The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-06-28
the Confession Of AtzerOtt.

The following is the statementof George
A. Atzerott, which was read by his counsel,
Mr.. Doster, to the military tribunal in
Washington:
The prisoner Atzsrott submits the fol-
lowing statement to the Court
l am one of the party who agreed TO
the capture Of the President of the United
States or any member of the Cabinet, or
General Grant and Vice President john
son. The first plot to capture failed
the second, to kill, 1 broke away from
the moment I heard of It. This is
the way it came about: On the eveningof
the l4th of April, l met Booth and Payne
at the Herndon House. in this city, st
eight o'clock. He BOOTH said he himself
WOuld tSKe CnargeoI mr. Lincoln anu uen-
eral Grant, Payne should take Mr.. Seward,
and 1 should take Mr.. johnson. told him
l would not do it that 1 hsd gone into the
thing to capture, but l was not going to kill.
He told me that ] was g fool-that l would
be hung anyhoW-thst it was desthtoevery
man who backed out, and so we parted. I
wandered about the streets till 2 o'clock j
the morning, and then went TO the Kimmell
House and from there pawned my pistol at
Georgetown,snd went TO my cousins house,
Montgomery county, where was arrested.
On the 18Th, after l was arrested, l told Pro-
vost Marshal Wells and Provost Marshal
McPhail the whole story; also told it TO
Captsin Monroe, and Colonel Wells told me-
If l pointed out the way Booth had gone l
would be reprieved; and so l told him l
thought he had gone down 10 Charles
county TO cross the Potomac; the arms
which were found in my room at the Kirk
wood House, and a black coat, do not be-
long TO met on the afternoon Of the 14th
of April Harold called to see me, and left
the coat there; it is his coat, and all in it
belongs TO him, as you can see by the hand
kerchiefs marked with his initials and with
the lame Of his sister, Mrs. Nsylor. Now
1 will state how L passed the whole of the
| evening of the 14th of April: In the al
ternOon, about two o'clock, l went to Kei-
theirs stable, on Eighth street, near ID, and
hired a dark bay mare and rode into the
country for pleasure, and On my return put
her up at MAYORS stable; the dark bay
horse which I had kept at MAYORS before,
on or about the Sd of April, belonged to
Booth, and also the bride and saddle. 1
had charge of him to sell him, and I do
not know what became of him. a 'sbout
six in the evening l went to MAYORS again
and took out the mare from the stable. 1
rode out for an hour and then returned
her TO MAYORS. It was then nearly eight,
and 1 told him TO keep the mare ready at
ten O'clock, in order TO return her 20 the
man l had hired her from. From there l
went to the Herndon House. Booth sent
q message to the Oyster Bay, where I was,
saying he wanted TO see me, and 1 went.
Booth wanted me to murder Mr.. johnson.
l then went to the Oyster Bay on the
avenue, above Twelfth street, and whiled
away the time till about ten. 1 got the
msre, and having taken q drink with the
hostler, gslloped about town and wentt TO
the Kimmel House. From there l rode
down to the depot and returned my horse,
ridingup Pennsylvania aYenuet to Kelthers.
From Kelthers L went down to the navy
yard to get q room with Wash. Briscoe.
He had none, and by the time I got back
20 the Kimmel House it was near two.
The man Thomas Was a stranger l met on
the street. Next morning, as stated, l
went to my cousin Rlchters in Montgom-
cry county. GEo. A. ATzERoTT."