Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1878-07-10
LINCOLN,S ASSASSINATION.
Stery Of Benin Pitmap, the Steaogrsphsr.
HIS Startling "reminiscences Of the
Sooret Trial-A PerilouS DOcument.

Cincinnati Special TO New York Herald.
Benin Pitman, the we'll known STEM
ographer of this city, was interviewed
today as to his personal knowledge
concerning the trial and execution of
Mrs. Surratt for the assassination of
Abraham Lincoln. His attention was
first called to the statement of Mr.. John
I. Ford. the theatrical manager, rela-
tive to the innocence of Mrs. Surratt,
and in answer to the Herald correspond
ent's questions, Mr.. Pitman commune
Gated the following information: He
said that he was the official reporter for
the United States government in the
assassination trial, the Sons Of Liberty
investigation and the Congressional in
quries into the New Orleans and Men,
phis riots, and subsequently of the Ku-
klux trials. all Of which gave him
peculiar insight into the yet unwritten
history of those mOmentOus events.
have no doubt" said Mr.. Ptman, "of
the correctness OF Mr.. Ford's statement
of Mrs. Surratt's innocence; the grave
plumbers which grew out of the assas-
sination trial were due to the theory
Mr.. Stanton entertained that Booth was
the active instrument in great con-
spiracy, the dictatory power of which
was the rebel government. Mrs. Sur
raft was hanged for completely in the
assassination plot, Of which she was en-
tirely ignorant, and poor Spangler was
sent to Dry Tortugas because a long
rope was found in his carpet sack, with
which it was supposed Mr.. Lincoln was
to be bound, when in fact no other use
was to be made of it than the catching
of crabs. Spangler had simply "bor-
rowed" the rope from Ford's theatre for
that purpose.
MRS. sURRATT NOT GUILTY.
1t was not until after my return from
Washington, with ali the testimony Of
the $50 witnesses at the trial, and my
compilation in narrative form of the
facts testified to by those witnesses that
came to the conviction that Mrs. Sur
raft, though aware of previous plots to
abduct the president and take him to
Richmond, was entirely uniformed of
the sudden resolve Of Booth to kill him.
The only direct testimony that had
seemed to implicate her was that of the
drunken, unreliable witness, Lloyd, who
kept the tavern at Surrattsville. Her
previous life and history. the testimony
of those who knew her well, and
Catholic priests OF known probity,
and honor, all went to show Ter utter
incapacity to engage in so diaboical a
plot.
WHAT THE TESTIMONY SHOWED.
The testimony went to show that the
assassination of Lincoln was sudden
resolution Of Booth on finding that the
president was to visit the theatre that
night, and the hasty conspiracy Matched
up with Payne, Atzerodt and Harold,
was confined exclusively to their
knowledge and participation. The fact
is that Mr.. Stanton, Judge Advocate
Holt, Bingham and Brunette and other
officers of the Government engaged in
the prosecution were somewhat unbal-
anced by the imagined greatness of a
conspiracy which did not exist. Nothing
but such beliefwould justify the treat
ment to which the prisoners were sub
jected.
A SECRET TRIAL
The trial of the first two weeks was
conducted in secret, and the prisoners
Harold, Payne, Atzerodt, and l think
two others-were masked in q close-fit-
ting helmetlike cap, which just left a
breathing hole for the mouth and nos
trils. They were besides manacled at
the wrists and ankles, and to the latter
were attached heavy ball and chain.
Mrs. Surrat was not thus masked, but
she was manacled at the feet throughout
the trial. The masks were removed
when the trial became public, after the
expiration Of two weeks, when admis-
sion was obtained to the court only by
the personal sanction of Gen. Hunter,
by card.
STANTON A DESPOT.
Correspondent-Do you think the
government sanctioned this severity to-
ward the prisoners?
Mr.. Pitman-Mr. Stanton was the
government at that time. He was man
for whom | still entertain profound
admiratiou; n man of the Cromwell
type, strong, but unfeeling, and who
to obtain desired end would in an
emergency play despot-strAngely out
of place under republican form of
government. For instance, what should
be more sacred than the private CORE
spondence Of citizen committed to the
public mails, yet by Mr. Stanton's orders
l assisted to open hundreds of letters
that passed through the general post
Office at Washington, just after the as
sasslnation, when every letter addressed
90 d., l,,,, -.