The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-07-03
GEN. HANCOCK AND MRS. sURRArT.

contemplated the assassination OF Wee Presl
dent johnson ana Lincoln's cabinet, and dan
gerous attacks were actually made at the time
on Secretaries Seward and Stanton, and Vice
President Johnson, Secretary Wells, &c, only
escaped like attack by accident Or course
the excitement and indignation Throughout
the country over the crime was indescribablJ
intense, and when, few weeks later, tht
names of the chief conspirators became known
a demand went up for their prompt and con
dgn punishment. Andrew Johnson was still
recognized and doubtless anxious to be regard
ed as a ''truly loil" and stalwart republican
and Edward NJ Stanton was his secretary o.
war The latter, IN possession OF the thread
of the conspiracy, lost no time to bring the
terminals TO trial. Though Lee HAD surren
dcrcd, peace was not yet made with the South
| and Washington was still under martial law
At least the civil courts IN existence there
ut the time were not regarded as equal to such
case, and it having been decided to try them
! by court martial, Stanton lost no time to
summon Il court, as was his wont, fully "Or
| ranizeG to convict" The cOnspiratOrs brought
to trial were David Z. Harold, Geo. A. Ate
roth, Lewis Payne, Mary L, Surratt, Michael
lO,Laughlin, Samuel Arnold, DR.. Samuel A
Mudd and Edward Spangler Major General
Hunter, an obsequious creature of S:anton's,
was placed at the head Of the court. The first
four Of the prisoners named were convicted OF
4 L. r,.I thn N
murder the President, and the others as acces
cries The former were sentenced to be hung
and the others to confinement for life at the
Dry Tortugus, we believe. The time fixed for
the execution of Harold, Azteroth, Payne and
Mrs. Surratt was the 7th of July. Gen Han
cock was at the time commander OF the mill
tarv district that included Washington city,
and of course the order of execution was issu-
ed to him, though Gen. llartrantt, who was
the Provost marshal of Washington, was the
immediate cxccutioner.
Efforts were made to secure stay of execu.
ton in behalf of Mrs. Surratt, about whose
guilt there was real cause for doubt, the only
proof against her being that, rs some Of the
cOnsprators boarded at her house all of them
were in the habit of meeting there; and though
she had taken pains to conceal that fact, there
or that she took part in any Of their dellbcra
tons or shared their secret. The daughter of
Mrs. Surratt had been permitted once to see
President johnson and had made such an i'm
hat fnur al
he mil ht relcnt, and took care she should not
see HIM again Meantime Stanton, merciess
and applicable as a fcnd inCarnatc, as he al
ways was, had personally seen that arrange
mcnt was made for the execution at the hour
appointed. On the morning of the 18th a writ
Of habeas corpus was sued out IN behalf of
Mrs Surratt and placed in the hands of Gen
Hancock, and he was about to execute it, but
President to suspend the writ at pleasure, and
Stanton hearing of the movement and having
President Johnson firmly in his grip, COMPEL
ed him to order Gen. Hancock not to serve il.
There was, then, nothing lett for him but to
order the execution of the prisoners Mrs Sur
rat with the rest AS he did So he turned to
Judge CT ampt, who had been the attorney for
Mrs Surratt during the trial, and said: 81
have been in many battle and have seen
death. and have mixed with it IN disaster and
IN victory. I've been IN living hell of fire, and
shell and Grapc.shot, and, by God, I'd sooner
be there ten thousand times over than to give
the order tins day for the execution of that
poor woman. But | am a soldier, sworn to
obey, and obey must" Understanding, how
ever, that Miss Surratt was making final
effort to see President johnson, and the hour
of execution having been fixed at IL O'Clock,
he found means to delay it until o'clock, and
even had n relay of horses stationed from the
White House to the place of execution, so that
if, nj the last moment, a reprieve should be
granted there should be no delay in its reach
ing Gen. llartranct. No suspension or re-
prGve came, however, and the fatal drop fell
and Mrs. Surratt and her three companions
were swung oil into eternity. This was the
substance of the whole matter the beginning
and end of Gen. lIancock's connection with
the case. All Gen. Hancock did was to obey
the orders of his superior officers, and this WAS
his imperative and unavoidable duty. Beyond
that he was no more responsible for the guilt
or innocence of the persons condemned, or for
the finding of the court before which they had
been tried, than the sheriff who hangs a man
in accordance with the order of any Sivil pro-
cess
In view of these facts it is SIMPLY disgrace
full that the republican papers should now at
tempt to find fault with Gen. Hancock IN con
ncctlon with the matter because he happened
at the time to be commanding officer at Wash
ington. The judicial murder of Mrs Surratt
Gf such 1t was and there seems scarce doubt
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