American citizen., 1880-07-24
The Surratt N1urder-Gen. IIaI .
cock.

'Clarion.l
The Republican press have not
pretended to 6nd more than one
assailablt pom, i'll the record ol Gen.
Hancock. aud tkar is he murder of
Ms. Suiratt. for wtr;cl, he is not
responsible. He did not investi-
gate the triIl. He did not find the
verdict. Ii did not pronounce the
sentence. He did not execute the
{-rutai aud bloody sentence. The
facts are these Mrs. Surratt. "a pri-
vate ci izen of the United States,
had been arieS' ed, tried. and sen
terced to death by nj itary cons
mission. Her daughter, Mary u.
Surratt, July I. 1865, presented II
petition to Judge A drew Wylie,
one of the Justices OF the Supreme
Court of The District of Columbia,
praNip that ii writ of kdbedS corpaS
~: ht br issued commanding Gen.
Hancock, who had especial charge
Ot her mo her, to bring he prisoner
before the court and await its de-
ciSinu. The reasons set forth in the
prti ion asking for he writ of hdbedS
COFDhS "tlC iudb -. AbuA " a.
private pitizen OF the United
Stat. $; that sue WAS in no way con
nrctrd with the military; that the
alleged crine was committed not
within the enelDy'S territory, but
wirhin the lines of the armies OF the
United States; that the civil law
WAS in full force and effrc'; that her
right to II trial by inry was nnques
toned; and that her uial and sens
rence by military court marshal
was Illegal, uucOnstliuiio Tal, aud
whully without the warrant of law.
The writ was granted by Judge
W.iie, was served upon Gen. Ham
cock, and he WAS uDlking haste to
obey it when the following order
WAS put into his handsi
"ExECUTIvE OFFICE, July Z, 1865.
To MUor General W. S. II ncock,
Commanding, ETC.:
81. Andrew Johnson, President
Of the United ,atrs, do hereby de-
clare that the witt of habeds corpus
has been heretofore suspended in
such cas..s AS this, and | do hereby
suspend this writ, and direct thar
you proceed to execute the order
heretofore given upon the jui gment
of the Military Commission, and
you will give this order in return to
Tins writ.
ANDREW JOHNSON, President"
The civil law was strangled by
The strong hand of military power,
and Mrs Surratt was hung. G,D.
Hancock delivered the order of rX-
-cutiun To Gen. Hartranft, late Re-
publican Governor Of Pennsylvania,
who had charge of the prisoners,
and h- carried ouI the sentence OF
he mill ary court. Gen. Hancock
obey ed the maudatcs of the civil
law. He went wi h Miss Annie
Surratt to the Executive mansion
on the day of the execution of her
mother, vainly striving to See the
President, and to soften his heart
INTO something like pity with the
sight OF wOman's agony and a
daughter tears. Unable to get
into the privacy of the hiding ty>
rant, aud still hoping against hope
that AT the final hour the President
would at least save the wOman's
life. Hancock stationed cuuriers
/ hIckiy along the route from the
White House 10 the place of execn-
tiOn. aud waited AS long as possible
for some token of Ieprirve Or rtlent
ing. Nome came, and the rope hn> |
iShrd " hat cruelty and perjury had |
begun.
Ii the rule laid down by Gen.
Hancock in his administration OF |
Louisiana and Texas affiirs, had |
been enforced in the Case of Mrs |
Surratt she would not have been
lied 10y u Military Commission, but
by the civil courts. and it is more
than probable that her life would
not have been cruelty sacr feed.