The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1879-05-09
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GEN. sL0CuM ON Tmg mURDER oV MRM
seRRATT.


Gen. II. w. Slocum, ono Of the most
distinguished brigade, division, corps
and grand division commanders Of the
war recently delivered a lecture in
Brooklyn on events OF the great strug-
gle, during the course Of which he ex.
pressed the opinion always held BY the
Union, that Mrs. Surratt was q muir
dered woman. He said:
| I'm going TO speak TO you one word
about the execution Of MrS. Surratt at
the close of the war, for think aoEne
good lessons can be learned from the
story Of her trial and death. believe
any people situated as We were ought
10 be cautioned against placing implicit
confidence in evidence given at = time
Of high excitement. ! could stand here
and relate To you fifty incidents that
woald serve to caution everybody
against taking evidence against others
when the people are in = state Of in
tense excitement. There never was a
day, there never was an hour that did
not believe that Mrs. Surratt was a.
innocent as any woman in this Hall.
Applause. She was the keeper Of =
boarding.houss in Washington. She
boarded Booth and half a dozen other
rebel sympathizerH, aud she had Non,
John II. SurTatt 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, young girl of eighteen
or nineteen years Of age, on the morn
ing OF the execution went 10 the Presi
dents room and begged permission ts
say a few words in behalf Of heI
mother, and Senator from our Own
State rcpulsed her, saying, "NO, you
can't go in" Worse than that, mean
er than that, the poor girl three or four
years afterwards married u clerk in the
Treasury Department. No charges
were made against him, but because be
married the daughter Of Mrs. Surratt
he was discharged. Let US brag Of ouI
achievements, but at the same time lei
us learn to look at our faults and error
fairly and squarely in the face and &C
knowledge them when we have cause
to.
The murder Of Mrs. Surratt was thG
most cruel and cowardly act ever com.
mitted in any civilized country. Il ii
curious and suggestive fact that al
who were chiefly responsible for the ex
ecution Of that woman have felt the
unseen hand of the Great Ayenger
Stanton, Secretary Of War, who wa
perhaps the worst Of the number
committed suicide in fit Of remOrse
although the fact Was sought to be con
cealed. ~Prestcn King, the Senator
from New York who rePulsed Annie
Surratt at the Presidents door, in
like manner ended his life by dsliber
ately jumping from isrry-bOat into th'
North River at New York and drown
ing himself. Andrew johnson, wh'
signed the deatb-waTrant and despOti
cally suspended the writ Of habeas cor
pus that had been granted by the Court
was stricken down suddenly with deatl
upon his return from the Senate aftel
he had left the Presidency. Judge Ad
vocate Holt, who conducted the prOse
cution, long ago disappeared from th'
public view, and whether dead or aliv,
nobody knows and nobody cares. Ant
John A. Bingham, who assisted Holt
was driven from Congress in disgrace a
one of the Credit Mobilior bribe-taksrs
and sought refuge in Japan, where, W
believe, he now is.