New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-09-09
Mrs. Surratt's Prosecutors and
Defenders.

49, = SCO = GA161O a. 6SllSt1GAOu udS UGelA
created relative to Mrs. Surratt at.
this late day by the announcement
that a monument will be erected over
her remains, and that Brick Pomeroy,
who believes that she was murdered,
is engineering the movement. Pom
eroy points to the fact that all the
| members Of the military commission
that condemned Mrs. Surratt to death
are; dead except Holt, and that he, re-
siding in the suburbs of Washingto on,
is almost crazed, and that the majori-
| ty of those who are dead committed
suicide, a proof, he claims, that they
saw the injustice of the sentence >
The amiable Pomeroy is entirely mis-
taken, and his statements are not
only wild but untrue. Mai-Gen.
David NJ. Hunter was the president
of that commission; Gen. Lew Wallace,
our late Minister to Turkey, was an
other. So was General Augustus v.
Kautz, the noted cavalry leader.
Gen. James A. Ekin, of the Quarter
masters Department of the Army, Al
bion P. Howe, Robert S. Foster and
Thomas NJ. Harris, and Coils. Chas. III.
Thompkins and D. R. Clendenim were
members. These men composed the
commission that tried and condemned
Mrs. Surratt to death along with the
| other conspirators. A majority OF
them are still in the land Of the living,
and are noted men. Those who have
passed over to the other shore did not
die by their own hands. Ex-President
johnson passed away ''like one who
wraps the drapery of his couch about
him and lies down to pleasant dreams"
Judge Acknowledgement Holt, who
conducted the prosecution, lives in
Waghlngton city, a few doors from the
| Capitol building. Heis hale and hearty,
| vigorous inintellect, and good forman
years to come, though l should Judge
that he had passed his three score
years and ten. Hon. John A. Bing-
ham, assistant Judge Advocate Gen
eral, whom Ben. Butler use to twit so
numerically on the floor Of the House
OF Representatives for hanging an in
nocent woman, is on his return from
Japan, where he has been the Ameri-
can minister for upwards of ten years.
| do not know Of the whereabouts OF
| the other assistant, Col. III. l.. Bur.
| nett of Indiana.
Let us see about some of the other
noted characters in that famous State
| trial of twenty years ago. Reverdy
Johnson, of Maryland, ex-attorney-
general and senator, and afterward
minister to England, lent his eloquent
voice in behalf of Mrs. Surratt, assist
ed by COL Fred, A. Aiken and John l..
Clampitt. The latter is the only one
living of that famous trio. johnson
died full of honors. Aiken became a
noted journalist in Washington.
He died suddenly a few years
ago, and was laid away in beautiful
Oak Hill cemetery by his breth-
rem OF the press on New Years day.
Gen. Tom Ewing, ofKansas and Ohio,
the cousin of James G.. Blaine, was
counsel for Arnold and O'Laughlin,
who were sent to the Dry Tortugas.
Walter S. Cox assisted him. Heisnow
a judge on the bench of the Supreme
Court OF the District OF Columbia, and
the grinning assassin of another presi-
dent was tried and condemned to
death in his court. Fred Stone, Of
Maryland, a bitter secessionist lawyer,
defended Harold al ). Mudd. Hesaved
the neck ofthelatter Mudd returned
from Dry Tortugas to his home in
Southern Maryland and became,
strange to say, a Republican in politics.
He died few years ago. Doster,
Philadelphia lawyer, tried to keep the
rope away from the necks of Payne
and Atzerodt. Gen. Hancock was mas
ter Of ceremonies on that tragic occa-
sion, assisted by Gen. Hartranft. They
are still living, and arenotcrazed, and.
| presume lose no sleep in thinking o.
the affair. Like good soldiers, they
obeyed orders.