Bristol News

THE ASHES OF MRS. SURRATT
How the Poor woman was buried and how she was Disinterred,- Final Disposition of her body.

Immediately after execution her remains, with those of Payne, Herold and Atzerodt, executed at the same time, were placed in common boxes and interred in graves near the scaffold, her body being at the north end of the row, and the others adjoining her remains in the order named above. In the box with each body there was also placed the name of the party, enclosed in a bottle.

The body of Booth was also buried near there; that is, inside the old penitentiary building, near the main door of the Warden's residence. The burial of Booth was quietly made, in the presence of Secretary Stanton, General Lafayette C. Baker, and two of his officers, and Colonel Benton, Commandant of the Arsenal : and after the grave had been filled and a portion of the bricks relaid over it, the windows of the wareroom were boarded up and the door locked, Secretary Stanton taking the key.

The body of Wirz, the Andersonville Jailor, was placed in the yard adjoining the body of Atzerodt. For some time the bodies were allowed to remain in this position.— A wooden fence was erected around the graves, and a wooden head board, with the name of the person buried below, placed at each grave.

In the fall of 1867, when the demolition of the Penitentiary building was determined on, it became necessary to remove the bodies, and they were buried in the warehouse known as No. 1, (the second building below the principal office,) the bodies being placed under the flagging. Mrs. Surratt's was laid next to the north wall of the building, and the others adjoining in the following order: Payne, Herold, Atzerodt, and Booth. There the bodies of all have remained until to-day. Since the interment of the remains in this house it has not been used, being kept closed at all times. The locality of the last place of burial has been carefully concealed.

In accordance with orders, Major Hill, superintended the work of exhumation, which was done by a gang of several workmen, under the direction of Mr. Tatspaugh, one of the foremen. The grave or pit in which all the bodies were placed side by side is apparently about 18 feet long and 8 feet wide, and about 6 feet deep The earth was soon thrown out and the coffin was taken up. In digging down, the coffin of Payne, which adjoined that of Mrs. Surratt, was disclosed. At 3 o'clock the coffin was taken out and handed over to Mr. Richard Harvey, undertaker.

The only persons present at the disinterment beside the workmen, were Rev. Father Walter, of St. Patrick's church; Mr. Tonnery, a friend of the family ; Mr. Hill and Mr. Harvey. The box containing the remains was of rough pine boards. Upon the top was a strip of wood, painted white, with the name of "Mrs. Surratt" painted upon it in black letters.

The box was opened, and although the body was somewhat decomposed, It was not offensive, The dress, gaiters and black silk bow at the neck were all in a perfect state of preservation. The hair was also perfectly preserved, and did not seem to have been disarranged in the least, A steel arrow pin with which Annie Surratt fastened the bow about her mother's neck. just before she was led to execution, was also in place. A lock of the hair was clipped off for Annie Surratt at her own request.

Upon examining Mrs. Surratt's feet it was discovered that the rope, with which her feet was tied just before the drop fell had disappeared, and this at first occasioned some remark, but those who witnessed the execution will remember that when Mrs. Surratt was cut down the rope became loosened and it was thrown aside.

The remains were immediately placed in another box and taken to Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery, where the remains were placed in a vault. The remains will be tomorrow morning transferred to a new burial case. The transfer will be made in the presence of Annie Surratt and her brother Isaac, and one or two intimate friends of the family. The remains will be interred in their final resting place at two o'clock. The Ceremonies will consist only of reading the burial service of the Catholic Church. Rev. Father Walter will officiate, and the Ceremony will be conducted in strict privacy.

A review of Mrs. Surratt's conviction, sentence, death and burial may not be un- interesting at this time. It will be remembered she was convicted by the military commission of which General Hunter was president, at the arsenal, in the summer of 1865, of being one of the conspirators for the assassination of President Lincoln on the 14th of April of that year, and suffered death by hanging, in accordance with the sentence of the Commission, in the arsenal grounds, on the 7th of July following.