The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1879-04-25
A SCRAP OF HISTORY.
The judicial JHssrAer RecNllea
-FNles Of the PrOsstisse,ss
.acsSrs ss the Bl00dv
DrNnaM.

Rochester IN. W Union.
Gen. ii. w. SlocHm5 ore Of the
most distinguished brigade, divi.
sion, corps and grand division com.
manders of the war, recently de-
livered a lecture in Brooklyn ON
events of the great struggle; dur.
ing the course of which he ex-
pressed the opinion, always held
by the Union, that Mrs. Surratt
was a murdered woman. He said
1 am going to speak to you one
word about the execution OF Mrs.
Surratt at the close of the war, for
| think some good lessons can be
learned from the story of her trial
and death. l believe any people
situated as we were ought to be
cautioned against placing implicit
confidence III evidence given at a
time of high excitement. 1 could
stand here tonight and relate to
you fifty incidents that would serve
to caution everybody against taking
evidence against others when the
people are in state of intense ex-
citement. There never was a day,
there never was an hour, that did
not believe that Mrs. Surratt WAS
as innocent a woman as there is in
this hall. Applauset She was
the keeper Of a boarding. house In
Washington. She boarded Wilkes
Booth and half a dozen other rebel
sympathizers, and she had a SOB,
John Ii. Surratt. Wilkes Booth
was guilty OF shooting Mr.. Lincoln,
and this poor woman was brought
to trial II correction with Wilkes
Booth, aud through the exeiteHent
OF the times her neck was bfoHght 8
to tho halter. Her daughter, q
young girl eighteen or nineteen
years Of sge, on the morning Of the
execution went to the presidents
room and begged to say few
words to him on behalf of her
mother, and a United States sena-
tor from our own State, who acted
as door tender, repulsed her, say
ing: "No; no, you cannot so in"
Worse than that, meaner than that,
the poor girl three or four years
afterward married a clerk in the
treasury department. No charges
were made against him, bat be-
cause the clerk had married the
laughter of Mrs. Surratt he was
discharged. Let us brag OF our
but at the same time
ct us learn to look our faults and
,rrors fairly aud squarely in the
ace and acknowledge them when
We have cause to.
The murder of Mrs Surratt was
he most cruel and c0wartlly act
yer committed in any civilized
1t is curious and sug-
,estive fact that all who were
hietiy responsible for the execution
# that innocent woman. have felt
he unseen hand of the Great
Avenger. Stanton, secretary of
var, who was perhaps the worst of
he number, committed suicide in
fit OF remorse, although the fact
Tas sought to be concealed. Pres.
on King, the senator from New
york who repulsed Annie Surratt
t the presidents door, in like
lanner ended his own lite by do.
berately jumping from ferry
oat INTO the North river at New
ork and drowning himself. An.
rev Johnson, who signed the
cath warrant and despotically sus-
ended the writ of habeas corpus
iat had been granted by the
)urt, was stricken suddenly with
cath upon his return to the senate
tier he had left the presidency.
udge Advocate Holt, who con-
ucted the prosecution, long ago
isappeared from public view, aud
neither dead or alive nobody
nows and NOBODY cares. And JnO.
D.. Bingham, who assisted Holt,
as driven from congress is dis
race as one of the Credit M0bilier
ribe-takers, aud sought refuge in
apaD where. We believe, he now is,