The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1880-08-03

VI tIlIS CITY tuIb morning. 1u0 Tep0fCof
Of the World called upon Rev. Father
Walter, of st. Patrick's Church, with this
interview. He was MIRA Surratt's ad-
wiser, and he it was whom Gen. Hancock
was credited with having insuited. Fa-
ther Walter is q tall, squlre-shouldered
man. with enough FIRE in his face and
vigor in his movements~to make one
almost wish that he and Gen. Hancock
could put on the gloves together, they
are so nearly matched.
s am glad you came, 'Nhe said, for
this isn't the first of these filings ct Gen.
Hancock. have blamed myself often
for not declaring the truth ID the matter,
for ] am the only one that should tell it,
so far - it concerns myself Yet, being
priest, / have felt bound. to hold my
peace. Besides, so far no tangible harm
has resulted from silence. For some
weeks back, though, have ieen that cir
cumstances might arise which should
change my determination; this attack
seems to me to call for tho kind of re-
sponse that will make such objections to
Gen. Hancock impossible in the future.
That is what / said to-day to Bishop
Keane, of Richmond, when informed
him that had about decided to brand all
such stories as false over my own sigma
ture."
would you object to doing it now ?"
the reporter asked.
"Not at ALL" Father Walter replied,
and seating himself at table he wrote
this denial:
Truth and justice compel me todeny the state.
ment with reference TO General HapcOcks par
ticipation in this execution of Mrs. Sulratt, which
| appeared in the Washington Post of this morn
ing attended Mrs. Surratt on that occasion.
and met with no interference on the part of Cen
eral Hancock had great sympathy fO- this unfor-
tunate lady, and waited until the last moment,
hoping for reprieve. / consider it an act of
Justice 10 General Hancock that this statement
should be made.
lSignedl J.A. WALTER,
Pastor St. Patrick's Church, Washington.
"There. That is the first statement l
have made for the public in all these
years." Father Walter said trife sadly.
81 hope it may be the means of enough
good to compensate for all the harm that
these stories have DONE"
An assertion made to-day by an ex-army
official was abundantly corroborated in
the War Department that so strong was
General Hancock's hope for reprieve for
Mrs. Surratt that on the day Of the exc
cution he stationed relays of cavalry along
the streets from the White House to the
Arsenal that no delay might ensue in
communicating the fact. In the Arsenal
are photographs of the scaffold at the
time of the execution. They show Father
Walter at Mrs. Surratt's side.
November a. 1879 Of the
New York World
When General Hancock was here last
week he met the Rev. Father Walter at
the house of a mutual friend. Gen. Han
cocks carriage was at the door, and after
the visit Father Walter entered the car
riage at General Hancock's request, and
they drove off together. Their converse
ton lasted for nearly an hour. From an
army officer who knew what was said it
seemed that General Hancock began the
conversation by thanking Father Walter
for the statement and card he had pub
lished in the World about the defamatory
stories in connection with the hanging Of
Mrs. Surratt. "That denial alone was
necessary" General Hancock said, "to
destroy a vicious falsehood, and it was
sufficient to do it."
Father Walter replied that he felt he
had done merely his duty, and that while
he was by no means inclined to arouse
bad feeling in the matter he thought that
while the press were disposing of it they
might as well at the same time place the
blame for the execution where it belonged,
upon Andrew johnson. "When the time
for the execution had been fixed" he said,
"I went to President johnson to urge a
postponement for few days. Mr.. John
son peremptorily refused to postpone the
execution and acted as though he sus-
pected l would be led to the hope that
one favor might be followed by others
and that eventually a reprieve might just
ly be demanded. tried to disabuse him
of such an impression by declaring that
if he would grant US but ten days no
other favor would be asked Of him.
Shortly before the execution / called at
the White House second time. My
card was returned with q message that
Mr.. johnson would not see me. asked
him then for hearing of ten minutes,'
but he refused then for two minutes,
and he still refused. There was no rea-
SON in his refusal, and hope he felt at
CnC Time Oh uIb lmpedSuuAcut tIiaA IHoe
the refusal of the Senate to grant him
ten days in which to prepare a defense
was in measure retributive."
A letter was received by an army Off
Ger here from one of General Hancock's
most intimate associates few days after
the publication in the World of Father
Walters statement, which said that Cen
eral Hancock was highly gratifed at the
course OF the World regarding the affair,
and that both he and his friends felt that
the prompt refutation through the World
had set the infamous stories at rest for
| ever.
Ex-Governor Hartranft, in conversation
to-day about the stories in connection
with the execution of Mrs. Surratt, said
he was glad that they had been effectu-
ally disproved that he himself had inn
mediate charge of the execution, and that
afterwards he received letters from Mrs.
Surratt's daughter and others thanking
him for the consideration he had shown
both the prisoners and their friends.
washngtOn Correspondent Of the New York Herald.l
Mr.. John T. Clampett, the only surviv-
ing attorney for Mrs. 6urratt, said to
| your correspondent that Hancock was the
best selection the convention could have
made. 6 II Is . splsndid nomination" ," said
Mr.. Clampett, Nth emphasis, and his
part in the 6nrratt execution viii not at.
| feet him. e the General only obeyed the