Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-07-23
Hancock and Mrs snrratt.

the Surratt execution, proceeded to in
| terview Mrs Torney, formerly Miss |
Anna Surratt, daughter of the executed |
Mrs. Surratt, and now the wife Of Prof. |
William P. Torney of Washington. To |
the inquiries of the reporter, Mrs. !
Torney responded that she had heard |
of the nomination of General Hancock !
and the following conversation ensued:
Reporter -"Mrs. Torney, the Democratic
| papers are asserting that the part played by !
General Hancock In the execution was al,
is that trueg"
Mrs. Torney hesitated for a minute
to answer, and the recollection of past
events seemed very painful to her.
Finally she said that such reports were
not true, and added that neither she,
nor any of her family had any good
feeling for General Hancock.
R-"Do you believe that Hancock on that
occasion ncted as friend toward you ana
Mrs Torney-"I do not. You could not call
his conduct exactly brutal, but do believe that
he wished for the execution of my mother,
and would not so much as have lifted MS
finger TO prevent 1t. Myself and my mother
were arrested at the Same time and i'm
prisOned in the Old Capitol Subsequent
Iy / was released, and she was taken
/ to the Arsenal. had to get my passes % see
her from Secretary Stanton, and then take
them TO be cOuntersigned by General
Hancock. saw him dozen times or more,
and he never expressed to me the slightest
| sympathy with my mother. II he was anxious
to prevent the execution he did not do or say
anything at that time, that / know or ana
think that was the proper person to be In
R.D"As understood It, you went to General
Hancock on the morning of the execution at
his HEADQUARTERS at the Metropolitan Hotel IN
Washington, and had n long interview with
him there. Can't you tell me what then oc-
ourred2" A..
question without giving more thought to those
matters than can possibly do ut this mo
r." You can at least tell me whether the
impression formed upon your mind then was
that General Hancock was the friend Of your
Mrs. r., in an excited and emphatic manner
/ -"NO, sir; he was not. IT were 70 zen you
all that happened, and all that was said NJ the
, interview, Il would be very much to General
RI You know, then, that all the stories as
TO General HancOck's endehVOrlnK 10 save
Mrs. T.-"That is about the fact"
At this iuncture Prof. Torney came
in, and the conversation above reported
: was substantially repeated. The ques-
: ton was again put to Mrs. Torney as to
what occurred between her and General
Hancock during the interview on the
. morning of the execution, but she still
= refused to 90 into details, and the Pro-
fessor remarked that "the truth will
come out sooner or later. My wife has
u already told you that it will be no credit
> to General Hancock, and know that is
u the fact For my part, l wish that he
had been in the Sandwich Islands soon
u u er than that my party, the Democratic
. party, had nominated him for the
u Presidency. l repeat to you that his
. connection with the murder of Mrs
9 Surratt was no credit to him, and that
he deserves the title of her execution
e er."
II The interview ended at this point,
d and the reporter again visited Mr.. and
u Mrs. Torney. The lady was only seen
y for q few moments, as she was laboring
~ under a nervous excitement that pros
y trated her. The attention of hersel
70 and her husband was, however, calleC
~ , to the various attempts made in the
D. Democratic papers to straighten ou
id Hancock ) record on the hanging busi
l. ness and they were requested to say
TO what they thought about it. Mrs. Tor
" ney retired to seek relief from her feel
ly ings, but her husband spoke for her
Of He said he had seen in one Of the Balti
IN more papers what purported to be tn
d correct narrative OF Hancock's actioi
a, on that day. 1t was nothing more no
o, less than an attempt to gloss over
O. crime There was no essential trut
- in it.
Reporter" But, Professor. what you hay
no | seen In that one paper Is only tthe of wh1
40 other Democratic organs are trying to &c
he to clear Hnncock's reputation of that staii
H. They go into the matter much more eNtcI
"A siyely, and follow out the same strain of argI
or ID T,rn nfNln
lie Prof TOrney-" Thon they are elahOruting
,o, falsChOod. You may write down that whu
III ever is said in Hanooek's favor In that matte
es R'N"Tden why not tell me precisely III
on story of the meeting OF your wife and Hal
nv Prof, T'"' / can't do It Just now She is Ii
H. one to tell It; but If she were 10 try to r
~ hearse that story Il would throw her into be
n for 1--WE or six days. II would be recital
Hancook's iniquty that would take a pn2
,;r and half OF your paper; Can you DC ,,i 60
he him vast amount Of harm, II 1t Is ever pu
m lishedy"
'ne R.-"The Now York papers to-day are pu
OF fishing statements from John l. Campbell, Oi
re- of the counsel for Mrs, Surratt, from Bsht
bo Kean, and from Father Walter, who attend!
ho her In her last moments, all of which are 10 Il
In effect TINT General Hancock had great symp
tar thy for the unfortunate woman, and wait
of until the last moment, hoping for repueN
VI What have you TO say TO thatr
to Prof TIT is ali nonsense, or worse thl
,r,, nonsense. In all charity, | hope that
~ Campbell and the rest OF them were mere
lal mistaken
IN R.-"There Is also a statement that Genel
IA Hancock had relays of cavalry stationed |
70 " tween the White House and the prison on I
We day of the execution In order that, II the fr
le- ldent relented at the last moment, he oou
-, stop the hanging"
hg Prof. T.--"who ever said that2"
e.) R.-"It may have been stated upon Genei
prof ri can tell you-and am speakl
upon my wife's authOrity-that itisn lie IL
not the first lie that Hancock has told abO
this affair and 1t won't be the last one he "
i've tell before the campaign Is over"
r." That's tolerably emphatic,
',,s Prof t." mean it 70 be So l want
iuI- TO understand that of all the statements 90
oernng Mrs Surratt and the execution IN
nos, have been made up TO this time, not sinl
10y one came from or was authorized by any
the family. They wero all gotten up by
whom we GSqsSd tSS 70 sSe sRd
Duy is true not only as Tegnrds myself ana !
wife but also as regards her brothers John a
loo lsaao Surratt You are the first newspaper IN
10 with whom we have talked thus unreserve'
OILS on the question, and rely upon you 20 rep
=. us, as you may readily understand, ant
iih- would not now say word about II except q
'uc- Hancock deserves 20 be exposed. He Is pl
Ddy ing game OF false pretenses,"
r." Then shall say that you utterly d'
all assertions that General Hancock was
ing any way friendly or helpful 10 Mrs Surrat
will Prof. t." Precisely So"
ody what YOU SsT have told Ian me and which intcnt
ino Prof. T.-"Then we are ready to meet
lH6 and prove our Side of the caso.'
MS. Bay~ The Democratic speeches, C,
or structed for the purpose of giving 90
the man on horseback" particular "
the Columbia were waste OF the
material and the average orator OF q