John Surratt
Encyclopedia
John Harrison Surratt, Jr. (April 13, 1844 – April 21, 1916) was accused of plotting with John Wilkes Booth
to kidnap U.S. president Abraham Lincoln
and suspected of involvement in the Abraham Lincoln assassination
. His mother Mary Surratt
was convicted of conspiracy and hanged by the United States Federal Government. She owned the boarding house where Booth and fellow conspirators planned the scheme. John Harrison Surratt, Jr. avoided arrest immediately after the assassination by fleeing the country. He served briefly as a Papal Zouave before his arrest and extradition. By the time he returned to the United States the statute of limitations
had expired on most of the potential charges and he was not convicted.
. His baptism took place in 1844 at St. Peter's Church, Washington, D.C. In 1861, Surratt was enrolled at St. Charles College
. When his father suddenly died in 1862, John Jr. was appointed the postmaster for Surrattsville, Maryland
.
courier and spy and had been carrying dispatches about Union troop movements across the Potomac River
for some time. Dr. Samuel Mudd
introduced Surratt to John Wilkes Booth on 23 December 1864, and Surratt agreed to help Booth kidnap Abraham Lincoln. The meeting took place at the National Hotel, where Booth lived in Washington, D.C. Booth's plan was to seize Lincoln, take him to Richmond, Virginia
, and exchange him for thousands of Confederate prisoners of war. On 17 March 1865, Surratt and Booth, along with their comrades, waited in ambush for Lincoln's carriage to leave the Campbell General Hospital and return to Washington. However, Lincoln had changed his mind and remained in Washington. Following Lincoln's assassination on 14 April 1865, Surratt denied any involvement with the murder plot, claiming at that time he was in Elmira, New York
. Surratt did not take part in the assassination, but he was one of the first people suspected of the attack on Secretary of State William H. Seward
. However, it was soon discovered that Lewis Powell
had tried to kill Seward.
on 17 April 1865. He then went to St. Liboire
, where a Catholic priest, Father Charles Boucher, gave him sanctuary. Surratt remained there while his mother was arrested, tried and hanged for conspiracy.
Surratt left for Europe for safety. Aided by ex-Confederate agents Beverly Tucker and Edwin Lee, Surratt booked passage under an alias and landed at Liverpool
in September. He served for a time in the Ninth Company of the Pontifical Zouaves in the Papal States
, using the name John Watson.
An old friend, Henri Beaumont de Sainte-Marie, recognized Surratt and notified papal officials and Rufus King, U.S. minister in Rome
. On 7 November 1866, John Surratt was arrested and sent to Velletri prison. He escaped and lived with the Garibaldians, who gave him safe passage. Surratt traveled to the Kingdom of Italy
, posing as a Canadian citizen named Walters. He booked passage to Alexandria, Egypt, but was arrested there by U.S. officials on 23 November 1866. He was sent home on the Swatara
, which delivered John Surratt to the Washington Navy Yard
in early 1867.
). Judge David Carter presided over Surratt's trial, and Edwards Pierrepont
conducted the federal government's case against him. Surratt's lead attorney, Joseph Habersham Bradley, admitted Surratt's part in plotting to kidnap the President, but denied any involvement in the murder plot. After two months of testimony, Surratt was released after a mistrial; eight jurors had voted not guilty, four voted guilty. The statute of limitations on charges other than murder had run out, and Surratt was released on $25,000 bail.
, in a one hour and fifteen minute speech, Surratt admitted his involvement in the scheme to kidnap Lincoln, but still denied any knowledge of the assassination plot, reiterating that he was in Elmira at the time. He disavowed any participation by the Confederate government, reviled Louis Weichmann as a "perjurer" responsible for his mother's death and claimed his friends had kept the seriousness of her plight in Washington from him. After this revelation, it was reported in Washington's Evening Star that the band played "Dixie" and a small concert was improvised, with Surratt the center of female attention. Three weeks later, Surrat was to give a second lecture in Washington, D.C., but public outrage forced its cancellation.
Surratt later took a job as a teacher in St. Joseph Catholic School in Emmitsburg, Maryland. In 1872, Surratt married Mary Victorine Hunter, a second cousin of Francis Scott Key
. The couple lived in Baltimore and had seven children.
At some point after 1872 he was hired by the Baltimore Steam Packet Company, rising to freight auditor and ultimately treasurer of the company. Surratt retired from the steamship line in 1914, and died of pneumonia on April 21, 1916 at the age of 72. He was buried in the New Cathedral Cemetery in Baltimore.
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
to kidnap U.S. president Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and suspected of involvement in the Abraham Lincoln assassination
Abraham Lincoln assassination
The assassination of United States President Abraham Lincoln took place on Good Friday, April 14, 1865, as the American Civil War was drawing to a close. The assassination occurred five days after the commanding General of the Army of Northern Virginia, Robert E. Lee, and his battered Army of...
. His mother Mary Surratt
Mary Surratt
Mary Elizabeth Jenkins Surratt was an American boarding house owner who was convicted of taking part in the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Sentenced to death, she was hanged, becoming the first woman executed by the United States federal government. She was the mother of John H...
was convicted of conspiracy and hanged by the United States Federal Government. She owned the boarding house where Booth and fellow conspirators planned the scheme. John Harrison Surratt, Jr. avoided arrest immediately after the assassination by fleeing the country. He served briefly as a Papal Zouave before his arrest and extradition. By the time he returned to the United States the statute of limitations
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...
had expired on most of the potential charges and he was not convicted.
Early life
John Harrison Surratt, Jr. was born in 1844, to John Surratt, Sr. and Mary (Jenkins) Surratt, in what is today Congress HeightsCongress Heights
Congress Heights is a largely residential neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. Although it is in the poorest section of what is generally regarded as inner-city Washington—the area east of the Anacostia River -- it is very likely the most economically diverse, and most suburban, neighborhood...
. His baptism took place in 1844 at St. Peter's Church, Washington, D.C. In 1861, Surratt was enrolled at St. Charles College
St. Charles College, Maryland
St. Charles College was a seminary college in Catonsville, Maryland, originally from Ellicott City, Maryland.- 1776:Charles Carroll of Carrollton signs the Declaration of Independence for Maryland. One of the wealthiest men in the Americas, Carroll staked his fortune on the American Revolution...
. When his father suddenly died in 1862, John Jr. was appointed the postmaster for Surrattsville, Maryland
Clinton, Maryland
Clinton is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Clinton was formerly known as Surrattsville until after the time of the American Civil War. The population of Clinton was 26,064 at the 2000 census. However, as of 2007, there is an...
.
Lincoln kidnapping
Surratt served as a ConfederateConfederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
courier and spy and had been carrying dispatches about Union troop movements across the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
for some time. Dr. Samuel Mudd
Samuel Mudd
Samuel Alexander Mudd I, M.D. was an American physician who was convicted and imprisoned for aiding and conspiring with John Wilkes Booth in the 1865 assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. He was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson and released from prison in 1869...
introduced Surratt to John Wilkes Booth on 23 December 1864, and Surratt agreed to help Booth kidnap Abraham Lincoln. The meeting took place at the National Hotel, where Booth lived in Washington, D.C. Booth's plan was to seize Lincoln, take him to Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, and exchange him for thousands of Confederate prisoners of war. On 17 March 1865, Surratt and Booth, along with their comrades, waited in ambush for Lincoln's carriage to leave the Campbell General Hospital and return to Washington. However, Lincoln had changed his mind and remained in Washington. Following Lincoln's assassination on 14 April 1865, Surratt denied any involvement with the murder plot, claiming at that time he was in Elmira, New York
Elmira, New York
Elmira is a city in Chemung County, New York, USA. It is the principal city of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses Chemung County, New York. The population was 29,200 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chemung County.The City of Elmira is located in...
. Surratt did not take part in the assassination, but he was one of the first people suspected of the attack on Secretary of State William H. Seward
William H. Seward
William Henry Seward, Sr. was the 12th Governor of New York, United States Senator and the United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson...
. However, it was soon discovered that Lewis Powell
Lewis Powell (assassin)
Lewis Thornton Powell , also known as Lewis Paine or Payne, attempted unsuccessfully to assassinate United States Secretary of State William H...
had tried to kill Seward.
Hiding
When he learned of the assassination, Surratt fled to Canada. He reached MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
on 17 April 1865. He then went to St. Liboire
Saint-Liboire, Quebec
Saint-Liboire is a municipality in the municipalité régionale de comté des Maskoutains in Québec , located in the administrative region of Montérégie...
, where a Catholic priest, Father Charles Boucher, gave him sanctuary. Surratt remained there while his mother was arrested, tried and hanged for conspiracy.
Surratt left for Europe for safety. Aided by ex-Confederate agents Beverly Tucker and Edwin Lee, Surratt booked passage under an alias and landed at Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in September. He served for a time in the Ninth Company of the Pontifical Zouaves in the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
, using the name John Watson.
An old friend, Henri Beaumont de Sainte-Marie, recognized Surratt and notified papal officials and Rufus King, U.S. minister in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. On 7 November 1866, John Surratt was arrested and sent to Velletri prison. He escaped and lived with the Garibaldians, who gave him safe passage. Surratt traveled to the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
, posing as a Canadian citizen named Walters. He booked passage to Alexandria, Egypt, but was arrested there by U.S. officials on 23 November 1866. He was sent home on the Swatara
USS Swatara (1865)
The first USS Swatara was a wooden, screw sloop in the United States Navy. She was named for Swatara Creek in Pennsylvania.Swatara was launched on 23 May 1865 by the Philadelphia Navy Yard; sponsored by Miss Esther Johnson; and commissioned on 15 November 1865, Commander William A...
, which delivered John Surratt to the Washington Navy Yard
Washington Navy Yard
The Washington Navy Yard is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy...
in early 1867.
Trial
Surratt was tried in a civilian court of the State of Maryland, not before a military commission, as his mother and the others had been. A recent Supreme Court decision had declared the trial of civilians before military tribunals to be unconstitutional (Ex Parte MilliganEx parte Milligan
Ex parte Milligan, , was a United States Supreme Court case that ruled that the application of military tribunals to citizens when civilian courts are still operating is unconstitutional. It was also controversial because it was one of the first cases after the end of the American Civil...
). Judge David Carter presided over Surratt's trial, and Edwards Pierrepont
Edwards Pierrepont
Edwards Pierrepont was an American statesman, jurist and lawyer.-Biography:Born in North Haven, Connecticut, he graduated from Yale University and New Haven Law School, was admitted to the bar in 1840 and practiced law in Columbus, Ohio, from 1840 to 1845...
conducted the federal government's case against him. Surratt's lead attorney, Joseph Habersham Bradley, admitted Surratt's part in plotting to kidnap the President, but denied any involvement in the murder plot. After two months of testimony, Surratt was released after a mistrial; eight jurors had voted not guilty, four voted guilty. The statute of limitations on charges other than murder had run out, and Surratt was released on $25,000 bail.
Later life
Surratt tried to farm tobacco, then taught at the Rockville Female Academy. In 1870, as the last surviving member of the conspiracy, Surratt began a much-heralded public lecture tour. On December 6, at a small courthouse in Rockville, MarylandRockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
, in a one hour and fifteen minute speech, Surratt admitted his involvement in the scheme to kidnap Lincoln, but still denied any knowledge of the assassination plot, reiterating that he was in Elmira at the time. He disavowed any participation by the Confederate government, reviled Louis Weichmann as a "perjurer" responsible for his mother's death and claimed his friends had kept the seriousness of her plight in Washington from him. After this revelation, it was reported in Washington's Evening Star that the band played "Dixie" and a small concert was improvised, with Surratt the center of female attention. Three weeks later, Surrat was to give a second lecture in Washington, D.C., but public outrage forced its cancellation.
Surratt later took a job as a teacher in St. Joseph Catholic School in Emmitsburg, Maryland. In 1872, Surratt married Mary Victorine Hunter, a second cousin of Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet, from Georgetown, who wrote the lyrics to the United States' national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner".-Life:...
. The couple lived in Baltimore and had seven children.
At some point after 1872 he was hired by the Baltimore Steam Packet Company, rising to freight auditor and ultimately treasurer of the company. Surratt retired from the steamship line in 1914, and died of pneumonia on April 21, 1916 at the age of 72. He was buried in the New Cathedral Cemetery in Baltimore.
See also
- James W. PumphreyJames W. PumphreyJames W. Pumphrey was the owner of a livery stable in Washington, D.C., and played a minor role in the events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and its aftermath...
- Surratt introduced Booth to Pumphrey and Pumphrey supplied Booth's get away horse.
External links
- John Surratt
- Text of John Surratt's public lecture giving his version of the conspiracy
- samuelmudd.com
- A map and timeline of John Surratt's two year flight and eventual capture.
- The Private Journal and Diary of John H. Surratt, the Conspirator.