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

It 10 the assertion that General Hancock
has lost favor among the Catholic part Of
our population by his connection with
the execution of Mrs. Surratt, and this
opinion is based upon the fact that Mira.
Surratt was member of the Catholic
Church.
In the first place, it is proper to say
that General Hancock's connection with
the affair was solely that of an officer
obeying his orders. Had we, or any
other Catholic in the world been in Gen.
eral Hancock's place, our duty would
have been to do as he did, whether the con-
demned woman were Catholic or Protest
ant, heathen or infidel. A Catholic knows
no distinction of creed in the performance
Of duty; he quarrels with no man for
the execution of his duty; he has no more
sympathy for man or woman put to
death justly or unjustly because the vic
tim is Catholic than if he or she were of
any other religion or no religion.
Herein the Pilot, though no organ, be-
lieves it voices the opinion Of common
sense and true religion. Catholics, OF
course, laugh at the foolish idea that they
should bear i'll will on religious srounda
to any one connected, however closely,
with the execution of Catholic woman /;
but there are great many fools in this
world, and very common specimen is
the man who supposes other people to be
influenced by ideas and ties which would
have no weight at all with himself in a
similar case. While we have very little
respect for any man who carries his re-
ligion into politics, we should have moth
ing but contempt for the one who carried
both into the sacred halls of justice and
law.
GENERAL HANCOCK AND MRS. sURRATT.
Under the above head the Catholic
Mirror, of Baltimore, "official organ of
the Archbishop of Baltimore, and Bish-
ops of Richmond, Wheeling, Wilmington,
and Vicar-apostolic of North Carolina"
has the following able article. 1t is dis
passionate, sensible and patriotic view of
the subject which it treats:
1t is lofty tribute to the integrity of General
Winfield s. Hancock that the only accusation
his opponents can bring against him, after q
seaching investigation into his long career, is one
that is unjust and untrue. Without formulating
their charge into any distinct phrase, they point
in q mysterious way as TO some dark stain on
his cnaTaCIeT, at MS COuu6CtOu Win TIC uHuBInR
of Mrs. Mary E. Surratt, who was executed at
Washington in 1865, for alleged completely in
the assassination of President Lincoln. They do
not say that he was responsible for the finding OF
the court martial which condemned her TO death.
They do not MAINTAIN that he did what he should
not have done when he obeyed the orders of his
superior, the Commander-in Chief to disregard
the writ served on him. They do not state that
he carried out the sentence of the court Tor the
sufficient reason that il was General Hartranft,
the Ex-Governor of Pennsylvania, one of them
selves, who was appointed by Andrew johnson
Special Provost Marshal General to execute the
mandate of the commission which tried the ac-
cused.
The facts are, that Mrs. Surratt, an innocent
woman, was hanged by order of a court martial
convened by Republican President and CON-
posed of Republicans that the man directly 10
be blamed for the legal murder then committed
was Edwin M Stanton, and that the execution
was presided over by General Hartranft, now
|, Postmaster of Philadelphia. General Hancock
had nothing TO do with the affair. He was at
that time commander of the Middle Military
Division, with headquarters at Washington, and
was by virtue OF his Office, the person through
whose hands some Of the Official routine busi-
ness in connection with the hanging OF Payne
Atzerot Harold and Mrs Surratt had to pass
He had no judicial or discretionary powers. His
course was plain. He simply did his duty. He
could not have prevented or delayed the execu-
ion of Mrs Surratt He could not have done
anything than what he did do, and that COM
mends itself TO the appreciation of every true
citizen