The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-20
uR&.SURRATTSHANGMA
rAr,4s OF T-E CUSTODIAN OF
1rNCOLN's MURDERERS.

49,. -rha. They Were Actuated by
Go. rio5ic Though Mistaken Motives
INV the Ccmmutation OF the
u.onan's Sentence Was Prevented.
From the Boston Globe.
D-r,orr Mich, Jan. l4.-Capt. Chris
..aa Ratb. of this city, is a remarkable
He served his country from 1862 to
lex and closed his military career by hang
+ba four conspirators condemned to
iue ne f,r the murder of Abraham Lincoln.
~ mi. he was brevetted major and lieu
'o,,t-colonel Of United States Volunteers.
has teen generally understood that Capt.
9th hanged Wirz, the notorious governor
n tbe prison pens at AnderSonvihe. de
lsniss this, however, with fine scorn and
,ho Characteristic remark: Il would have
sn,t on Wirz, but wouldn't have hanged
him. He was too low.
MIA To,+ Rath is rather small in stature, but
~, ~ alj insignificant. He is, moreover, a
.,,nn Inilr soldier with clear cut, resolute
footnres and a round, neatly trimmed
liant like beard In fact he bears quite
fsrial resemblance to that great COM
I'IonJer Capt Rath's eyes are bright and
1-aa1
Ho G,es 10 talk. although he objects to beng
,ntervieved. When he said all the things
,"bicb follow he didn't exactly know that he
,os speaking for publication; so If any
t,jnnd. or relatives of the asphyxiated
nrqI,tet should see this they won't be offended
9t least it is to be hoped they won't.
~ cu3ld sit and talk about those people
for whole day" said Capt. Rath. Il
know enough about them to HI volumes.
Won see, there weren't so many reporters
.ben as there are now, and there was so
much excitement and so many things TO
write about that many things were missed
or crowded out which would have made ex-
calIent reading. ] had charge of those pris
oners through their entire confinement, and
Of the last sIDerintended their execution, so
had good opportunity to study them. |
always regarded Harold as an unthinking
hovEa spoiled child. He was great sports
man. though, fond Of shooting, and the
owner of a splendid pointer dog. We kept
tbed for him in the prison, and at his
death be left it to Gen. Hartranft
u never regarded the consprators as
murderers. Most of them, believe, were
insrired by sincere love Of the Confederacy,
and the belief that in removing Lincoln
they were acting for the good of their
country. There was Paine, for instance, l
liked that man. You know re was wound
cd at Gettysburg, taken prisoner, brought
10 Washington and paroled there. He was
magnificent man, big, strong, kind and
generous with an iron resolution and a
voice and manner as soft as a woman's |
liked Paine When the prisoners were
hooded aud shackled to prevent them from
dashing their brains out against the stone
walls, Paine was the only one who never
begged to have the hood and snackles taken
Ia bna opA diGNnnfO1.t fpt1Gt bnUa
been intense, but he never murmured. !
tel you
THAT MAN WAS a HERO
He would have murdered dozen NEIL
would have waded through blood-and yet
believe he was thoroughly unselfish. The
Confederacy was all and everything to him.
you viii probably remember that to
Paine was assigned the assassination Of
Seward He broke through Stewards door,
knocked young Seward down with the
stock of his big revolver, and cut the old
man severely with a bowie-knife. To
this day the world has never heard
why he did not use his revolver
to shoot Seward. | can tell why. In strik-
ing young Seward the pin Of the revolver
was bent very slightly, but enough to pre-
vent the chambers from turning, and con-
sequently to shackle the lock / tried the
revolver myself afterward. Every cham
her was loaded, but the hammer could not
be raised The blow which knocked the
young man over was without doubt the
means # saving his fathers life. Paine
thought he had killed the old man. He was
never undeceived until brought into court
at the first trial. There he saw Seward and
realized that he had failed. He did not ex-
hibt either pleasure or regret.
Paine lay for two days concealed in the
trenches outSi6a laSt
nature gave out. He returned to the city,
tOo6 refuge in Mrs. Surratt's boarding
house and was concealed in the cellar when
searching party entered the house and
found him. He was carried before Mrs
SuTatt, who declared that she had never
seen MIN before. 1t was shown that he had
been one Of her boarders, and these two
facts formed the strongest barrier to her
pardon Paine was dreadfully cut up about
It, lie held himself responsible for her
position, and when the chances of reprieve
grew slle'l cursed his weakness in return
mg to her house over and over again.
If had two lives, he said L would let
them both go to save her. | mentioned
that to Maj. Eckert, who told Secretary
Stanton. Paine was sent for at a meeting
Of the council and Intercepted with view,
think. Of bringing out facts which might
Justify Mrs Surratt's pardon, or at least
commutation Of her sentence
=. Speaking of Paine, might as well say
MS name was not Paine at all. We were
met able to learn for a long time what it
really was At last an old colored woman
was brought in. She was taken to one Of
NE rooms and Paine was brous hit in facing
her
Oh, Mass'r Powell, she said, and then
she stopped.
Paine looked straight at her in that
sIolcal way of his and absolutely refused 10
ieGognlze her He was taken away and the
2u woman burst into tears. She couldn't
" got TO say anything for a long time, but
az a3I they learned from her that his name
was fowell and that lie was the son of a
"a VlSt minister in Florida, whose slave the
oio negress had been.
=. Mrs. Surratt, think, was actuated by
tne pure5t motives She was shown some
toYur as being woman. The rest of the
GIolspratorS were fed on army ratons,
ul' ste was allowed to choose what she
r @sned from the general table. Mrs Sur
raft Wasa
SMALL, PLUMP, PRETTY BRUNETTE,
rT.yu flashing dark eyes and a will like steel
icIIieLnoer one incident of her imprison-
s tenO Whlch will give you some idea of her
uel5Jh OF mind. You will remember that
paIt oil the old District penitentiary had
~ rugged up as a courthouse, while the
TWtlgGI part was used as a military prison
JlH after Mrs. Surratt and her daughter,
s.oo,lmirfnlng girl of l6 years, had been separ
~. IoT three months they were allowed an
tuNrVleW which VIVA IN last two hours Miss