The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-06-03
MRS. SURRATT'S EXECUTION.
An OUTRAGE Upon Justice in the Opinion
Of Her Confession.

WASHINGTON, May 2S.-The Rev. j.
A. Walter, pastor Of st. Paterlck's s
Church, this city, has prepared and pre-
sented to the Catholic Historical Society
of New York paper on Mrs. Surratt,
Whichhe thinks will throw new light on
the character, trial and execution of
that unfortunate woman. 1t will be
read before the Society to morrow night.
Father Walter was pastor Of st. Pat
rick's Church when President Lincoln
was assassinated, and Mrs. S,l-ratt was
a member of his congregation. On the
very night that Booth fired the fatal
shot she was at Father Walters church,
and that circumstance alone, in the
mind of the clergyman, ives partial
proof that she knew nothing OF the
plans prepared by the assassins at her
house. He became deeply interested
in her case, was her confessor and ad-
wiser after her arrest as well as before,
and did everything in his power, both
by appeals to President Johnson and
by bitter denunciations of she unjust
measures adopted by the Government
in its prosecution, to save her from the
gallows.
Although the occurrences which Fa-
ther Walter describes in his paper oc-
CURED so long ago, that be still feels
freshly and keenly the injustice which
led to Mrs. Surratt's execution. In
speaking of the matter to Sun repre-
sentative he said: If President John
son had been man of courage the ex-
ecution would not have taken place.
He simply acted in accordance with
public clamor, and signed the death
warrant without even reading the testi-
mony on which the woman had been
convicted. 1 went to him and told him
that had read every line Of the testi.
mony, and that there was rot enough
evidence to hang cat On; that l did
not ask a pardon for Mrs. Surratt, nor
a communication of sentence, but merely
a repreve for ten days, in order that [
might prove her innocence, but PreSi-
dent johnson did not have courage
enough to comply with NV request.
He feared if he did so he would be ac-
cused of commencing the deed that had
put him in the Presidential chair. So
he consigned an innocent woman to a
shameful death in order to escape the
adverse criticism of a frenZied populace.
The whole trial was an outrage, and
there is no doubt that the Government
resorted to fraudulent measures in Or
der to obtain conviction.
MIR. Bradley, who defended John
Surratt, had among his papers tele-
graph book showing that John Surratt
was in Elmira on the night of April l3,
yet when search was made for the ho-
tel register, that would have shown his
presence there on that date, it had dis.
appeared and not until year ago was
l able to ascertain that the Government
had taken possession Of it and had
withheld it order to deprive the prison
ers of the benefit of this bit of eyi-
dence.
"John Surratt was allowed to escape
a trial because the Government knew
it had no case against him, and if he
were innocent, his mother was also. 1t
has been charged tnat | forbade Mrs.
Surratt's speaking, but this is not true.
She declared her innocence up to the
time of her death, and beyond this dec
laration she had nothing to say.-Bal-
timOre Sun.