Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-01-12
JOHN sAHRIsoN sURRArr.

JOHN IsAERIsoN sURRATF.
3 From the Montreal Minervel
The name Of Surratts deuouncer in
; Rome is Henry Benjamin Ste. Marie, not
3 Ludger, SIS We stated yesterday. We
must add that he was not discharged
from the BanqUe du People, but on the
b contrary left il on his own free will, hav-
ing given complete satisfaction to the
chief of the office. 4 few days sitter he
left the education Office he sent back a
portion Of the money which he had car
ried sway, and his relations have paid
I the balance. Ste. Marie belongs to an
! excellent family, who no doubt greatly
regret the echo which his name has re-
ceived from these late aniecedeuts, but
whose honor cannot be affected by the
alterations, no matter what, Of one OF
its members
Ste. Marie went to the United States.
He had some acquaintance at Baltimore,
aud he obtained letters Of recommenda-
ton for Washington. Il was there that
he knew Surratt The latter, indeed,
obtained for him the place Of schooimas-
ter IN 8 village named Texas in Mary
land, and il is under the tide Of school
tmSster that he is spoken Of in the dis
patch of Gen. King. He afterward took
Fservice on board the State of Georgia, and
then i'm the army OF the north. At the
conclusion of a murdereUs engagement
he was left for dead on the field Of battle
and in endeavOriug to escape he fell into
! the hands of the Confederate troops,
who sent him on to Richmond. There
| he furnished Mr.. Seldom some valuable
/ information as 10 the conduct Of certain
individuals, who did not hesitate, under
I an exterior of zeal and patriotism, to de-
J Z. 81 E.
Z conduct of Ste. Marie coneiliated for him
the favor of the government at Rich
| mond, which procured for him the means
! Of going on To Nassau and thence to
/ Liverpool After some time spent in
/ France and Belgium, he returned 10 Can
ada. In the course Of last summer he
/ took passage for MarSeilles from Mon
/ trGal, on board of a French merchant
/ vessel. He lived some time at Mar
/ seilles, then at AiacciO in Corsica, and
afterwaEd proceeded to Rome, where he
/ took service in the Papal troops.
! As to Surratt, that is what we learn Of
I his itineraucy since the lA-h Of April.
/ Before that date he had made several
voyages from Washington to Canada as
l the bearer of dispatches addressed 70 the
| agents Of the Confederate government at
Montreal. AT the end ef lent he was in
| Canada, and on Palm Sundseg-e was II
mass ia the parish church g aontreal.
He wrote to his mother an account Of
that ceremony, which hSs been published
IN several of the American papers. On
Thursday, april L, he set out for Wash
iugton in the evening he was at ElmiTa,
ia the state of New York, where he
passed the night His name may be
seen on the register Of the hotel. On
Saturday morning the newspapers made /
him acquainted with the assassination Of |
Lincoln. Seeing his name on the list Of !
persons accused Of the crime he resolved /
to fly, and took the road back to Canada. I
The ears were detained at St Albans, /
where he had to pass the day on Sunday. |
AZ the station DE lost his pocket hand !
kerchief, on which was his name, which /
did not contribute 10 quiet his appTehen- /
sions He reached Montreal on Monday I
evening. His friends couuseiled him TO /
proceed % Europe, which he did by one /
Of the first steamers which left from /
Quebec.
He remained some time at Birkenhead, /
near Liverpool, where in the autumn he 1
met Mr.. Cameron, the celebrated bearer /
of dispatches, intending 70 prove that |
Young and his companions we're regu- |
Iarly commissioned by the Confederate /
government. such are the accounts /
At ftt4h'lA AAA " tt'fAtl
we have full confidence. Alr. Potter, /
therefore, must have been mistaken in /
the identity of Surratt, since he an |
nounced that he had left for England /
only in the month of September. II was .
Cameron who left Canada for Liverpool I
al that time, and as Mr.. Potter says of /
Surrattl had passed the summer with a I
priest-nOt of the district of Three Riv- /
ers. however, but of the district Of Que 1
bec-where he has been since his return .
from Europe, three or four weeks ago. /
There Is a long history of confession I
made by SUrratt during the voyage 10 .
person unknown to him, and for the .
simple pleasure Of talking. If we are to \
believe the informer, he even avowed 1
that Jefferson Davis and Madame Sur /
RAFT made part in the plot which had for /
its object the assassination Of Mr.. Lin
coin.
Persons who knew Surratt well at the
time OF his passing through Montreal, /
and who talked with him at length re-
specting the incidents of the conspiracy,
hsye always heard him repeat the same /
version, of which the substance has been \
transmitted 10y Us. There was really a ]
conspiracy at Washington, but 10 was i'm
tended TO carry or Mr. Lincoln, not TO 4
kill him. They wished 10 carry him OIL
to Richmond in order to exchange him
against all the prisoners made by the 4
north. Booth and Surratt made part OF /
this conspiracy. Booth was looked upon /
with favor at Washington, and his rela-
tions were those Of a perfect gentleman, |
which explains his connection with Sur
raft, who himself belongs to a family in |
an excellent position. IL was while Sur |
raft wSs at Montreal that the project 4
was modified Booth had discovered the |
impOssihility Of carrying or Lincoln,
and had offered to assassin ate him. Sur
ratl knew nothing OF this evil resolution 4
before he saw from the newspapers that 4
It had succeeded only too well. As to /
Mr.. johnson and Jefferson Davis, Sur
raft did not cease to protest their COM
plete ignorance Of the crime Of Booth, /
Their names had never been mentioned /
bv the conspiratOrs. As to his mother, |
whose innocence is now acknowledged /
hv all who have studied without passion
the details Of her triad, Surr36, did not 4
cease to declare that she kn( nothing /
OF the conspiracy in which tA-s law ad- |
Judged her To have participated, no more l
than Of the crime she WAS made to eXpi. 4
ate on the scaffold. Surratt has on sew 4
eral occasions made proof Of too much 4
intelligence, ability and filial veneration |
tomake it possible that we should believe /
in this pretended confession of the guilt /
Of his mother, which is mentioned in the /
official dispatches.
ID was In Liverpool that Surratt took 1
the name Of Watson, which was on the /
false passport procured for him by a /
friend His real name is john Harrison /
Surratt. Sometimes he mentioned him I
self only by the two suruames, and sew |
eral OF his letters, even before his flight, /
were signed John Harrison. 1t was not /
until August that he enlisted in the Pom |
tifcal z0uaves. A letter from him, dated /
at the end Of July, shows that he had |
not then Joined the service. His flight /
was much favored by the absence Of eX- |
act accounts OF his person. The portraits |
communicated to the police were the re- 1
verse Of likeuesses. This led 10 some |
singular mistakes on the part Of some too /
Jealous agent and Of some iaformers |
less able than devoted.
As 10 Surratt, all who have known /
him agree in saying that he was an en-
thusiast such as men are at twenty, and 4
eu1tlfc as one becomes in the midst Of a |
fierce civil war; but that he was en- /
dowed with too much intelligence not 70 |
be aware that the death Of Mr. Lincoln |
would be more injurious than useful TO |
/ the south, and too much man of honor /
/ 10 ever dabble in an assassination. lie |
will shortly be in Washington, and all |
may expect an interesting trial. Let Us |
I hope that now when passions have had |
/ time TO grow calm and law again has
force, justice alone viii triumph not only
/ for the accused, but for those who expect !
from this process their scquittaI and lib /
Grafton. pd
Tke Late General Clebarne.
| We have hean rannestad hv q l.oes.aa.