Assassination of Lincoln: a History of the Great Conspiracy: Trial of the Conspirators by a Military Commission, and a Review of the Trial of John H. SurrattHarris, T. M. (Thomas Mealey)
History
Assassination of Lincoln: a History of the Great Conspiracy: Trial of the Conspirators by a Military Commission, and a Review of the Trial of John H. Surratt
Harris, T. M. (Thomas Mealey)
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Assassination; Surratt, John H. (John Harrison), 1844-1916
He had systematically and logically arranged the testimony, which had
necessarily been presented in a most desultory and unsatisfactory way,
from the fact that the evidence had to be taken just as witnesses were
found to be present. By great care and labor the judge had arranged the
evidence just in the order in which he would have chosen to introduce
it had the witnesses all been at his command at the moment he would
have chosen to use them. Having thus arranged the testimony, he simply
read it to the jury, stopping when necessary to comment on it and
interpret it. His fair, natural, common sense interpretation of the
facts proven could not fail to bring conviction to every intelligent,
and candid mind. That the proof before him had brought to the mind of
this eminent and experienced advocate and jurist the most complete
conviction of the prisoner's guilt, is shown throughout his argument.
He did not, however, leave the matter of his own convictions to be the
subject merely of inference, but left himself on record on this point
as follows:--
"In this case I feel justified in saying, that the prisoner is proved
to be guilty, and in as overwhelming a manner as any man was ever
proven guilty in the history of jurisprudence. I appeal to any judge,
any lawyer, any man who has had experience, if there was ever a case
where the guilt of the party, was more clearly demonstrated. He is
proven guilty not only beyond a reasonable doubt, but beyond the
possibility of any doubt. There is not a man of you who can doubt it.
It has been a strange case. It was a strange providence that brought
the man back here to be tried. And now that he is here, you, the twelve
men who in the providence of God have been selected to try the case,
are to say whether what he has done is right or not right; whether he
is guilty or not guilty.
"That is for you to say, not for me. I know he is proved guilty. About
that there can be no doubt. I do not believe that any of you have any
doubt whatever on that subject."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account