Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-08
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

AAV L ALL ~ Il AAAN
Congress convened in extra session
July 8. 1887. to consider important
questions respecting
Impeachment the relation Of the
p. President to tho legis-
'po'eo' latura Impeachment
was openly proposed and at tho out
set OF the session it was expected that
this would be tho early proceeding. On
July 2. 1867. on the eve Of the assemblage
Of Congress. The Star said:
I'VE hear that the Honorable Messrs.
Boutwell, OF Massachusetts. Thomas OF
Maryland. Williams of Pennsylvania
and Lawrence of Ohio. the four repub-
lican members Of the judiciary COM
mtttee who favor Impeachment of the
president. were yesterday and are to-
day engaged in the completion of q
report in favor Of that measure. to
be submitted to the House at an early
day. The Honorable Messrs. Wilson
OF Iowa. Churchill Of New York and
Woodbridge of Vermont. the republi-
can members OF the committee so far
opposing the proposition, are expected
t9 report against 1t at the same time.
die the Presidents record quite rough
ly. The Honorable Messrs. Marshall
of Illinois and Eldridge of Wisconsin,
the democratic members of the COM
prevail Of all the President has done
that may be distasteful to their re-
publican colleagues on the committee.
So there will be no majority report
act on the subject, without being in
fiuenced by the prestige OF such a re-
port. which. whether for or against
impeachment. would. IL made. be likely
to determine the action of the body
in the premises"
Washington was visited by an ex-
ceptionally violent storm during the
carly morning OF July q.
Violent 1867, which did considerable
CO.. damage. According to the
0IolM' story in The Star of that
date, trees were blown down all over
the city. The west wall Of the Con-
gregational Church at 10th and G
streets was either blown in or struck
by lightning and damage amounting
to about $4,000 was inflicted. A row
of all three-story brick houses on 18th
street between N and o was badly
damaged, some OF the houses being
almost leveled. A number Of roofs were
blown off. A new building on Q street
near 23d was blown down. Several Of
| the vessels in the harbor were seriously
damaged.
Il
The prosecution of John H. Surratt
for completely in the Lincoln assassi-
nation was begun during
Surratt,s the latter part Of June,
~. 1857, and covered two or
eAense' three weeks. The gov
eminent closed it's case on the 9Th Of
July and Joseph H. Bradley. jr., opened
for the defense with an address to the
jury in which the general denial Of
Sufratt's connection with the conspir-
acy was outlined. 1t consisted of an
alibi. The following extract from the
address Of the counsel. printed in The
Star Of that date. generally covers the
position of the defense;
I'm April, 1865. John Surratt was in
Canada: from there he went to Europe.
and after two years he was found in
received SO much money from the Con-
federate States was driven to enter
the service as soldier. He Is fol-
lowed to Egypt and brought to this
country in irons, allowed to see no
one but his counsel and his sorrowful
sister. We will take him in March.
1865. to Richmond. and from there to
this city; arriving here on the Sd Of
registered himself. settled his bill. and
on the 18th of April we will show you
that he was hundreds of miles from
Washington until brought here on the
Swatara. We will show you that he
was 400 miles from this city on the
14th and 18th of April, and had no
communication with the parties
charged with this offense. We will
show you that he went to a town and
registered his name as John Harrison
and fulfilled a commission with which
he was then vested. The register on
which he signed his name he's most
be found. We will show you that he
went from there to place on one of
the great arteries of travel. where his
name was registered. and we have 1t.
concealed in Canada he was allowed
no newspapers and knew nothing of
the danger of his mother until upon
the eve Of her execution. and it was
then that he was restrained by force
only from returning to this country
and giving himself up. Flight. they
say. is evidence of guilt. Who would
not fly at such times had they been
associated and frequently seen with
Booth? He was not afraid of Justice.
but, gentlemen, you know as we'll as
that justice dropped her scales when
she entered that building at the lower
you, gentlemen, that that handker-
chief was dropped by an officer Of the
government in pursuit of Surratt. The
government knew that fact but would
not divulge it."
X
The great unutilized water power OF
the Potomac has always been an at
tractixe source OF
Potomac Water possible energy to
those interested in
1oWef 11aA. the development Of
the industries at Washington. In The
Star of July 8, 1867, under the heading
of affairs in Georgetown" is an arti-
Gle descriptive of the latest enterprise
along this line:
THE immense water power Of the
Potomac river just above this city (the
great and constant volume of water
in the river falls about thirty-five feet
in a few miles) has hitherto been only
partially available. The dam at the
Little Falls was intended only to sup
ply water to feed the lower level of
the canal and was constructed without
any special view to the use of the
water for other purposes than naviga-
ton. Manufactures have. however.
heen huilt along its banks and the wa