The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-12-08

AAH completely In Mr.. LincOln'N Mur-
der.-HoW He EscapetI---Hfs Discov.
cry Near ROme--FInaI Arrest In
Egypt. - : Il. :
The announcement, few days since
by telegraph, from Alexandria, in
Egypt, that John n. Surratt, the last
Of the immediate conspirators who
plotted and executed the assassination
of President Lincoln, had Just been ar
rested in that distant land, seemed mar
velous if not providential. Ayear and
a half had elapsed since the fatal trag-
edy had transpired, and he had not been
seen or heard of, Notwithstanding the
Secretary OF War had publicly offered
reward OF S25,0OO for his appreken-
sion. he had escaped the observation
of his many acquaintances and the
Yigilant eyes of detective officers in his
own land, and the swiftly changing
scenes of interest; and excitement in
this active nation, had almost removed
him from our minds, when, thousands
of miles away, across oceans, and seas,
and national boundaries, among n peo-
! pie, not one in a hundred thousand of
| whom-had ever heard of him. and per-
maps none had ever seen him, his iden-
tity was discovered. He had been sery-
ing for some time in the Papal Zou-
aNes, under the assumed name of John
Watson. His company was 0narTered
at Neroli, one of the frontier towns of
the Apprentices. This sequestered viii
lage would seem to have been the last
place in which to look for the fugitive
from justice. -lu .lr- - 2. Il
Still, Gen. Rufus King, our Minister
at Rome, heard of his whereabouts, and
communicated the fact to the nuthoTI-
ties at home. They Mt once directed his
arrest. Cardinal Antonelli promised
the General all the facilities in his poN-
er for lnsuring Surratt's arrest. A few
days after, as we are informed by a
correspondent ofthe London Post. the
Cardinal showed Gen. King series of
Geographic instructions sent from
Rome, and the replies, also by tele-
graph, of the authorities at Veroli and
Nelletri. They recorded the order to
arrest Surratt, alias Watson; the snc-
cessiVe steps taken in compliance with
the order; the actual arrest; the convex
ance to prison; the removal from prison
under guard of five soldiers of his
company; but the series closed with the
announcement that when thus led out,
Surratt, alias Watson, made sudden
| dash from his guards, jumped over a
precipice more than one hundred feet
high, and, though holly pursued by
nifty Zouaves, was enabled, from the
fact of their preferring more circuit
Gus route, to get clear across the from
tier into the Italian territory.
The foregoing is the story told by the
Roman officials. OF course we do not
vouch for its accuracy. General King
announced the escape to Mr.. Marsh,
our Minister at the Italian Court, and
orders were given to watch all the sea-
ports. Surratt, however, managed to
get out of the Kingdom, and had reach
ed Egypt, where he was arrested by
| order of Mr.. Hale, our Consul General,
ana taken to Constantinople, whence
he will doubtless be sent to this coun-
try.
1t will not be pre;iudging Surratt's
case to refresh the memory OF our read
ers with the connection he sustained to
the assassination, compiled as they
shall be from tho sworn testimony that
convicted his confederates in crime.
John H. Surratt is single man,
about twenty-eight years old; he is
spare built, five feet ten inches high,
and has the appearance of an Intelligent
man. His education was partly OBJ
tanned in the Philadelphia High School,
but tinishedin the st. Charles College,
Maryland. His father had given name
to the village, of Surrattsville, ten
miles from Washington City, in Vir-
ginia. His mother, at the time of the
assassination, owned hotel in that
village, though she lived in Washing
ton, the son boarding with her, when
not passing back and forth between the
rebel capital, Richmond, and the north
ern rebel base of operations, Canada.
On the 9th and 7th of April, 1865,
Surratt was seen in Montreal, by wit
ness Sanford Conover, "a correspondent
of the New York Tribune, in the room
of Jacob Thompson, Financial Agent of
the COnfederacy. He had just brought
dispatches from Richmond, one from
Benjamin, Secretary of State, and, one
/ in cipher from President Davis. This
witness, Conover, though a Northern
man, had been compelled to serve tho
rebel cause in Virginia, but had es-
capped, and in Canada established him
self in the confidence ofThompsOn;and
thus ,ls, he learned the nature of the dis
patches brought up by Surratt.
"Thompson laid his hand on them and
said: This makes the thing all right
-referring to the assent of the rebel
authorities" 10 the assassination of
Lincoln. "Mr. Lincoln, Mr.. Johnson,
the Secretary of War, Judge Chase, and
| Gen. Grant were to be victims of this
plot. Mr.. Thompson said, on one OF
these occasions, that it would leave the
| Government entirely without head"
From the swholeEof his (Surratt's) con-
versation, L inferred that he was to take
his part in the conspiracy on the Presi-
dent and his Cabinet"
ION the 24th of April" David G. Reed
testified, "about 8 O'Clock, as L was
standing just below the National Thea
ter, I saw John II. Surratt, and we
bowed to each other as he passed."
Louis J. Weichman, clerk in the Office
of Gen. Hoffman, Commissary General
of prisoners, testified that he boarded
with Mrs.Surratt, in Washington, from
the 1st of November, 1854, until the as
sassination took place; that j. Wilkes
Booth was n frequent visitor at the
house, having private interviews with
Mrs. Surratt and with John ii. Surratt,
for hours ut a time; that the latter en-
gagged boarding at the Herndon House
\ for Lewis Payne, who attempted the as
Surratt returned from Richmond onthe
Sd of April, LETT Immediately for Mon
treal, where he arrived on the 9th, aud
returned onthe 18th. This witness also
stated that Atzerodt, who was to have
taken Vice President Johnson's life at
the Kirkwo House, first called to see
| Surratt soon after Booth began visiting
at Mrs. Surratt's, and that he must have
called ten or fifteen times; that Surratt,
when he returned from Richmond, had
nine or eleven $50 gold pieces, but had
! no gold when he started to Richmond; !;
that on the 14th day OF April, the day
request, he drove out with her to Sur
rattsVitle, where she had Il private in
terview with j. NJ. Floyd, her tenant of
This Mr.. Floyd testified that five or
six weeks before the assassination,
john 81. Surratt, David E. Harold and
G. A. A..AtZerOdt came 70. his house, and