The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1915-05-07
BOOTHS FRIENDS
FOUND GUILTY
FOUR SENTENCED TO HANG.
THREE TO LiFE lNpRlsON-
hEkT. AND ONE FOR
six YEARS.
Or. Mvdd Made Great Defense, but
Wac Consicted and Later Par
doneo-ons Other Par
doned.
sY WINFIELD N. THOMPSON.

BY WINFIELD M. THOMPSON.
OF the seven men tried before q
military commission for completely
In the assassination OF Lincoln. all
were found guilty. Three were sen
tenced 20 death by hanging. and four
10 imprisonment. one for six years and
three for life. The one woman who
sat In the felon's dock with them. Mrs.
Mary u. Surratt. shared the fate OF
the 1rst three.
All eight OF the prisoners were tried
"a eonsptrators. as well as on the
charge Of being accessories to Booths
crime.
The FIRST charge against them vas
that they. together with John II. Sur
raft and John Wilkes Booth, "ineited
and encouraged thereunto By Jefferson
Davis" and various other Confeder-
y. stes. conspired together to murder
Lincoln and other officers OF the gov
eminent who were nsmed). and that
John Wilkes Booth. at 1915 on the
night Of April IL. 1865. did infict
mortal wound upon Lincoln. In which
crime be was aided by John n. Sur
: RAFT
Surratt was not in custody. He had
been in Elmira. ". Y. on the night
specified. and had escaped to Canada,
where he was In hiding. he had no
part IN the assassination OF Lincoln.
but had been Booths most active
agent in the kidnapping plan. lie was
tried two years later. but not convict
ed, the Jury standing 5 TO for ac-
Quittal.
Three OF the nine persons charged
with the assassination were deputized
by Booth to shed blood and only one
had done so. Two hours before shoot
ing Lincoln he gave his orders to
Lewis Powell, alias Payne. who was
told OF to kin William u. Seward:
David e. Herold. who was to attack
secretary OF War stanton. and George
"A. Atzerodt. who was TO kill Vice
president Johnson.
Payne. who was but 20 years old.
was giant physically. but OF low
mentality. and subject TO violent at
lacks OF cerebral excitement He had
taken without question Booths orders
TO kill Seward, and had done his ut
most to carry them out, leaving five
wounded men when he fed from the
house. There was no question as to
the degree OF his guilt. lie remained
silent throughout the trial and could
not be persuaded to divulge any facts
concerning Booths other associates.
Herold and Atzerodt.
David +. Herold was an amiable,
: idle youth. of respectable antecedents
his mother and seven sisters lived
in Washington-but with no more
mental force than Payne. lie had
lacked courage to becorle a murderer.
He did not 20 To Sec. Stanton's
house. but satisfied himself with gal
Looping through Washington at the
hour OF Booths crime. and escaping
over the Anacostia Bridge into Mary
land. where he joined Booth in his
flight.
The charge against him was that he
did aid, abet and assist Booth In The
murder OF Lincoln. and did accom-
pany and assist him in attempting
TO conceal himself and escape from
justice"
The last charge was true. for Her
old was Booths companion from with
in an hour after the crime until Booth
was shot down. IL days later, in a
Virginia barn.
The charge against George A. Atzer.
odt was that he did lie in wait" for
Andrew johnson. with the intent TO
XIII and murder" him. Atzerodt. who
was low-browed. unintelligent Ger
man carriage painter. had been chos.
en- by Booth in the plot to kidnap Lin
coin, TO act the part OF ferryman
across the Potomac. When ordered
TO do murder he lacked courage TO go
near the Vice Presidents room I'm the
WILDWOOD Hotel. though Booth had re-
served for him a room in the same
house.
Payne, Herold and AtEerodt were
round guilty as charged and sentenced
TO death by hanging.
The Case OF DIT. kudd
Tho Nas, u.s. or Dr samuel a. Mudd
loom leg on the morning after ~
crime. the charge was that he did 90
use encourage, receive. entertain bsr-
~ ana conceal, aid and assist Room
with knowledge OF ne n-urt,r,.,'s ~;
usitorius conspiracy Aforesaid
h"oth arrived at lr. Mudd's house al
i.g ga 'n y, alsEuiss Tho doctor set his
,, wished 90 follow Thar afterrr,,- 49,,
departed. IN the Doctors absence '''''
IN earning Of the assassination. f,r
MuNn hhd sem word of his suaufrfGtts
quests 90 the authorities Ue soico,,i1
aNerfed thet hr ga not recognize Rootb
whom ne had seen twice before.
~ ,slInnE case was worked up against
Hwore lc heard the doctor saw s0r1s
MerNF b,i"r- the aseasqinafion thsf
Lincoln and bio whole cabinet AMI
every lnion man ir Maryland. would
D. killed within six weeks"
Twenty neighbour o. this witness nh.
had known him long ana His own br"tb
~ teNUtird mat DO could not BE- believed
Ir Mudd stood
-. other Witnesses testified 90 Dr
Mual con si.n whom first questioned
ducing the boot he had cut frorI 1'oht ~
ieh mere was ~ doubt that Dr Mudd