged that the fact that
the criminal was woman was in itself
no excuse or palliation; that when a.
woman unsexed herself and entered the
arena of crime it was rather an aggraya-
ton than mitigation of the offence !;
that the law was not made, to punish
men only, but all, without regard to sex.
who violated its provisions that to dis
crininate III favor of Mrs. Surratt and
against Herold, Aircraft and Payne, who
were sentenced by the same court, and
at the same time, to suffer the penalty
| of death, would be to. offer premium
to the female sex to engage in crime,
and bride the principal actors in its
! commission; then since the rebellion
began, in some portions of the country
females had been prominent in aiding
and abetting the traitors, and he thought
the time had come whenit was absolute
ly necessary, in a case so clearly and
conclusiYely established, to set an ex-
ample which would have salutary in
| ffuence He was not only in favor OF
the sentence but of its execution at the
earliest practicable day. Upon the term
nation of our consultation Judge Holt
wrote an order approving the sentence
of the court. affixed my name to it,
and, rolling up the papers he took his
leave, carrying the record with him, and
departing as he had come, through the
family or private entrance. ..:,.
Having thus shown so far as his OWE
word can show anything that Speed must
be mistaken for the reason that the only
consideration that the President gave
this record was during short interview
with Mr.. Holt, time altogether too
short to even read the evidence attached
/ to the finding Andy squelches Mr..
| Holt by argument something like this
1t will be noted that the papers were
not submitted in the usual way by tht
/ Secretary of War, but brought to th'
President by the Judge Advocate Gene.
| raj, under, of course, the instructions o:
Mr.. Stanton. This doubtless was don,
to save time, and hasten the execution
and eyinces the spirit which animated
Judge Holt during the entire proceed
ings. Who can doubt that, if his nam
and that of Judge Bingham had been at
tached to the petition signed by fiy
members of the court, and the praye
had been brought to the attention of TIA
President, such petition would have bee
weighed by the executive ,befor
final action in the premises 1t beinl
absolutely certain that, If. the petitioi
was attached to the original record be
fore it was submitted to the President
it is not to be found in the printedreeor
authorized by Judge Holt, and certifiet
to by Col. Burnett, special Judge adVe
! cate of the commission. IF the recor
:. in the possession of the Judge Advocat
General is true, then that is false whic
he has given to the public. If, on tn
/, other hand, the record published wit
his official sanction is true, then that i
his bureau is false, necessarily Judg
Holt is at liberty to accept either altel
native, and escape as he may the inev
table conclusion that he did not onl
!, fail to submit the petition to the. Pres
dent, but suppressed and withheld
from the official history of the most in
portant trial in the annals of the nation
This is the purport of the document an
leaves the question to be decided by a
! ! who wish TO decide it, as to who wa
most responsible for the disgracefu
murder of Mrs. Surratt. We do nc
!. blame all parties for wishing to was
their hands of it, and the choice betwee
the principals engaged in this debate.
J. one that there would be very little-mone
! staked on in sporting circles. ~
T SPoRT1Ee circles in New Y ofk al
1 .nxcitnd 1,rnr- TIN. dntails. Of a dasraeraI