Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1867-06-08


for his board and spending money only, be-.
ing entirely needy, and he amused himself
by giving concerts in the village, where he
was in love with virtuoas and beautiful
young lady.
When left Ellangowan st. Maurie asked
| me to get him teachers place in Washing
| ton, and soon after he came to my room
there, saying that he had left his place, dis
gusted with its litteness. and was without
! a meal, bed, or penny. / got him a po-
! sition in Gonzaga College, and when he
came to see me once or twice found him so
unprincipled that wrote to the lady he adj
dressed at. Elangowan, bidding her beware
He would tell me in a breath that he had
fed from Canada to avoid the consequences
of most heartess seduction, and at the
same time put his new sweetheart's bouquet
under his pillow. His stories of himself
were that be had been a member of the
Canadian Parliament a Federal prisoner of
state, etc. But, at any rate, he decamped
from the College after a month, leaving me
to pay his board, and enlisted for the boun-
ty in Delaware regiment, deserted, fell into
Castle Thunder as an object of general sus-
picion, was released by reason of playing
informer upon his comrades, escaped by a
blockade. runner to England, returned to
for Surratt, pursued him to Rome, enlisted
with him, and gave him up just too late for
the reward, which had been already with
drawn.
was now weary of teaching for INSULT.
cient pay, and sought Government clerk
ship, which obtained in the Office of the
Commissary of Prisons in January, 1864
In September of the same year the Surratts
moved to Washington to keep boarding
house and get John something to do, and to
help them along moved in almost imme-
diately. John was engaged by Adams Ex-
press Company, and with the exception of
the arrival of a blockade-runner or two,
little happened until few days before
Christmas of lS64-5, when by another of
those providences or condolences to which
l have referred, was walking in the street
with Surratt when John Wilkes Booth was
introduced to him by their common friend,
DR.. Mudd.
After this the manner and nature of Sur
ratt changed. He became, grade by grade,
loiterer and spendthrift, subject at times
to fits of dependence; and have no doubt
that Booth was his absolute master, de-
bauching him with his horses and loans of
money, and by his stronger worldliness and
magnetism controlling him altogether.
used to wonder what affinity such unlike
men could have but bitter as the secession
lists of Washington were, no idea of conspi.
racy, particularly against personages so high,
ever occurred to me. And it &as only in
the head of monomaniac actor, used to
rehearse Brutus, that so desperate a crime
could have been conceived: his means were
just considerable enough to purchase such
poor instruments as John Surratt; and his
own character was so impracticable that no.
body ever fathoned his plot. In Mrs. Sur
rats house he was altogether the most tai
ented visitor. The mistress of i. called him
"Her Pet" in his absence.
During all these days the plot was ripen-
ing dirty fellows like Atzerott, boys like
Herold, and searching eyed, mysterious per-
sons like Payne, began to visit the house.
I felt that in my friendship with John,
never very well founded, was supplanted
John Surratt began to be bird of passage,
riding to and fro from Montreal to Rich
mond. was only puzzled by these things,
but never alarmed, aud set him down as a
nero "sponger" or parasite upon Booth,
| who was never free with me, and on whom
looked as a man of accomplishments and
genius that liked the company of his in
| feriors. In all this there were interludes of
| drunkenness, as when three or four of the
subsequent assassins burst into my room,
saying that they were ruined men and that
all was lost. This was afterwards demon.
strated to he Booths failure to capture the
President at the Soldiers Home.
| And this brings me to the crisis of the
narrative; the interest of the house was
gone, its peacefulness and charm. l was
| thinking to myself on Good Friday, as re-
turned from my Office to Mrs. Surratt's, re-
\ g. l,nt, Is
| ligious belief, that perhaps l had better
seek board otherwheres. At that moment,
as il some providence had satisfied me with
these aimless companionships so long that
might observe their completely and convict
them. il not defeat them, Mrs. Surratt asked
me to spend the afternoon in taking her to
drive. AS we started out, saw Booth in
the parlor, leaning on the msntel, paler than
| usual / have since seemed to recollect, his
hand to his moustache, his eyes upon the
floor We talked pleasantly on the way,
aud once Mrs. Surratt stopped to ask about
the pickets in the fields, and when they
were to be removed at nightfall.
I She died for that ride. /, who had made
her sons acquaintance so unwittingly, and
! slept under her roof so long without unkind-
ness given or received, do not shrink to say
that have never been sorry that accom-
panied her. And when she died felt sad
dened but not self-accusing, for if there is
doubt that she wss principal in the pur-
der there is no doubt, to my mind, that she
knew enough to prevent it, to save the
President, the Secretary of State, Booth,
and, perhaps, her own son. -.I
That night was weary, and read myself
| To sleep. At 8 O'Clock in the morning, called
from my bed by loud hands upon the door,
l beard the challenge of "Ofiicers of the
Government. Open at once"
"What is it all for, gentlemen 7" said.
| "The President and the Secretary of State
are dead We want Booth and SurIatt to
surrender if they are here"
| do not remember what exclaimed the
officers say it was my Godl see it ALL"
Then at daylight FASTENED to read the
particulars-"A tall man in q white coat
stabbed Mr.. Seward"-that must be Payne!
hurried to the police station at once
Directly was off with the detectives on
the road to Surrattsvile again. We caught
horse. ITO whom did you hire it2" we
say to the livery man. ITO monkey. faced
chap named Erail, think" That must be
Herold. Away we 60 to the widow Herod's
David has been away quite two days. "Let
us see your album" His picture is secured
| kneW where Surratt had Dhotopra mis-