The Orangeburg democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1879-1881, 1879-04-18
WAS MRS. SgRRATT MURDERED : ].

OF MRS, sUtRATT. /. /. f,.,,l;.,-.ro
General H. w. Slocum, lone of Nhe .,iitau
most distingpished,b brigade, division,t IA
corps and grand division commanderrss 7os b.&'
Of the war on the Federal side, ta- ta-,7sss T..
Gently delivered a lecture in Brooklypiio. hpa
on events of the great struggle, dur
ing the course Of which lie expfe4sedo es &,
the opinion, always held by the Uni, az
on, that Mrs. Surratt was a mntdet-da,I 4 7ds
ed woman The Rochester fJhiona ,,,,,!! ."o.
report ,hst part. Of bis, ,ispeech, as fol-
lows: VII. smTI
81 am going TO speaIS TO you one ::
word about the execution Of fGfPs.h
surratt at the close Of the war; fort ,aao },
think some good lessons can be iea1n- II
ed from the story. Of her trial ahds - ~ !,
death. l believe any people situated ,i5r9 ba
as we were, ought to be cautioned :iYo
against placing implicit confidence inr r.. 90 IL
evidence given at timees .ig5 s7y s7t, ,sh ,. ~
element, could stand here to,n,aights 60 q"
and relate to you ilf:y incidents thaG ..!',M
would serve 10 caution cveryb9aY ."@ 1..
against taking evidence against elizAyO
crs when the people were in state -:
| of intense excitement Ehere1 saver
was day, there never was an ,hour,i, u
that did not believe Mrs, Sprratbc,s,1,I
was as innocent a.woman as there js ., /. .,
is in this hall. She was the keeper o,,.iar
of boarding house in Washingtqn.uEy yt,
She boarded Wilkes Booth anda a,e sIr
half dozen other rebel sympathizers, b9rai,
and she had q son, John II. Surratt. u.,a,
Wilkes Booth was guilty Of shooting soaGa
Mr. Lincoln, and this poor woman yawA
was brought to trial in connection 1ss
with Wilkes Booth. and, through the, aid,
excitement of the times her neck. was hrs.
brought to the halter. Her daughters !! al
a young lady 1S or 10 years. of. ago, n,d -
on the morning of the cxeculion,a i.2ld
went to the Presidents room and j 80,
begged permission to say, o few ygords. .itrEza
TO him on behalf of her; another, and ;5ntu
a United States Senator from our ,oi!i1c
own State, who acted .as door, ,tender,,l isir,
rr'cpulsed her, saying, tt.sNos no lYqu lsaj.i
cannot cam Ego in,"" Worse than that,t,,rtI,,s
meaner than That, tho po ooF girl ulree Mai.
or four, years afteEward married lp,,Gu
clerk in the Treasury. Departmens.i12 ,sa
No charges were against hims bpt batja., %
cause this clerk thpd yd married a.dapgh7.oi!drd
ter OF Mrs. Surratt he was, ,Gismissed,,a ed
Let Us h:ag Of, our achievements, but l,.se
at the same time let Us lea n, to loekei, ad
our faults and errors squarcly n;the 10!
face, and acknowi@tge them when gwelos ,.c
have cause to. ,,,;,,f, ~ .f
"Ihe murder Of Mrs. Surrat was ao1J
the most G cruel and cowardiy apt eKer4..s u
committed in any civilized countryeb1oa,-
1t is a curious and suggestive factduJ3A
that all who were chiefly responsible. yag
Tor the execution of that iinnoeentud 50,
woman have felt the unseen hand, ,pf ,yg4 az
the Great Avenger. Stanton, Seore- ~ O.
tary OF War, who vas: perhaps, tha .aei
worst OF the number, committed sui 4!(fs
eide in fit of remorse, although the ,od =
fact was sought 50 be concealed. li,.5.
Preston King, the Senator from New ,hs>
York, who repulsed Annie, gSurratt ;,Geze
from the Presidents door, in like i, ~
manner ended his own life by dehbes .,IG
rately jumping from q ferry boatin oil q
the North River, at New York, andJJ od
drowning himself. Andrew johnson, y,s1oE
who signed the death warrant end, ~
despotically suspended the writ ofuo.5;;;
habeas corpus that had. been granite tedoA!oaG
by the couro, was stricken suddenly 7sc
with, death upon his returnsto ahess Os
Senate after he lad left the Presilen.l tas,y
cy. Judge Advocate Holt, ,,who cbn-laono:
'iucted the prosecution, long ago, dis.b'ssl.
appeared from public view, gantisole1,
whether dead or alive nobody knows l.,,o'
and nobody cares. And joan A. t,,e,1t
Bingham, who assisted Holt was sot
driven from Congress in disgrace as ..uo1r
one of the Credit DIobilier bribevtak.l lour.
ers, and sought refuge in Japan, pgaa
where he now isl IL r..as,a ,,9s ,fts1
Senator Hampton's Mound. ,,.... 80.