The Washington herald., 1915-05-07

| home. when he gave her the glasses.
| had no weight with the court.
! Evidence was introduced that Mrs. Sur
! ratt received a call at on the even
! ing of the assassination from a man
! who did not enter the house. No wit
| ness was produced who saw him, but
| after Mrs. Surratt was in her grave.
| WicChmann Swore that the caller was
| Booth. The man. in fact. was not Booth,
| but a caller for Anna Surratt.
CIemenry Denied.
There was little question that Mrs.
Surratt had known something of Booths
earlier plan for the kidnapping of Lin
coin. With the usual bitterness of South
crn women in the war. she doubtless
believed the kidnapping of the President
was SeGitimstc war enterprise. That
she knew of Booths darker design
adopted when his first had failed. was
not proven in any degree.
In such time. before such a tri-
bunal-for the commission was or
ganiZed to convict. and would not have
dared render a verdict of not guilty
IN the case of any OF the prisoners
the admitted facts of Mrs Surratt.s
sympathies and her sons connection
with Booth were enough to condemn
her.
W H'H lIlt NtTulCl n1u Deen rem
dered sealing her fate. five of the nine
men who found it joined in petition
TO the President for clemency Presi-
dent Andrew johnson did not have
the courage to grant the petition, or
even to acknowledge that he had re-
ceived it. He confirmed Mrs Sur
ralt death sentence on July 5. order
ing her TO be hanged on the 9TH.
When plea was made to him to
of her sex, he is said to have replie~,
There haven't been women enough
hanged in this war"
When the condemned woman.s
daughter went TO the White House to
plead for her mothers life she was
not permitted to enter it. In her
agony of grief she cast herself upop
the White House steps, from which
men removed her with pity in their
hearts
Presidents Ncme,I,.
The case of Mrs. Surratt was to riSs
like BanqHo'S ghost to disturb the soul
or President Johnson throughout his Off
cal life. II first involved him i'm a bitter
controversy with Judge Advocate Joseph
Holt by whom Mrs Surratt was prose-
cuted. whom he accused of Withholding
the courts reCommendation for mercy.
""usS tiol' iftoTled DS securing evidence
from Cabinet members and others that
the recommendation was received by the
PRESIDENT and discussed by him and the
'aoinet, but political pressure was
brought on the judge advocate to per-
Suade him not to make public the ISSUE
Inc case of Mrs. Surratt next invaded
the halls Of Congress where Gen. Benja-
min F. Butler. seeking a weapon with
which to strike President johnson. in
N"kcd 1t as that of an innocent woman
jCdiCially murdered
Gen. Butler succeeded in having Con-
cressiOnal committee appointed to learn
II possible who were Booths associates
This was aimed at President johnson.
for already calumny had conjured from
the case OF Mrs. Surratt dark charge
against johnson. He was accused In
Congress with entering the Presidency
through assassination" II was even
charged that he had been I'm communica-
tion with Booth-in effect he was one of
Booths associates in crime. Johnsons
absence from Lincoln's dying bedside
was pointed out. card was produced
that had been sent to his hotel room by
Booth on the afternoon of the murder
day. with this message on il: Don't
wish to disturb you; are you at home?''
Monstrous as the thinly veiled charge
was. it pursued President Johnson
through proceedings of impeachment in
which he narrowly escaped election from
his high office.
Copyright 1915, Winfield NJ Thomrson)
To-morrOw-Executi Of four OF
Booths Associates.