The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1878-09-19
MEMORIES OF 1865.
The Hanging of Mrs. surratt-The Evil
| dence Which Condemned Her.

/. The direct evidence duplicating
her.
2. The non return of her son.
3. The moral conviction in Govern
ment officers that SO causeless and great
crime ought to have the highest sac
rlfice Of those concerned in it-even
woman.
The following is the direct evidence
against her:
l. Driving to Surrattsville from Wash
ington the day of the murder and tax
ing Booths field-glass and ordering
bottle Of whisky, the feld-glass and
two carbines to be ready that night, as
they would be called for. Booth paid
for her buggy and saw her off subse-
quent to the time he resolved to kill
that night.
2. Harboring Payne Cor PowelD, the
assassin Of Lincoln, in her house, to
which he returned the night after the
murder, when she denied before God
that she had ever seen him, In the
presence OF officers accidentally there
when he entered.
3. Maintaining two resorts of spies
and secret-agents within the Capital
City district, while keeping for much of
the time the United States Postoffice at
SurYattsville. u@g t.s.
4. Harboring Atzerodt, Booth and
other lights of the assassination for two
or three weeks before the crime, and al.
lowing the house to be used for a mani
fest scheme Of violence of some kind
against the President, General and
Cabinet.
5. Hiring room at the Herndon
House for the assassin Payne, two
weeks before the murder. This house
was just behind the theater, where the
crime was committed.
6. The absence of her son from home
for several days before the murder
threw the direct agency Of all she did
or did not forbid directly upon herself,
as the sole host Of the house in Wash
ington and landlord of her tenant at
Surrattsville.
This last point has not been noticed.
It assisted, however, to save Surratt's
life when he was tried two years after
ward. He was less guilty than his moth
er of knowledge OF the assassination,
provided Booth resolved to assassinate
after Surratt went to Canada. Ali that
happened after that between Booth and
Mrs. Surratt was independent OF her
sons control. joan Surratt in a lecture
he delivered said that he had agreed to
abduct Mr.. Lincoln, but never to kill
him. Yet he did Kill him, and sent Mrs.
Surratt to clear the road.
This leaves open to us the question of
the influence of Booth on Mrs. Surratt.
Welchmann says he believes Mrs. Sur
ratt was in love vita Booth and thought
he was going to marry her, and under
that feeling was his very trustiest con-
.15dante. What she might have shrunk
from as political motive, she went will
ingly to do for love, and her bridegroom
WAS the halter. Love makes everything
seem reasonable and establishes an au-
thority above law; yet love has always
been held accountable.
The story of putting Booths two car
bines at Mrs. Surratt's tavern is singu-
lar:
At John G. Thompson's Tee Bee
Hotel, several miles south of Surratts-
vile, Herold stopped in March, 1866,
and took from his buggy two carbines,
two double barreled shot-guns, ammu-
milton, rope, wrench, a knife, and
navy revolver. He said he was going to
the Patuxent duck shooting, and ex-
pected to meet John Surratt there, but,
after staying all night, he started back
toward Surrattsville. He met on the
road Surratt and Atzerodt, and they all
returned to Surratt's, where John gave
the carbines, the wrench and rope to
John Lloyd for safe-keeping. April Sd,
just afterward, Surratt passed Tee Bee
in the Leonardstown stage, on his way
from Washington to Richmond, Va. At
zerodt also stopped at the bar in March
previous to the murder.
Why were there but two carbines. if
Mr.. Lincoln was to have been abducted
only, and why does that number coin
eide with the two retreating men on the
night of the murder? Aa abduction re-
quired troop.
Lloyd asked what to do with the car
bines. Surratt took him upstairs-it
was several weeks before the murder
and showed Lloyd how to suspend the
carbines between the laths of the house,
so that they would not be found on for,
eign search.
About two weeks after the murder a
carbine was found by Lloyd's directions
in the Surratt house, concealed in the
plastering next to the kitchen and sus-
pended by rope. Lloyd moved to
Surrattsville in December, 1864. and
left there finally October, 1866. He saw
Surratt, Atzerodt (whom he called by the
name OF " Miserable'') and Herold there
On several occasions.
When Booth came along the night of
the murder he took one carbine and re-
fused to let Herold have the other;
hence it was found where John Surratt
placed it.
Lloyd was a rebel in feeling. The
morning after the murder, when De-
tective Clarvoe and others, sharp on
Booths trail, stopped at Surrattsville.
they recognized in Lloyd an old police
man. Johnny" cried Clarvoe, "tell