Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-04-11
sURRATT"S PRISON LIFE-AN IN.
TERESTING INTERVIEW.

A correspondent furnishes both the
Baltimore Sun anG Philadelphia Ledger
with an account of an interview with John
II. Surratt. He found him occupying,
temporarily, a small octagon lodge used by
the Waterman of the Jail. Surratt was
sitting reading. He rose and greeted his
visitor cordially, who thus describes him ;
lie was dressed in a suit Of dark mixed
goods, cut in the prevailing fashion of a
walking suit, evidently new. Upon his
head he wore a black soft felt hat, alsO new.
In stature / should Judge him 10 be five
feet nine or ten inches high, rather slender
in form-almest delicate, perhaps-and
apparently twenty-eight years of age. His
hair is a very light auburn, nicely cut and
trimmed, parted behind and combed for
ward. lie wears moustache and goatee,
rather more positive in color than the hair
on his head. The rest of his face was care
fully shaved. Altogether his appearance
was that of well-dressed and very present
able young man-and certainly the last one
that would be selected from a crowd as a
desperate character or a villain. He has
a very pleasant voice, in conversation uses
good language, understands himself per-
fectly, and usually wears a smile upon his
face.
The writer continues:
ventured to ask him leading question
in regard 10 his escape to and concealment
in Canada, to which, with q smile only, he
replied, 8" have nothing to say about
that :" but he added, "there was no secre-
CIV about my leaving Canada, l went on
board a steamer at midday, wholly without
disguise, and with hundreds Of people on
and about the wharf The steamer had
fully two hundred passengers with whom
/ associated with freely during the voyage.
Nobody recognized me, though there
were those among the passengers that l
recognized" He could not say what
steamer this was, nor from what port it
sailed, more than it was one of the regular
lines leaving a large city.
lie spoke of meeting St Marie in France.
He claims that he recognized st. Marie
6rst, and that they travelled to Italy to-
gether. He manifests no vindictiveness
toward this witness for having discovered
him 10 the authorities, bat considers him
treacherous" fellow, and thinks be was
mistaken in his character. Surratt says
that he had information of st. Marie 8
treachery before il was fully accomplished,
and was kept advised from time 10 time OF
the steps taken TO secure his arrest. Had
the actual arrest been delayed one day
longer, as Surratt had reason to expect it
would be, he would have been beyond the
reach of his pursuers, his arrangements for
deserticn and flight being nesrly perfected
al the time of his arrest. He is careful TO
abstain from saying what those arrange
ments were, who were his accomplices and
informers or where he was to find place
Of refuge.
He has read with great apparent interest
the published accounts of his captures and
escapes, and the official correspondence
bearing on those points, and takes great
pleasure 10 criticising them. The wonder
inl leap Of the preciplCe in Italy, OF which
SO much has been said and written, Is q
source of great amusement 20 HIM. The
hight from which he jumped, he describes
"a about equal 20 an ordinary second story
window. or say twelve feet. But he tells a
story of descending more dangerous de-
clivities than this in bis fight In one an
stance his only available mode Of descent
was 20 lie on his back and slide down a
steep and rocky declivity, full a hundred
ieei in hight OF scarcity Of food, igno-
rance of the country, and consequent dan
ger Of recapture in exposing himself by
asking information by the way, Of the con-
slant alarm and similar subjects, he IS free
and seemingly anxious TO talk, aud always
IN something Of boastful vein, bat has
lips are sealed in respect 10 all matters
bearing al The remotest degree upon the
great crime with which his name Is asso-
ciated, and OF which he stands charged
Surratt's prison hours are passed very
comfortably. An entire corridor. full
thirty feet in length, and eight in breadth,
with three large cells, are placed entirely
at his disposal. Ia this corridor he is
excluded from the gaze Of the common
prisoners and curious visitors, by CON-
mon door or inner grating, whenever Il is
not agreeable to him 10 seek the open air
Of the prison court yard. AT night only