Evening star., 1916-12-10
FIFTY YEARS Ago
IN THE STAR

kN I'LL VIM
In The Star of December 4. 1866. is
printed the text of cabiegram received
by the State Depart
]. III. Surratt ment from Consul Hale
A., of Alexandria, Egypt,
A1eSteu. of the arrest there of
John H Surratt wanted for completely
in the Lincoln assassination conspiracy.
The Star said:
'It will be remembered that Surratt was
arrested in Italy while serving in the
Papal ZouaveS and afterward escaped
while under guard. The Pope promptly
: gave the necessary order for his arrest,
| upon the request of our minister. Mr..
King. Notwithstanding there was no treaty
| between the United States and the papal
government binding the latter to grant
| the request of Mr.. King. Surratt escaped
into Italian territory and was afterward
traced into Egypt, where he was arrested
as stated
"The singular charge has been made
that the President has known of Sur
rats whereabouts for the last six months
without making any attempt for his ar
rest. The fact is that the matter of the
pursuit and detection has been in the
hands of the War Department. cooper
ating with the State Department and
that the first definite indication regarding
Surratts whereabouts received by the
government was in the shape of infor-
nation that an individual resembling
John H. Surratt and speaking English
was serving in the Papal Zouaves Direc-
| tions were promptly sent back to take the
| requisite steps TO establish his identity
| and procure his arrest, and to do this eau
tiously. so as not to give him warning
The affair was managed so well that he
was seized without his having the least
occasion to suspect that he had been de-
tected In some manner. which win prob-
ably be explained when the full officla!
dispatches reach here, Surratt managed
to break away and escape from guard
Of six men, getting into Italian territory,
with which government we have modi-
| fed extradition treaty, but hurried from
the frying pan into the fire. by going into
full extradition treaty. He has now no
chance of escape, as orders have been
telegraphed to Admiral Goldsborough,
who is cruising in those waters. to bring
him directly here. Those familiar with
the character of John H Surratt have
believed that he would never be taken
| alive. but the event has shown that either
the burden of his great crime has COM
pletely cowed him or that he was never
possessed of the desperate nerve which
has been attributed to him. We have
earth did not possess hiding place so
secret as to secure one of these criminals
| from detection. and the event has so
proved. AS the days of military courts
are past. the trial of Surratt will take
place in the District Supreme Court be-
| fore Chief Justice Cartier"
After the war there was hope of a
| speedy upbuilding of the south through
the influence of newcom-
! Conditions in ers from other parts of
| ,y. the country, but for one
movement slackened. In The Star of
| December I. 1866, is an article noting the
fact that many farmers and small capital
| lists who had gone into Virginia to buy
small farms had sold out and returned
to their former homes. The Star said:
| Several causes have operated to pro-
duce this result. A few have been fright
ened off by the continued unsettled con-
dtion of national affairs, hut the great
/ ma jority have found the principal OBJ
stacies to their settlement in Virginia
coming from the inhabitants of that state,
| of which there are two classes who. eS-
pecially. discourage immigration. One Of
these is the old Virginia gentleman who,
| liSh, will Starve before he consents to sell
! out his broad acres OF broom sedge.
which. unproductive to him. would fur
! nsh happy and comfortable homes Cor
dozens of industrious farmers. These Sir
Roger de Coverleys. adrnira BILE as their
| characters are in many respects. cannot
be considered wise or prudent and must
ultimately adapt themselves to the cir
| cumstances by which they are surround
/ ed. Their lands will be divided ulti-
! m n of nd
they should endeavor to make them as
profitable as possible. both for the good
of themselves and of their state. The
other class to which we refer are the
| antipodes of the conservative gentlemen
we have named. but they naturally exist
side by side and both are the offspring
of the same system. They are the idle
young men OF the south. who diSdaining
| labor loaf around the harroonrs of coun-
try taverps. talking politics and cursng
| the Yankees and negroes. and 1ynching
them if strong enough TO do so instead
of rolling up their sleeves and going to
work 1t depends on the Nir-
gnians themselves whether thev will have
( rich and popUiouS state whether the
condition nf affairs described by Gov.
| Wise in 1855 is to continue or grow worse.
| The governor said: Instead of having to
/ feed cattle thousand hills. voIt have
| had to chase the stump-t tailed steer
through the sedee patches to procure a
tough beefsteak.' And what was true
| then IS doubly true now
From time to time after the close of the
civil war the question of relations with
| England growing out
| Rr;tish prass of incidents in the
| sectional struggle was
Cnanges Zone. of acute interest. The
| Alabama claims especially gave rise to
| considerable debate and some anxiety.
| In The Star of December s, 1866. is this
| comment on the changed tone of the Brit
| ish press:
Some remarkable articles have APP
peared lately in the London Times. advo-
eating a change of policy the part OF
Great Britain in dealing with the question
| of the claims presented by this govern
ment for damages done by rehe! cruisers
sent out from British ports. The Times
has recommended that II Joint commission
be appointed to deliberate or the rights
and duties of neut~als in times of war
and to devise set of rules which all
maritime nations should he invited to
adopt If upon a pcrusal of t''eir renort
the British government should r. of onin-
ion that renaration is dive 10 the United
States for the rava}es of the Alabama il
would not be too late to make it. the
Tin,es SAYS and adds No false pride
should prevent our doing so with a good
grace This language has attracted at
tention in this country corning from the
! nf 1.a.3f n, r,tta1