Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1878-07-11

ted, gone North and South, and
to Canada, and the thing was a
an end.
The evidence further proved
that Booth first thought Of as
sassination only a few hours be
fore he went in such a coward
! Iy manner and shot the Presi
dent. When baffled in his ab
duction plot by the fall of
Richmon | and the overthrow Of
the Southern Confederacy, ht
was inspired by the devil to
shoot the President. Because
this was made plain at the trial,
and because Of this alone, John
Surratt escaped the gallows.
MRS. sURRATT's PRESENT.
MENTS.
Both the martyrs seemed to
have presentiments of their sad
end. Mrs. Surratt was over
whelmed with anxiety for her
worthless son. Having OBJ
served during the winter pre-
ceding her death that John
was associating with persons of
rather doubtful character, she
advised him against such COM
pany, and urged him to leave
Washington, go to the country
(she owned a farm near the city,
and by all means to shun the
men in whose company she had
seen him. The scoundrel
Weichmann, a boarder in her
house, was one Of these, but ow-
ing to his sanctimonious hypoc-
risy she excepted him from the
others. This Infamous crea-
ture was privy to all the plans
which the abduction plotters
had hatched to carry the Pres
ident to Richmond. Mrs. Sur
raft had treated the migrate
more as q son than a stranger.
He knew Of her perfect inno-
cence, Of her violent opposition
to John Surratt's associations,
of her anxiety for him to leave
W ashington, of her upright,
holy life, and stern religious
discipline. Yet when Secreta-
ry Stanton sent for him after
the assas sination, and with
butcherous instinct threatened
him with punishment if he
failed to connect Mr., Surratt
with the conspiracy, the pusil-
luminous villain turned States
evidence and perjured his black
soul by swearing away the life
of an innocent woman who had
ever shown him a mothers love.
Writers Of all parties have a
greed in execrating this perjured
witness. He will so through
life with the brand Of Cain on
his brow.
The revelation lately made in
the Baltimore Gazette by Mr..
John L. Ford tells the sad story
in plain and simple, truthful
words. 1t proclaims the inno-
ccnce Of Mrs. Surratt, and fore
casts the verdict Of posterity.
1t gives notice to the bloody
handed actors in the martyrdom
of the Arsenal who still survive
that at length the American
people, ever fair and just when
they see and know the truth,
have become aware that poor,
defenseless woman, loved of her
neighbors for her virtues, of ed
flying character to all who
knew her innocent as an angel
in Heaven of the blood of the
other martyr, A braham Lincoln,
was nevertheless put to death
by a monstrous pcrversion of law
and civilization, of religion and
humanity. Their bloody in
structions have truly returned
to plague the inventors.
LINCOLN SEES HIS DANGER.
In the case Of Mr.. Lincoln,
the presentiment amounted to a
superstitious conviction that he
must soon die. "It was just af-
ter my election in 1861" said
Mr.. Lincoln to his Secretary,
John Hay, "when the news had
been coming in thick and fast
all day, and there had been a
great 'hurrah, boys so that ]
was we'll tired out and went
home to rest, throwing myself
on lounge in my chamber. OPP
posite to where / lay was bu-