The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1891-09-05
INNOCENT MARY SURRATT
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y CONTINUED from First Page.)
from being too much exposed to the
public gaze. At the signal the trap
fell. I looked over the platform and
saw that she had died without a strug-
gle. 1 went Immediately to see Annie
and try to give her some consolation.
When I told her that it was all over she
gave way to her intense feelings, but one
word was sufficient to calm her.
I had left my carriage within the walls
OF the penetentiary when I first came
before the execution, but when I went
to look for it, it was not to- be found. I
asked General Hartranft, ex-governor of
Pennsylvania, who had charge Of the ex-
ecution, to let me have conveyance In
order to take Annie, Mrs. Surratt's
daughter, home. He Immediately or
dered an ambulance, and with Annie and
a friend I left the enclosure. I found
my carriage outside aud transfer red An
ME with her friend to it, and then drove
to Mrs. Surratt's house on Ii street, near
Sixth, northwest. I would here state
that General Hancock was simply COM
mander of the military division com
prislng the District of Columbia, and
General Hartranft was the officer in
charge and superintended everything.
Shortly after the execution of Mrs. Sur
raft, an article appeared in the New
York Tribune accusing Secretary Stan
ton of refusing me pass TO visit Mrs.
Surratt unless I would promise to say
nothing regarding her inn ocence. It
seems that at thls time Horace Greeley
and Secretary Stanton were not On good
terms. Ar. Forney, editor Of the Phil
adelpbia Press and Washington Chson-
icle, denied the charge that Secretary
Stanton had refused mo pass on terms
90 stated above. Two reporters of the
Tribune called ON nae to ascertain the
truth Of the matter; told them what
had occurred between Colonel Hardie
and myself in relation to the pass. OF
course they drew their own conclusions
fro m what I told them. I said to them
that I wished to have nothing to do
with the quarrel. The next day they
published verbatim what had passed be-
tween Colonel Hardie and myself, Col
onel Hardie thought proper to write an
article in the National Intelligencer,
calling me- some harsh names and saying
I was not a proper person to have at
tended Mrs. Surratt. I paid n" atten-
ton to this article, but attended to my
duties just as if nothing had happened.
Some friends met me on Pennsylvania
avenue ON the morning OF the publlca'
ton and asked me what I was going to
do about the article. J. simply told
them thut would do nothing; if Horace
Greeley and Colonel Forney chose to
quarrel in their newspapers, they might
Just fight it out among themselves. Ev-
identity someone at the war department.
must have been alarmed, for Major Gen
eral Hancock was telegraphed to go and
see Archbishop Spalding, so as to pre-
vent me from asserting the innocence Of
Mrs. Surratt. / received telegram
from the archbishop's secretary, asking
ne to keep quiet, and saying that the
arch bishop would write me e letter by
the evening mail. The letter came. 1t
was no order but simply q request that
I should keep quiet IN regard TO the in
nooence of Mrs. Surratt. My answer
was, that what he requested was hard to
comply with, but I would try to do So.
Archbishop Spaldjug told General Han
cock that he also believed Mrs. Surratt
was an innocent woman. AT the pres.
ent time, think there are few persons
in this country who are not of the same
opinion. Let anyone quietly and calmly
s1tt the evidence given in this trial and
the same conclusion will be reached.
Let us examine this evidence.
Mrs. Surratt's guilt could only be in
consequence of her son, John H. Sur
rats guilt. She was concerned in the
conspiracy to murder President Lincoln
only inasmuch as he was one of the con-
spirators. Now John II. Surratt had
nothing whatever to do with the con-
spiracy to murder President Lincoln; in
fact, he knew nothing about it. He
came to Washington on the 4th of April,
took supper at home, changed his
clothes and left for Elmira the next
morning. The testimony of Susan Jack
son, Mrs. Surratt's servant, was correct
as TO the facts, but she mistook the date,
saying it was April IA. It was ten days
previous to the 18th of April. It is
strange that the hotel register in Elmira
could not be found; someone had made
way With it. Whoever it was he did not
know that john Fl. Surratt had tele-