Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-08-03
would see your mother again While she

lives"
So into the army carriage waiting at
the aoof Miss Surratt and Mr.. Brophy
got and again there was a mad gallop
through the Washington streets. They
were all but deserted. For all OF Wash
ington at that hour there was just one
magnet-the arsenal, where Lincoln's
murder was to be avenged.
The crowd that surged around the
building reached blocks away and was
impenetrable. Mr.. Brophy's carriage
was brought up sharply at it's outer
borders. 1t was a complete blockade.
There was no budging an inch.
Meantime, the minutes were flying.
The time which would mark the limit
when mother n daughter never would
meet again this side OF the grave was
close at hand. For Miss Surratt and her
companion II was a moment of agony
as trying as the long wait at the presi-
dents door. Once more 1t seemed q
case for sheer dispair and once more
a carriage came dashing up to the
rescue.
General Hancock's Kindness.
There was a Gathering OF horses
hoofs. n when Mr.. Brophy turned in
the direction from which it came he
saw a guard OF cavalry galloping on
each side OF a swiftly approaching car
riage, In which appeared the handsome.
soldierly face Of General Hancock, then
the general In command at Washing
ton, The general saw the confusion
about Brophy's carriage, recognized
the army vehicle and saw the tear
stained. distracted face of a woman.
He brought his cavalcade to an in
slant halt. then he left his own car
rage. walked to hat of Miss Surratt,
and. hat in hand and with the chival-
IOuS 0lRnltV which cot co kynll .,nnn
him, asked what the trouble was and
what he could do. Mr.. Brophy briefly
explained that IT was Miss Surratt try
ing to speak to her mother once more
on earth. The soldiers face flushed and
Mr.. Brophy is sure there was some
thing very III tears in his eyes as he
grasped the pathetic situation.
Poor child" he said gently, and
then beckoned an officer to him and
gave to him an order. Then he re-
turned to his own carriage and the
squadron of cavalry formed about both
carriages. A lane through the crowd
was quickly cut n Miss Surratt
reached the arsenal and her mothers
side In time to bid her q last goodby.
AFTER the execution Miss Surratt
went to live with Mr.. and Mrs. Brophy,
and was married from their home some
years afterward.
Incident Figured In Campaign.
When General Hancock was a can,
dldate for the democratic nomination
for the presidency many southern dele
gates opposed him, believing that he
had been harsh In his measures in ref
erence 10 Mrs. Surratt. Mr.. Brophy
went to General Hancock's friends here
n volunteered to make a statement
of the generals action above related
as well as of the fact hat on the
morning OF h execution the general
a posted a c"avalryman on
every block between the arsenal and
the white house with orders to bear q
reprleVe, In case one came for Mrs.
Surratt, in relays and at top speed to
General Hartranft. With the publica-
ton Of this statement southern OPPOSE
ton to General Hancock ceased.
Mrs. Surratt was a Catholic and
when General Hartranft ran for gov
ernor of'Pennsylvania, the fact that he
the provost marshal general in
Washington at the time of the execu-
ton was used In an effort to unite
Catholic opposition to him. Mr.. Brophy
was on a lecturing tour in Pennsyl-
vania at the time and his narration Of
the incident Of the note to President
Johnson and the delayed execution did
much to break this particular scheme
on the part Of the generals opponents.
A curious climax to the story OF hat
tragic morning in Washington is the
fact that Preston King, one Of the men
who headed off those who would have
pleaded with the president for Mrs.
Surratt, committed suicide by filing
his pockets full of shot and jumping
a North river ferryboat In New
York, while the other, General Lane,
committed suicide by blowing out his
brains somewhere In a western state.