The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-05-09
~ WINFIELD n. THOMPSON

Nd HIS SISTER ANNA.
he appeared when associated with Booth
le time their mother was hanged. Tn,
'partment Collection.
and shaved a stranger who was witt
him clean all around his face excep
where the mustache was" He now rec
ognized this man as the prisoner.
The defense proved that Surratt no
only wore chin beard on April II, bu
then had no mustache.
| Theodore B. Rhodes. a clock member
swore that about. noon. April IA. he en-
tered the dress circle Ct Fords Theater
noticed that the curtain was down. an,
saw man fitting q bar of wood benin,
the door to the Presidents box. CThi
was the bar by which Booth secured i'm
munity from interruption). Witness
swore the man told him he was nxinI
the box SO that the President would no
be interrupted that evening. Witness
Identified the, accused as the man will
ttmony by swearing that he remained n
the theater fifteen minutes after Surrat
had gone and saw the employees arrang,
the chairs in the Presidents box
| The defense showed that on April 1
rehearsal was going on at Ford's The
ated at noon that the curtain was up
that the door by which witness said h,
entered the dress circle was locked. ant
that the fitting up of the Presidents DO,
did not begin until after the rehearsal
In the middle Of the afternoon.
b. w. Vanderpool, of New York. dis
| charged prisoner of war. swore that OF
the afternoon OF April II he visited ,
| hall on Pennsylvania avenue. wher,
there was music and q woman dancing
and that he saw Booth and two or three
| others, including the prisoner. sitting al
a round table.
The defense showed that no perform.
ance Of any character was held In the
hall on any afternoon. and that the
tables were not round.
colored maid employed in Mrs. Sur
rats house testified that on the even
ing of April IA, between and ., when
going into the dining-room. she met Mrs
Surratt and young man. whom Mrs.
Surratt told her was her son.
The defense showed that the incident
occurred as related, but on April 3. the
night Surratt left for Montreal.
Man Who Called the Time.
The testimony of some of the uncer-
tain witnesses seemed convincing until
impeached. John Lee, a detective off,
sylvania avenue at .. m. the 18th.
whom he took to be Surratt." The de-
Tense showed that Lees reputation for
veracity was bad.
DIR. William f. Cleaver. a former friend
OF Surratts. testified that he met Sur
raft on horseback. a little after 4, on
April IA. and spoke to him. The defense
forced the witness to acknowledge that
he had been in prison. under conviction
for foul crime, when approached by
Sanford Conover. a detective. who in
f1uenced him to testify against Surratt
Conover was the man who gave testi-
mony at the conspiracy trial. to impIi-
cate the Confederate agents In Canada
In the Great Conspiracy" He was con-
victed of perjury In 1867 and sentenced
to ten years imprisonment.
Another detective. Joseph NJ. Dye
identified Surratt as the man he had seen
call the hour to Booth at the theater
Il have seen that face often. while
have been sleeping-it was so exceed
ingly pale he declared.
The defense produced In court John
Matthews, an actor. who testified that
he was the man who told Booth the time
at Booths request. on the night of the
crime. No suspicion attached to Mat
thews.
After shatteTing the testimony of the
chief witnesses who placed the prisoner
in Washington on the fated day. the de-
Tense produced two reputable citizens OF
Elmira. n. Y. who swore that they saw
him in that city on April l3 Or II: an
other who swore he conversed with him
there on one of those days. and another,
John Cass, a shopkeeper. who swore to
holding long conversation with him
there at . a. m. on the 18th. Cass de-
he
admitted TO have worn. known as a Gar
iba ldi jacket.
Register Ruled Out.
Surratt claimed that he had registered
at the Brainard House in EDmira as John
Harrison on April g. that April IL he
went to Canandaigua, and registered
there at the Webster House under the
same name His counsel had failed to
find the register OF the Brainard House,
but produced that OF the Webster House.
with the name John Harrison in the
middle of the page for April II. and PROV |
cd il was in Surratt's handwriting. The |
judge ruled the book out on the ground |
that Surratt might have gone back at |
any time within six months and signed |
the register. The fact that other names |
and followed his signature on |
the page was not admitted as competent |
This was the most important of several |
rulings adverse to the accused In fact !
the attitude Of the Judge against the |
prisoner was designated by Gideon 1
Welles. Secretary Of the Navy. in his !
diary published fifty years later. as |
partial and unjust
The defense however. had come near
enough to establishing an alibi for Sur
att to force the prosecution into a |
,hange Of tactics. II was finally admit
n Elmira on the morning of April g. |
md an effort was made TO show that ne
made a rapid journey TO Washington to
arrive there for the assassination.
The defense showed that the only pas
'enger train which would have secured
him connections for Washington left
tlmira before the hour which the prose-
'utisn fixed as the latest on which he
vas in the town.
The prosecution endeayOrcd to show
hat Surratt left the town after the reg
liar train left. stealing a ride on spe-
ial train. and later travelling on GER
ain construction trains. Its evidence OF |
ne supposed journey was nct convincing !
surratt Goes Free.
The judges charge was highly inn
'roTer. He made An attack upon the
supreme Sourt's decision that trial by
Military commission In a case analogous