The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-08-24
CONSCIENCE ASH DETECTIVE.

"Oh, coward Conscience, how thou dost
afflict me!'' exclaimed the immortal bard. OF
course, he meant to say "accuse me-" for in
his time, and even long before, conscience was
a sort Of public accuser and prosecutor. 1t
has also always played prominent part as a
detective-has been, in fact, veritable Chief
of Detectives. 1t had much to do, though not in
the interest of the internal revenue in expos
ing the Illicit dstillation of apple-juice on the
part of our first parents, as well as in exposing
Gains first attempt at a bubble. 1t even
played the part of public eXecutiOner in the
famous case of Ananias and Sapphira; and |
have always imagined that it must have made
Peter think that that cock crowed with unu-
sual and unnecessary force. 1t is an immense
source Of revenue to the Church of Rome at
this day; and even under the State and
Church governmental organization of the
early Puritans it controlled, in great mea-
sure, their corporation rings. In fact, it has
been in all ages and countries a strong instru-
ment OF truth and justice and has done more
than any other one power, faculty, or thing,
to give universal acceptance to the old saying
that "murder will out"
There are many remarkable instances of the
singular way in which conscience has hunted
down criminals 1t hunted down John II.
Surratt: the story of his flight and detection is
one OF the most remarkable of these narratives
on record. Atthe moment the murder of Mr..
Lincoln was committed by Booth Surratt was
| on his way from Montreal to Washington city
to act as an accomplice, and had reached the
| town OF Elmira, New York, when he first heard
that the horrible deed was done. He immedi-
ately turned to fly, and made his way to Canada
without suspicion, and was concealed there for
several months. So completely lost was all
| trace OF him that the Government expended
| great deal OF money in searching for him at the
| South, and man who resembled him was ar
| rested in Mississippi, and confined for MANY
weeks in Washington. In September, 1866
five months after the commission of the crime
| and the withdrawal of the proclamation offer
ing reward for his arrest so entirely lost
was all trace of him-Surratt took passage
under an assumed name and thoroughly dis
| guised, in the Quebec steamer Peruvian for
| Liverpool. On board he introduced himself
to the surgeon, L. J. Mcmillan. Although
Mcmillan had up to that time been perfect
stranger to him, not even his opinions on
our war being known to the criminal Sur
raft insisted on talking about himself. No
other subject seemed to have any interest
for him; and so persistently did he refer
to himself and his exploits, that Surgeon
MCMILLAN began to look on him as a weak
minded egotist. At first he represented that
he had been Rebel spy, and told marvellous
tales of his exploits; next he told, in great con-
idence, that he had planned with Booth the
abduction, not the assassination, of President
Lincoln then that the Government had very
uDjustly hung his mother, exclaiming in his
passion that he chopped to live long enough to
serve Andrew Johnson as he had served Lin.
colnl' And finally, impelled by his guilty
conscience or that singular vanity possessed by
many great criminals announced that he was
John H. Surratt Before this his track hac
! been completely covered; he was perfectly SAT,