Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-03-29
ASoRsw JoHSsos,s sEeREr.
How Mr.. surratt Was Aaovsd to Go to the
GGLoWs.
New York Star.

INV fDs SAffAt W 45 AHbFru 10 W 10 INC
GGhows.
New York Star.
don't want to boast, but / was
prominent enough during the war
and the years which followed it, up
to 1870, to be considered somebody
at Washington, and to have almost
free access to Mr.. Lincoln, Mr..
johnson and the gentlemen of their
respective Cabinets. And as to the
execution of Mrs. Surratt, / think /
know the inside history of the most
glaring wrong as well as most peo-
pie, even, who took an active part
III comprising it.
To begin at the beginning, Mrs.
Surratt was tried by MILITARY
Commission for completely in the
assassination of President Lincoln
and the attempt upon the life of
Secretary Seward and, in accord
ance with the findings of the Com
mission, she was executed in July,
1865, three months after the aSSasSi-
nation. Andrew johnson, who had
become President, had been covert
ly and openly importuned and Pc
titioned for pardon, Communication,
or even reprieve, and the prayers Of
the unfortunate lady's daughters
were joined by many in public and
private life; but the conditions
were such that Mr.. Johnson could
not see his way clear to interfere.
The appointed arrived and Mrs.
Surratt was executed on Capitol
Hill, while her daughter lay faint
ing on the steps of the White House
repulsed from the Presidents pres
ence by Edwin M. Stanton, Secre.
tary of War, and refused a word of
favor by Preston King, who since
committed suicide in the North
river.
| think it was in the month of
December, 1865, was stopping at
Wizards Hotel in Washington.
Dining one Saturday evening with
cigars had been lighted, that we
make call on President johnson.
The proposition was agreed to by
all except one of my friends. Four
of us-General James B. Steedman,
Felix McCloskey Cornelius Wen
dell, Public Printer, and myself
sauntered along Pennsylvania ave-
nue., and by the time our cigars
were exhausted reached the White
House. We found the President
alone, but moody and evidently de-
pressed.
Several unimportant topics were
discussed. l was speaking with
Mr.. McCloskey and Gen. Steed-
man, and President Johnson was
speaking in a low tone of voice to
Mr.. Wendell, when he suddenly
turned and said:
at has been told to me that there
are rumors about the hotels in the
city that petition was sent to me
in behalf of Mrs. Surratt, praying
for pardon, and that all of the
members of the Commission which
tried her, except one, signed it;
did you hear anything to that
ef1ect?"
We, answered in one voice, "No
Mr.. President"
Mr.. johnson continued that he
was assured that such was the fact,
and that he would await further de-
velopments.
"fo-day," said he, SCI have heard
of such petition for the first time.
/ resisted the opportunities of pri-
vate individuals and was greatly
distressed, but could not see my
way clear to interfere"
He was right in his own mind,
and he took the only safe course,
for there were ten thousand men
in and around the White House
night and day ready to kill An
drew johnson had he proceeded on
his own motion. or yielded to the
fhnf hrnunhf RI hnor
to even postpone Mrs. Surratt's exc
cutiOn.
Was there such a petition? Ger
tainly. l do not know who started
it, or whether it was not of the
"Round Robin" nature, where no
one in particular moves. In due
course the petition was placed in
the hands of Joseph Holt, head Of
the Department of Justice, to trans
NIT to the President; but he and
Stanton, arcades ambO, combined
to suppress it. 1t was constructive
manslaughter for, backed by the
word of the court which tried her,
and with his own broad sagacity to
see the injustice of the whole pro-
ceedings, President Johnson would
have committed the death penalty
and the people, bloodthirsty and
clamorous as they were, would have
acquiesced in that action when in
inspired by such public favOrites as
Gems. Geary, Lew Wallace, Hun
ter, and the others of the commiss-
ion.
So certain were the chief army
officers that the President would
act favorably on that most potent
measure, that Gen. w. S. Ham
cock, of his motion, stood in Penn
sylvania avenue, with signal men
stationed at the White House, on
top of the Treasury Building and
Capitol Hill, so that they could tele-
graph down in a minute. OF course
the matter of the petition was kept
quiet, but it was known to the
leading army officers, among whom
it was regarded as sort of profess
ional secret. The signers thereof
made no mention of it, for they
supposing that the President had
| ignored it, felt too mortified at the
supposed cavalier treatment to
make themselves subjects of COM
ment. Gen. Hancock had an idea
| that, at the last moment, mayhap,
the Presidents great heart and
solicitude to do exactly right would
prompt him to sign communication,
and SO had had everything prepar-
ed for its reception. Gen. Hancock
would have prevented the eXecu-
ton, had the President made
sign, if it would have obliged him
to turn his soldiers bayonets against
Stanton himself
But President johnson was i'll
| and abed in the western part of
the White House, and the War De-
partment was in possession; at its
door there was neither ingress or
egress. Archbishop Spaulding, of
Baltimore, the Roman Catholic
Primate Of America, bearing the
Presidents 'card of access at any
hour" was repulsed by Col. Drake
DeKay, the Captain of the Provost
Guard, now in public service in this
city.
One the evening of our visit Mr.
Johnson was greatly agitated, and
did not spare invective in express
ing his opinion of Joseph Holt, rec
| f,,p loI