The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-12

frame shook and trembled from contact
with this cold fluid until my limbs nearly
shook from beneath my body.
A detective, seeing me shivering and
trembling in such manner. inquired what
allied me. il / were i'll. etc. when he knew
within his own vile heart the cause OF my
suffering. After the bath change of clean
clothing was furnished. / was taken back
to my cell, when found that differently
constructed hood had been prepared for a
head cover of a much more torturous and
painful pattern than the one formerly used
1t fitted the head tightly, containing cot
ton pads. which were placed directly over
the eyes and ears, having the tendency
to push the eyelids far back in the sockets.
One small aperture allowed about the nose,
through which to breathe. and one by which
food could be served to the mouth, thence
extending, with lap ears on either side, TO
the chin. to which were attached eyelets
and cords. the same extending also from
the crown of the head backwards TO the
neck. The cords were drawn as tight as
the jailer in charge could pull them, caus-
ing the most excruciating pain and suffer-
ing, and then tied in such a manner around
the neck that IL was impossible to remove
them.
HOODED AND IRONED.
Thus hooded and doubly ironed I re-
manned day after day, until months had
circled themselves away. condemned. un-
heard, crime-imputed and branded guilty
before guilt had been established even by
that inquisition court, military commits
sion, before which / was afterward tried
in mockery. This manner of treatment
continued uninterrupted. the hoods never
being removed except when / was brought
before the court, and always replaced on
exit. IL but moment interviewed, from on
about April Is to June 10. 1855.
The surgeon in fcharge expressed his
opinion that the hoods had the same effect
upon the head and brain if 1t had been
encased In a poultce. These infections of
punishment and torture were practiced
upon nearly all of the others. They have
all passed to the bar of God, suffering on
earth ended. and silently awaiting justice
at the hands of the Almighty. in whose
presence truth shall be revealed. Man can
hide it from his fellow-man. but the truth
will be established before the bar of God.
This was the justice melted to me be-
fore trial. What could be expected when
the trial itself took place. During the
period of our suffering Atzerodt was daily
taken from his cell into the outer prison
yard, his irons and hood removed, ac-
companied by detectives and hirelins
spies, holding out to him hope Of life in
case he divulged all the particulars and
knowledge he possessed relative to the
parties connected with the assassination
That he informed them of each and every
| particular is not to be doubted, and with
all these infamous proceedings by detec-
tives. courts inside and inqusitions out
side. failure stamped itself in connecting
| me in the assassination of Abraham Lin
| coin, as the decision of that drumhead
| court-martiai proved the truth of the state
ment made in Marshal McPhail's Office
| after my arrest.
SECRET CONVERSATIONS.
| After June 10 /, with others. was per-
| mitted two hours recreation and exercise
/ in the outer yard attached to the prison
| where frequently, unobserved, I held con-
verse in broken expressions with Herold
| Payne and Atzerodt. We were not per-
mitted to speak, it is true, being strictly
and closely guarded by armed sentinels
| overlooked by the officers of the prison
| David Z. Herold. In the presence of Col
| Mccall, Major Frederick Herbert and tbs
government detectives, stated that John H
Surratt was not in the city of Washington
at the time of the assassination nor hat
he been seen by Booth since his visit L
Richmond, on March %. 1866.
| Herold and Payne also publicly expressed
| that Mrs. Surratt was an innocent woman
which was reiterated by Payne in the pres
| ence of his executors. as he assembled to tn,
| fatal trap which launched his soul int
| eternity.
| We were permitted this outside recreation
from june 10 until our departure from ther,
on July II, 1866. Irons were removed oil
| these occasions, but Immediately replaced
upon my return to my cell. Bibles present
| ed by some humane heart during the tria
| to some of the prisoners were taken from
them by the officer in charge they not be
ing permitted to gain consolation even from
Gods holy writings. Nor were they eve
| furnished through their own good will,
myself having made the request to be per
mitted to apply to my father to furnish m
! a Testament. General Hartranft stated h
would obtain them from the Christian AS
| ISOLATION and deliver them to U.S. The,
were furnished, as well as memory can re
call, about o'clock in the afternoon befor
the execution took place, as we were re
turning to our cells from the prison yard
MYSTERIOUS SOUNDS.
That same afternoon the noise of ham
mers was distinctly heard, as If some re
pairing about the building was being done
| l tried to concentrate my thoughts in a.
| attempt to unravel its meaning never 70
an instant dreaming that they were erect
ing the scaffold to launch human souls int
endless eternity In such quick and sudde
haste. The hammerings continued through
out the afternoon until late. when the nois
from the hammers ceased. The next morn
ing there was an unusual movement O
feet hurrying to and fro, the rafting O
chains and dragging Of ponderous balls o
the brick pavement in front of my CELL
could not surmise the cause for a
these mysterious movements. and fnall
concluded that fresh victims were ben
brought. Knowing the utter impossibilit
to obtain information relative to thos
proceedings, or what IL could mean, / be
came composed, as far as composure wa
possible, and amused myself, as hereto
fore, in counting the number of sma
squares visible in the iron door of my eel
the number Of layers of brick I'm the fiool
the heighth of the ceiling of my CELL tn
flies and other insects which had come
L el.<