Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1879-12-13
TnE .FEuClANa sEATlaEL.
GEN. HANCOCK: AND MRS. sURRATT.
Washington Post.l

TWushington Post
Slnmbering amorg the musty records
Of the Supreme Court of the District OF
Columbia were found by o Post reporter
Yesterday two rapers, copies OF winch
.rs oiven below. and which throws oil
the additional light necessary upon tue
insinuation cast by a Western Repunh-
can organ that Gen. Hancock was per
sonally responsible for the death OF Mrs.
Snrratt. It will be remembered by many |
of our readers that just about the time
of Andrew. Johnson's last election to the
Senate from Tennessee a controversy
sprang up between IL ex-President and
ex-Judgc Advocate General Joseph Holt,
of Kentucky, regarding the responsible
ity for the unfortunate woman's death.
A war of words continued at length in
the columns of the Daily Chronicle, and
ended in the general belief, from their
own showing, that both were in meas
ure guilty of turning deaf ear to the
entreaties of the heart-broken daughter
and others for mercy. When tho writ OF
Aaboas corpus was issued by Judge An
dew Wylie, Gen. Hancock, as has al
ready been stated, took it to the Presi-
dent, who issued the following, the orig
inal of which is on file in tue clerks Office
of the Supreme Court Of the District o.
Columbia:
EXECUTIVE OFFICE, July7, 1865.
10 o'clock a. IN.
To Major Gen. w. s. Hancock, Com
I. Andrew johnson, President of the Uni
ted States, do hereby declare that the wri
of habeas corpus has been heretofore sus
pended in such cases as this, and l d
hereby especially suspend this writ
and direct that yon proceed to execut
the order heretofore given upon the judg
ment of the military commission, an.
Won will give this order in return to thi
writ.
The above was evidently prepare
and written in the office Of the Judg
Advocate General, as the signature alon
is in the hand writing of Andrew Johr
son, and that, too, i'll a nervous manne
showing the excitement the man va
tailoring under, or perhaps somethn
worse. Gen. Hancock returned the wr
to Judge Wylie, with the following lei
ter:
HEADQ'Rs MIDDLE MILITARY Div.
WAShlO rJ6H, -. ", july .. ICoo.
To Hon. Andrew Wylie, Justice OF t.
Supreme Court of the Dist. of Columbi;
hereby acknowledge the service g
the writ hereto attached, and return tn
same and respectfully say that the bod
of Mary E. Surratt is in my possesslo'
under and by virtue of an order OF Al
drew johnson, President of the Unite
States and Commander in Chief OF tn
army, for the purpose IL said order eS
pressed, a copy Of which IS hereto attac
cd and made part of this leturn an
that do not produce said body by r;a
son of the order of the President OF tn
United States, Endorsed upon said writ
to which reference is hereby respectful
made dated July Z, 1865.
WINFIELD S. HANCOCK,
Major General U. S. Vol :, Commanding
1t is already part OF history that GEL
Hancock up to the last moment believe
that reprieve would be granted til
unfortunate woman, NOTWITHSTANDING
the suspension of the writ, and to tina
end had relays of cavalry stationed bt
tween the White House and the arsens
to carry the glad tidings to the condemn
cd. He did all in his power consisten
with the duties of brave and honorab]
soldier to prevent the consrmation {
the crime.