The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1880-08-20

point, or embark on iranAi,orfs to ioiu
Gen. Sherman on the S;oulheru sea
coast in case Lee should fall back ON
Danville bat the surrender VI Lee aud
the capture Of Richmond removed the
necessity Of any such movements. This,
the last Of his active military service,
while marked with no opposing forces,
was. nevertheless, destined 10 be peri
cd Of great excitement Ia, himself, as
well ~ TO the country, While bis
headquarters we're still in the Valley
Of the Sheandoah, in April, 1865, the
congpiraiors against the lite of the Pres
ident and his Cabinet contaminated, in
part. their plot. and President Lincoln
was murdered. Secretary Seward was
nearly stabbed 10 death, and the eOun.
try was panic stricken by the evidence
Of a deep laid plot Ia destroy the gov
crumcnt by the ais0minAted method of
secret and conetftcd assassination a
feeling Of universal fear ard Iistrass
prevailed the North. Happily, thts
feeling was sas..y temporary, hnt while
it lasted il was uniyer14d aud real.
tsrsn ifauF5cis ~,as sun,inonef 10 Wash
ingien. Tie extent Of the conspiracy
i.'ese.- kno~n. sud the measures taken
bg bin to confront tho secret peril were
thorough. and contributed greatly TO
allay the terror
General Hancock reusine1 Ia Wash
ington by or.isr Of President johnson.
during the day OF the trial of the con
spiraiors. and until after their execu-
tiOn. Much interest has t,.en exhibit
cd in this part Of his seryicc, and the
prominence Of lis posiiion hrs, in the
minds nf SOHO made. his connection
with tho execution Of the prisoners
more intimate than is true. 1t must
bo remembered that with Inc details Of
the guarding ai.d care &c the prisoners
he lad nothing whatever - 10, A
military commission, ordered by the
President. tried the prisoners. found
them guilty, condemned some Of them
to death, aad the.fndings of the military
court were approved BY the President.
II was unqnestionably to ts, lanented
that they should have been thus tried.
The conyiet,oa of the guilty conli in
all probability have been effected BY Il
jury. But the nation MAS in bloody
struggle Tor existence, and martial law
prevailed Ii was particularly To be
lamente,l that one OF the condemned
persons was woman, and the regret
is deeper when, in ealmer times, people
who considered the case carefully, are
convinced that, as far as the crime OF
assassination is concerned, she was
guiltless. The execution had been or
dered for the Sth day Of July. Gen.
Hancock saw that the only hope for
Mrs. Surratt law IN the power OF her
daugbteNto move the Presidents heart,
and he SO informed the daughter. and
gave her every facility in his power TO
gain access to the President. So great
was his anxiety in regard to the looked
for pardon or reprieye that he placed u
line of mounted sentinela from the
White House to the place OF execution,
that The words of grace if spoken at
the last minute, should go surely and
swiftly. But no such words were spok-
en-, and to the now almost universal ye-
gret of the people, Mrs. Surystt died.
After the close Of the war, IN July,
1865, Gen, Hancock was assigned to
the command of the Middle Military
Department, with headquarters at
baltimore, and in August, 1866, to
the command of the Department of
Missouri. In the latter capacity his
services were Of great Importance in
harmonizlng the conflicting elements
in Missouri, arising out of the oceu-
patton of tho State by troops under
the State authorities, ana the pres
ence of the men OF the Southern
Confederacy, who had just returned
to their homes. While still in the
Southwest he was also engaged in a
canlnaian against hostile Indians in
Kansas and Colorado. At this time
1t was intended to place him in COM
mand of one Of the military districts
of the South, created under the Re-
construction acts OF Congress. by
remaining in the field and taking no
part in political affairs, Hancock, al.
| though conservative in his views, had
won the good will alike of Republi-
cans and Democrats. The desire tC
retain it was more inviting to him
than the opportunity to weld the un.
limited power which the suggested
assignment presented. Hence, he
sought to be excused from such duty
I In the South, and at first his inclina
tions we're respected. Subsequently