The Indiana State sentinel., 1879-04-30
a CRUEL FATE.
General Siocum on the Murder of Mrs. Sur
raft.
Rochester IN. " Union.l

raft.
Rochester IN. " Union.l
General II. w. Slocum, one of the most
distinguished brigade, division, corps and
grand division commanders OF the war,
recently delivered q 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 a murdered woman. He said:
81 am going to speak to you one word
about the execution of Mrs. Surratt at the
close of the war, for think some good les
sons can be learned from the story of her
trial and death. believe any people situ-
ated as we were ought to be cautioned
against placing implicit confidence given at
the time Of high excitement could stand
here TO- night and relate to you so incidents
that would serve to caution everybody
against takiag evidence against
others when the people were
all in state St intense excitement There
never was a day, there never was an hour,
that did not believe Mrs. Surratt was as in
[Applause.] She was the keeper OF a board
ing house in Washington. She boarded
Wilkes Booth and half a dozen other rebel
sympathizers, and she had a SON, John H.
Surratt Wilkes Booth was guilty Of shoot
ing Mr.. Lincoln. and the poor woman
ton with Wilkes Booth, and through the
excitement of the times her neck was
brought to the halter. Her daughter, q
young girl of Is or 19 years of ege, on the
morning of the execution went to the pres
ident's room and begged permission to gay a
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 can not 60 in. ,
Worse than that, meaner than that, the poor
girl three or four years afterward married a
clerk in the treasury department No
oh oIa n,,fk kaco
this clerk had married the daughter of Mrs.
Surratt he was discharged. Let us brag of
our achievements, but at the same time let
us learn to look our faults and errors fairly
and 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 q
curious and suggestive fact that all who
were chiefly responsible for the execution of
that innocent woman have felt the unseen
hand of the Great Avenger. Stanton, secre-
tary 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 repulsed Annie Surratt at
his own life by. deliberately jump
ing from ferry boat into the North river
at New York and drowning himself. An
drew johnson, who signed the death war
rant, and despotically suspended the writ o!
habeas 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 Advocate Holt,
who conducted the prosecution, long ago
disappeared from public view, and whether
i dead or alive nobody knows and nobody
cares. And John A. Bingham, who assisted
Holt, was driven from Congress in disgrace
as one of the Credit Mobilier bribe takers
and sought refuge in Japan, where, we be-
leve he now is.