The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1876-10-27
Gov, Harris Exploring Grave
Yards.

6ONs 1Idrrts Exploring Grave
Yards. |
Ynpa the Knoa VILE Pres a~d Assc,vsy al
October Il fS&
Gov. Isham q. Harris is report
ed to have grown pathetic and
fearful, at Paris the other day in
describing the hanging of Mrs
Surratt. lie held up her ghost in
truly tragic style. Now this is
shameful business the eX-G Govern
or is engaged in, and he ought to
be ashamed Of himself. a man
who owes as much to the charita-
BILE judgement Of his fellow
citizens as he dOes-whoI
is as much interested ~ he
ought to he in sealing the books
of the past ten years, in so far as
they contain the political records
of men-should certainly leave
70 other hands and other tongues
the CHASTITY work he has underta-
ken. For, since no has seen fit 10
90 into the graveyard business
since he deems il a fit time TO un-.
veil the tomb and drag human
skeletons before Tennessee audi
ences, to stir their bad blsed and
incite them to deeds of revenge
need he expect the hands of others
to be stayed2 lie is coming 10.
East Tennessee, they say. He is
String the Southern heart" along
his track. lie will probably come
to tell East Tennessee how Mrs.
Surratt was hanged while Andrew
johnson 3 was President. If he
does, let him complete the pic
ture, lest some hand, made ready
by his own performance, should.
do it, for him, Let him remember
who vast overnor;of tennessee in
1862, Then let him cali his lis
teners to the well-nigh forgotten
graves Of the Hensie, the Har-
mons and Haun, who We're cit
zens of Tennessee and were hang
ed, by the summary edicts of a
court martial, for "bridge burn
ing" while he was the Governor
of the State. Let him gather up
the bones Of these war-victims
and place them alongside those of
Mrs. Surratt. This will give in
tensified hideousness to his spec
tacle. Mrs. Surratt' did notsassas-
sinate President, Lincoln-she
was executed as one of the "con-
sp~itators." Hensie, the Harmons
and Haun did not burn the bridg-
es in East Tennessee-they were
executed as "conspirators." Mrs.
Surratt, says Gov. Harris, was
tried by a Military Commission,
and President Johnson did not
pardon her. Hensie, the Har-
mons and Haun were tried by
Court Martial, and Gov. Harris,
though Governor of the State, did
not i~nterpose his Executive right
that great State right-to pre-
vent their illegal trial. The
Courts of his State were OPEN
the laws were in force-the men
were citizens not amenable to
military laws-and yot not even
an Executive protest was entered
against their execution. If Mrs.
Surratt was murdered" so were
the East Tennesseeans, Hensie,
Harmons and Haun, "murdered.n
If Gov. Harris holds Andrew
johnson responsible for the "mur-
der" of Mrs. Surratt, because he
did not pardon her, let him ans
wer, according to his own fierce
judgment, what is his responsible
ity for permitting, on the soil of
his own State, five of his own fel-
low-citizcns to be, in like manner,
"murdered," and that, too, with
out opening his nlnntk or lifting
up hisNollicial pen for thicr protec-
ton? Certainly, the ex- Governor
will take, Observation-Disclosures
these thingstohis EastTemessoe
audiences.
Now, &C. must not boamismF
derstood, No would scOrn to
hold up lsham G. Harris as being
responsiblc,fOrtho blood Of Hen
sic and the llarmons and Haun,
rs he is doing with Andrew John
son, in regard to Mrs. Surratt..
We utterly abhor that spirit Of
undying hate that is now finding
fearful illustration in tho conduct
of such old political leaders as
ex-Gov. Harris and Others, Of his
following. We would let tho
dead Of the war slumbcr on in
the silence. Of the Tomb, tand
would stir up no sad event Of our
frightful struggle to embetter
the feelings Of our people And,
Tor this FeasonEaweg warngGoy-
eanor Harris, whom be enters The
graveyard in quest Of Mrs, Sur.
rats ghost for tho purpose OF
frightening Andrew Johnson's
friends to beware lestOthe gappt
and %grinning skeletons OF Other.
victims confront him with accu-
sing look amid the dreary taberr
nacles ofthe dead.