Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-02-17
MRS. SURRATT'S CASE.
SOME INTERESTING BITS OF GOSSIP
FROM HER ExECUTlONER.

Capt. Rath's Estimate of Harold and
Paine-Accident TO an Assassin's Re-
yolver-afrs. surratt's Wonderdful Self
ControI-Mistake of Her Counsel.
Capt. Christian Rath, of Detroit. is a re-
markable man. He served his country from
| 1S62to 1860, and closed his military career by
| hanging the four cOnspirators condemned to
death for the murder of Abraham Lincoln.
| For this he was breveted major and lieuten-
| ant-colonel of United States volunteers
Capt Rath is rather small in stature, but
&, not at all insignificant, as many small men
| are He is, moreover, well built soldier,
with clear cut, resolute features, and a
| round, neatly trimmed, Grant-like beard
Il could sit and talk about those people
for whole day." said Capt. Rath II know
enough about them to fill volumes 1 had
charge of those prisoners through their en-
tire confinement, and at the last superin-
tended their execution, so I had good op-
portunity to study them. I always regarded
Harold as an unthinking boy-a spoiled
child. He was great sportsman, though,
fond of shooting, and the owner of SPLEEN
did pointer dog. We kept the dog for him
i'll the prison, and at his death he left it to
Gen. Hartranft.
''There was Paine. liked that man. You
know he was wounded at Gettysburg, taken
prisoner, brought into Washington and pa
rolled there. He was a magnificent man
big, strong, kind and generous, with an iron
resolution, and a voice and manner as soft as
a womans. liked Paine. When the pris-
oners were hooded and shackled to prevent
them from dashing their brains out against
stone Pain tba
never begged to have the hood and shackles
taken off. The heat and discomfort must
have been intense, but he never murmured.
tell you that man was a hero. He would
have murdered dozen men-would have
waded through blood-and yet believe he
was thoroughly unselfish. The Confederacy
was all and everything to him.
You will 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 bic.
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 I can tell why In striking
young Seward the pin of the revolver was
bent very slightly, but enough to prevent the
chambers from turning, and, consequently, to
shackle the lock. | tried the revolver myself
afterward. Every chamber was loaded. but
the hammer could not be raised The blow
which knocked the young man over was,
without doubt, the means of saving his faith
ers life. Paine thought that 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 exhibit either pleasure or
regret.
lav tyy0 n
trenches outside Washington. At last nature
gave out He returned to the CITY. tool,
refuge in Mrs Surratt's boarding house. and
was concealed in the cellar when a SEARCHING
party entered the house and found him. He
was carried before Mrs. Surratt, who de-
clafed that she had never seen him 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. He held himself
responsible for her position and when the
chances OF reprieve grew slight cursed his
weakness in returning to her house over and
over again.
" If had two lives he said I would let
them both go to save her. | mentioned that
to Maj. Eckert, who told Secretary Stanton.
Paine was sent for at meeting of the council
and Intercepted, with a view, | think. of
bringing out facts which might Justify Mrs.
Surratt's pardon, or at last q communication
of her sentence.
Mrs. Surratt was, I think, always actu-
ated by the purest motives. She was shown
some favor as being woman. The rest of
the consplrators We're fed on army rations,
but she was allowed to choose what she
wished from the general table. Mrs. Surratt
was small, plump pretty brunette, with
1at,ly .
member one incident of her imprisonment
which will give you some idea of her strength
of mind. You will remember that a part
of the old district penitentiary had been
rugged up as a court house, while the other
part was used as a military prison. Wen,
after Mrs. Surratt and her daughter. a
charming girl of 16 years, had been separated
for three months, they were allowed an in
tervleW, which was to last two hours. Miss
Surratt came to the prison in the afternoon,
and conducted her to a room adjoining the
court room, where Mrs. Suratt was writing.
The girl just went over and sat down on her
mothers lap and began to cry | went
away then; I didn't want to stay, and did
not go near them again until some time after
the two hours was up. When took the girl
away she was still crying, and noticed that
Mrs. Surratt had not shed a tear l Won
dered at that The girl cried all the way
home to the Catholic institution where she
lived, and you can believe it made me feel
bad
When l returned, spoke to Gen. Hartranft
and mentioned what seemed to me the almost
heartlessness of Mrs. Surratt. Then the gem
cral told me that the little girl had scarcely
left the prison when Mrs. Surratt threw her
self down in commissions of such grief as he
had n nod Of hnfo, II
TO imagine the struggle that woman must
have undergone to control herself through
that long interview.
''There are few people who know how
nearly Mrs. Surratt came to a reprieve, fol-
lowed by a communication of sentence There
was strong sentiment in her favor, and, L
think, some doubt as to the degree of her.
guilt | will never believe that she was priyy
to Lincoln's murder. She approved, I think,
of his proposed abduction, but never of his
assassination.
"The night before the execution was when
they had Paine up before the council Next
morning Mrs Surratt's counsel had Gen.
Hancock arrested in a civil process charging
him with having Illegal possession of Mrs.
Surratt's body. The country was undel,
martial law at the time, and the proceeding
was absurd Nevertheless, l think it turned
the scale against Mrs. Surratt. The execu-
ton was fixed for p. M, but before Hancock
was released, which was done withcS1t cere-
mony by sergeant and a squad of men, it
had rung o'clock Hancock came hurrying
in and said to me:
"'Go ahead, captain I ran up to him.
What, general l said, Her, too9
Eyes, said Gen. Hancock, she can't be
saved
"And SO, believe through her counsel's
foolishness Mrs. Surratt was hanged
Il never knew Booth, but always thought
he was actuated rather by desire for fame
than for the good of the Confederacy. He
was an emotional kind of a fellow, you I'M
derstand, and think wanted to be heron-
Cor. Globe-Democrat.
Scenes in Gotham,S ..Iittle ItaI,: >,