Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1867-01-10
JOHN HI. SURATT.

ber.-R'cltmond Times.
JOHN H. SURATT.
1t will be remembered by some of our readers,
that several weeks since, we published an account
of the arrest in Egypt, of John H. Suratt, one Of
the persons charged privy to the assassination Of
ex-Presdent Lincoln. Suratt, is now said to be on
his way from Egypt to the United States, in one Of
the National war vessels. The following sketch,
with reference to this parsonage, who has been
rendered notorious by the event with which his
name is connected, is not devoid of interest:
The Montreal INinerre publishes a long state
ment respecting Suratt and St. Marie, which evi-
dently has been prepared by some one who was
intimately acquainted with the two men, and with
the mode in which Suratt was received, concealed,
and at last sent out of this country. We copy
those parts of it which to the persons them
selves.
The name of Suratts denouncer in Rome is
Henry Benjamin st. Marie, not Ludger, as Was
stated before We must add that he was not dis
charged from the Banque du Peuple; but Oh the
contrary, left it of his own free will having given
complete satisfaction to the Chief of the office A
few days after he had left the Education office, he
sent back a portion of the money which he had
carried away, and his relations have paid the bal
ance St. Marie belongs to an excellent family,
who no doubt greatly regret the echo which his
name has received from these late incidents; but
whose honor cannot be affected by the alterations,
no matter what, of one of its members St Marie
went to the United States. He had some acqualn-
tances at Baltimore and he obtained letters OF re-
commendation for Washington 1t was there he
knew Suratt The latter indeed obtained for him
the place of schoolmaster in village named Texas,
in MARYLAND and is under the title of the school
master that he is spoken of in the despatch of Gen
King He afterward took service on board Of the
Georgia, and then in the army of the North. AT
the conclusion Of a murderous engagement, ne was
left for dead on the field of BATTLE and in endeayor
ing to escape he fell into the hands of the Conted
crate troops, who sent him to Richmond. There
he furnished Mr. Seddon some valuable informa-
ton as to the conduct of certain Individuals who
did not hesitate, under exterior OF zeal and pa
triotism, to deceive and rob the Government. This
conduct of St. Marie conciliated for him the favor
of the Government at Richmond, 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 to Canada. In the course
of last summer he took his passage for Marseilles
from Montreal, on board of French merchant
vessel He lived some time at Marseilles, then at
Aiaccio in Corsica, and afterward proceeded to
Rome, where he took service in the Papal troops
As to Suratt this is what we learn of his timer
ancy since the l4th of April. Before that date he
had made several voyages from Washington to
Canada as the bearer of dispatches addressed to
the agent of the Confederate Government at Mon
treal. At the end of Lent he was In Canada, and
on Palm Sunday he was present at Mass IN the
Parish Church at Montreal. He wrote his moth
er an account of that ceremony. which has been
published in several of the American papers. On
Thursday, April %, he set out for Washington -
In the evening he was at Elmira, in the State of
New York, where he passed the night His name
may be seen on the register of the hotel On Satur
day 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
The cars were detained at ST. Adams, where he had
to pass the day on Sunday At that station he
lost his pocket handkerchief on which was his
name, which did not contribute to quiet his ap-
prehensions He reached Montreal on Monday
evening. His friends counselled him to proceed
to Europe, which he did by one Of the first steam
ers which left from Quebec He remained some N
autumn he met MIR. Cameron, the celebrated bea-
rer of dispatches intended to prove that Young and
his companions were regularly commissioned by the
Confederate Government. Such are the accounts
communicated to us by person in whom We have
full confidence Mr.. Potter, therefore, must have
been mistaken in the identity of Suratt, since he
announced that he had left for England only in the
U
Canada for Liverpool at that time, and las MIR.
Potter saws of Suratt) had passed the summer with
priest of the District of Three Rivers, how
ever. but of the District of Quebec where he is
now, since his return from Europe three or four
weeks ago. There is long history of a confession
made by Suratt during the voyage, to person un-
known to him, and for the simple pleasure OF talk
ing If we are to believe the intorner, ne even
ayowed that Jefferson Davis and Nine. Suratt
made part in the plot which had for its object the
assassination of Lincoln. Persons who knew Su-
ratt well at the time of his passing through Mon
treal. and who talked with him at length respect
ing the incidents of the conspiracy, have always
heard him repeat the same version Of which the
substance has been transmitted to us. There was
really conspiracy at Washington; but it was in
tended to carry off Mr.. Lincoln, not to kill him.
They wished to carry him off to Richmond in order
to exchange him against all the prisoners made by
the North Booth and Suratt made part Of this
conspiracy. Booth was looked upon with favor at
Washington, and his relations were those OF per
feet gentleman, which explains his connection with
Suratt, who himself belongs to a family In an ex-
cellent position. 1t was while Suratt was at Mon
treal that the project was modified Booth had
discovered the impossibity of carrying OFT Lincoln,
and had offered to assaSsinate him. Suratt knew
nothing of this evil resolution before he saw from
the newspapers that it had succeeded only too we'll
AS 10 1nT. COuISOu dilu OCuClSOH DdNio) Noioee
did not cease to protest their complete Ignorance
of the crime of Booth. Their names had never
been mentioned by the conspirators As to his
mother, whose innocence is now acknowledged by
all who have studied without passion, the details OF
her trial Surat did not cease to declare that she
knew nothing of the conspiracy in which the law
adiudged her to have participated, no more than
she did of the crime she was made to explate on
the scaffold Suratt has on several occasions made
proof of too much intelligence, ability and fila
veneraton, to make it possible that We should be,
ieve in the pretended confession of the guilt of his
mother which is mentioned in the official des'
patches.
1t was at Liverpool that Surrat took the name Of
Watson, which was on the false passport procured
for him by a friend. His real name is John Harri
son Surratt Sometimes he mentioned himself on
" by his two surnames and several OF his letters
even before his fight, were signed John Harrison
1t was not till August that he enlisted in the Pontl
fetal Zouaves 4 letter from him dated at the enc
of july shows that he had not then joined the ser
vice. His flight was much favored by the absence
of exact accounts of his person. The few portraits
communicated to the police were the reverse
ikenesses This led to some singular mistakes OF
the part Of too Jealous agents and some lntormer
less able than devoted.
As to Surratt, all who know him agree in saying
that he was an enthusiast sucR men are at twenty
and an eralte as one becomes in the midst OF
fierce civil war but that he was endowed with to!
,,4oll;ron.o NOT IN hn that the deatl