The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-04-23
BAGSOVERTHEIR HEADS
THE TREATMENT GIVEN PRESIDENT
lIhcOLh'9 ASSASSINS.

1.-THE TREATMENT GIVEN PRESIDENT
| LIkcoLN'9 ASSASSIhS.
BEtrzordH,ory Heeaures Csod to Prevent
Esaape Rescue and suictdo-e signihcrnt
Chaptor Of Unpublished History.
During the exciting tines immedi'
ately following the ASSASSINATION Of
Abraham Idncola shs prisoners, who
were arrested in connection with that
STAIR, were confined on board OF
United States monitors anchored in
the Potomac River, opposite the navy
yard a history of the Washington
navy yard written by Chaplain Henry
B. Hibben, which hasjust beenissued
| as an executive document by theSen-
ate, contains the orders given to the
commandant Of the navy yard as to
the care Of those important prisoners,
and these orders revealed one or two
| features Of their treatment, which, it
is believed, have nev@ before been
made public.
The Arss orde, was from the Navy
Department TO Commodore ]. B.
Montgomery, oonmandsns Of the
| yard, and dated April Is, 1855, the
| day Of Nr. Lincoln's death. It reads
40 follows:
If the military authorities arrest
the murderer Of the President and
take him to she navy yard, put him
in monitor and anchor her out IN
| the stream, with strong guards on
vessel, wharf and in navy yard Call
| on eommandant Of marine corps for
guard Have vessel immediately pre-
pared, ready to receive the criminal
atany hour, day or night. BE will
be heavily roned and so guarded as
to prevent escape or injury to him
sell"
Two days later the department
notified the conmandant that 'the
Wax Department. wishes special at
tention odled this aftsznoon to order
OF Saturday, 18th instant Keep a
boss n constant readiness and have
q guard at the gate, that the prisoner
can be safely got on board
The first prisoners were received at
the navy yard that night, and the
following day Commodore Mont
gomery reported that Nike O'Flaher-
t. and Lewis Payne had been deliver
ed during the night, and were con-
fined on board the monitor Ssugus,
in double irons and under strong
guasd Samuel Arnold was added to
the prisoners at $50 o'clock the morn
ing Of April 10. The same day the
eommandsnt received orders to per-
NIT no person to SEQ o, hold COM
munication with the prisoners without
q pass signed jointly by the Secretary
Of War and the Secretary Of the
Navy.
At lilo p M, April 20, two more
prisoners were received at the navy
yard They were Iag>s Andrew
Atzerott and Ernest Hartman sftchs1-
bis brother-in-law. April % the AS
sistant Secretary of the Navy sent
this order to Commodore Mont
gomery:
sThe Secretary of War wishes Atze-
rott separated from his brother-in-
law, Ritchie, by putting the former
in another vessel, unknown to the
other prisoners; also that a ball and
chain to be put On each ankle OF
Payne"
On the following day the command
an:tssecei7ed directions which showed
tlsS Secretary of War Stanton pro-
posed to neglect no precaution to-
ward preventing any sort OF COM
nunicetion between the prisoners.
These directions were as follows:
"The Secretary Of War requests
that the prisoners on board iron-clads
belonging to his department for bet
ter security against conversation shall
have canvas bag put over the head
Of each and tied around the neck,
with q hole for proper breathing and
eating, but not seeing, and that
Payne be secured to prevent sef-de-
struction."
To this order, which ia now brought
to Light for the first time, Command
ant Montgomery replied on the same
day:
sThe hoods we're made and have
been applied as directed The Dr1s-
oners are in al respects entirely Sc
cure"
Ned Spangler WAS taken from the
old Capitol prison that day and con-
fined on one of the monitors. Three
days later, April 27, the commandant
reported to the Navy Department as
follows
"Ds7id @. Harold, prisoner, and
the remains Of Wilkes Booth were
delivered here at 1.45 this morning.
The body Of Booths changing rapid.
". What disposition shall be made OF
;t7 It is now on board the iron-clad
Aontauk-"
Later in the day the commandant
vas handes sn order, signed oy
Secretaries gelles and Stanton, di-
recting him to permit Surgeon Gene,
raj Barnes, Judge Advocate General
Holt, and certain other officers and
civilians, nclrSng photographer,
to 90 on board tho Gontauk and sec
Booths body. The order also direct.
y Ill ,44or tba S11roao0 General
had made an autopsy, the boSy should
be placed in strong box, ss5efully
sealed, and delivered TO the charge OF
Col Z. O. Baker.
4 letter sent to the Secretary OF
the Navy the following day BY Com
msndsnt Montgomery shows that he
had 30 chanco to carryput q part OF
this joint order. The writer COM
plains that the body OF Booth WAS
suddenly and Unexpectedly TenoTsu
! by Col Baker to q tug and taken