The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-09-09
A CRUEL FATE.
THE STORY OF MRS. SURRATT AND
HER PITTILESS MURDER
ERs TOLD ANEW.
The Vain Appeal of the Widow Of Senator
Douglas for an Innocent
Woman
From the North American Review for September.

From the North American Review for September
1t ia not my intention to enter upon a
defense of Mrs. Surratt. Were so in
clined, the limits of magazine article
would not admit Ny object is to pre-.
sent to the public some of the salient
features of that trial and to relate few
interesting incidents connected there
with, not generally known to the public.
To relate them all would consume many
pages of the Review.
The incidents connected with the is
suance of the writ of habeas corpus and
its suspension by the President of the
United States from one of the most in
teresting reCitals connected with the
case. They have been related before to
a limited extent. We give them now to
the wide circuit of the Review.
1t will be remembered that the trial
was very long and tedious one, con.
suming more than two months Of the
hottest period of that year. Our labors
had been very severe-Compelled as we
were to be in the courtroom, which was
in the old arsenal building, formerly the
Washington penitentiary, frequently
from 10 in the morning until 6 at night,
watching closely the proceedings in an
atmosphere rendered very impure by
the crowded condition of the small
room, badly ventilated.
Compelled to produce our own wit
Desses, frequently we spent almost the
entire night in obtaining them from re-
mote points of the adjoining States,
After the long and exhaustive trial,
naturally we we're gratiGed at its close,
and, as young men in our profession,
still more 80, at the congratulations of
many of the older members Of the bar
who had closely examined the testimony
as each day it appeared, and predicting
the aequittal of our client. About 5
o'clock in the afternoon of the 9Th Of
July, while sitting in our Office awaiting
the findings of the Commission,w we were
suddenly startled by the cry of the news
boys in the street:
''THE EXECUTION OF MRS. sURRATT !"
We found to our dismay that, instead
of an acquittsl. or at most temporary
confinement of our client, the judgment
of the Military Commission had been
that of death, and the President had
signed har death-warrant. So sudden
was the shock, so unexpected the result,
amazed beyond expression at the Celeri-
ty of the order of execution, we hardly
knew hardly to proceed.
Acting upon the first impulse,we went
hastily to the White House and endea-
vored to have an interview with the
President, in the hope that Executive
clemency might so far intervene as to
grant a respite for a few days at least In
this We were b. filed. We were inform
ed that the President would see no one.
Attempting to pass inside the main
doors, we were met by Preston King, of
New York, who, pointing to the guard Of
soldiers stationed at the foot of the stair
case with fixed bayonets, informed us
that it was useless to attempt an issue
of that character" We went to plead
for three days Of life for this poor woman,
that she might arrange her earthly aft.
fairs and prepare for eternity, and we
were denied admission.