The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-04-17
4 CRUEL FATE.
General Slocum on the Murder OF Mrs.
Surratt.

General II. w. Slocum, one of the most
distinguished brigade, disvision, corps
and grand division commanders of the
war recently delivered a lecture in
Brooklyn on events of the great struggle,
during the course of which he expressed
the opinion, always held by the Union,
that Mrs. Surratt was murdered
woman. He said /:
am going to speak to you one word
about the execution of Mrs. Surratt at
the close of the war, for I think some
good lessons can be learned from the
story of her TRIAL and death. l believe
any people situated rs we were ought to
be cautioned against placing implicit
confidence in evidence given at time of
high excitement. I could stand here to-
night and relate to you fifty incidents
that would serve to caution everybody
against taking evidence against others
when the people were all in state Of
intense excitement. There never was a
day, there never was an hour, that did
not believe Mrs. Surratt was as inno-
cent a woman as there is in this hall.
Applause. She was the keeper of a
boarding house in Washington. She
boarded Wilkes Booth and a half dozen
other rebel sympathizers, and she had
son, John H. Surratt. Wilkes Booth
was guilty of shooting Mr.. Lincoln, and
this poor woman was brought to trial in
connection with Wilkes Booth, and
through the excitement of the times her
neck was brought to the halter. Her
daughter, a young girl is or 10 years of
age, on the morning of the execution
went to the Presidents room and beg
ged permission to say few words TO him
on behalf of her mother, and United
States Senator from our own State, who
acted as door tender, repulsed her saying,
"No, no; you cannot 60 in" Worse
than that, meaner than that, the poor
girl three or four years afterward married
clerk in the Treasury Department.
No charges were made against him, but
because this clerk had married the
daughter of Mrs. Surratt he was dis
charged. Let us brag of our achieve
ments, but at the same time let us learn
to look our faults and errors squarely in
the face and acknowledge them when
we have cause to-"
The murder of Mrs. Surratt was the
most cruel and cowardly act ever COM
mitted in any civilized country. 1t is
curious and suggestive fact that all who
were responsible for the execution OF
that innocent woman have felt the un-
seen hand of the Great Avenger. Stanton
Secretary of War, who was, perhaps, the
worst of the number, committed suicide
in fit of remorse, although the fact was
sought to be concealed. Preston King,
the Senator from New York, who repul-
sed Annie Surratt from the Presidents
door, in like manner ended his own life
by deliberately jumping from ferry
boat in the North River, at New York,
and drowning himself. Andrew Johnson,
who signed the death warrant and des-
politically suspended the writ of hd6cas
corpus that had been granted by the
court, was stricken suddenly with death
upon his return to the Senate after he
had left the Presidency. Judge Advo-
cate Holt, who conducted the prosecution
long ago disappeared from public view
and whether dead or alive nobody knows
and nobody cares. And John A. Bing-
ham, who assisted Holt, was driven from
Congress in disgrace as one of the Credit
Mobilier bribe takers, and sought refuge
in Japan, where, we believe he now is
-Rochester ~. W Union.