Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1870-12-16

DECEMBER Is, 1870.
tragedy. But here I wish to say fev
words concerning the hotel register of tn
Brainard House. When my counsel. b,
my own direction. went to seek that reg
lister, it could not be found. Our inabil
|ity to produce it on the trial naturally cas-
a suspicion over our alibi. For weeks
months. did We seek to find its wherea
bouts, but to no purpose. Every maj
who was connected with the hotel wa
hunted up and questioned. Every regis
ter Of the hotel before and after the ont
which ought to contain my name was Il
be found, but the most important one o
all was gone. Now the question is wha
became Of that register? The Unitee
States Government. by one Of its witness
es. DR.. Mcmillan, knew in November
1865, that I was in Elmira at the time o
the assassination. They knew it, and
they naturally traced me there to find ou
what | was doing. That some Of the
Government emissaries abstracted tha
register l firmly believe, or perhaps it il
stored away 10 some Of the other Govern
ment vaults, under charge of some Judge
high in position, but this is only sur.
mise of mine. But. the circumstance in.
wolves mystery of villany which the All.
Seeing God will yet bring to light.
A Missing Despatch.
The despatch I sent to Booth also from
Elmira it was impossible to find. We
had the operator at Washington during
my trial, but be said the original was
gone, though be had a copy Of it. Ii
telegraph Offices they are compelled to
keep all dispatches filed. OF course we
could not offer this copy in evidence. be-
cause the original alone would be accept
ed, and that had been made away with.
So sure was the Government that they had
destroyed all evidence Of my sojourn ID
Elmira, that in getting me in Washing
ton in time for Mr. Lincoln's death they
brought, me BY way Of New York city. but
SO completely were they foiled in this that
in their rcbutting testimony they saw the
absolute necessity Of having me 60 by way
Of Elmira, aud they changed their tactics
accordingly. That was enough to damn
my case in any mans mind. This is a
strange fact, but nevertheless true, that
The Government. having in it's possession
this hotel register as we'll as my despatch
to Booth. and knowing. moreover. BY one
Of its witnesses. that I was in Elmira. yet
Eried to prove that I was in Washington
ing orders and commanding IN geaeraI,
as they were pleased to say. The gentle
men in Elmira by whom proved my alibi
we're men of the highest standing and in
tegrity, whose testimony the United States
could not and dare not at
tempt to impeach. I left Elmira with the
of going TO Baltimore. | really
did not comprehend at that time the dan
ger was in. As there was no train 60
ing south that evening. I concluded to &c
to Canandaigua, and from there to Balti'
more by way Of New York.
e.4- At Canandaigua.
Upon arriving at Canandaigua on Sat.
urday evening I learned to my utter dis.
appointment that no train left until the
Monday following, so took room at the
Webster House, registering myself al
John Harrison. The next day I went te
church. remember, it being Easter Sun.
day. I can here safely say that the Uni.
ted States Government had not the re-
motest idea that I stopped anywhere after
I left Elmira. They thought. when lef
there, went straight through to Canada
1t was very fortupate thing for me that
could not leave Canandaigua. Now mark
ladies and gentlemen, if you please. m,
name was signed midway of the hote
register. with six other parties before ant
after. There was no doubt as to the gen
uiness of my signature, because the very
experts brought by the United States t.
swear to my signatures in other instances
swore also that that was my handwriting
After all this the register was ruled ou
by Judge Fisher. because be was we'll a
ware if he admitted it my case was at al
end. 1 could not be in two places at once
though they tried to make me so. Lister
to his reason for so ruling: 1.-The prison
er might have stepped down from Canad
to Canandaigua during his concealmen
and signed his name there for the purpos
of protecting himself in the future"
was likely idea that the proprietor of
hotel would leave blank line in the reg
lister for my special benefit. Need I sa
that the ruling was most Infamous one
and ought to damn the judge who SO rule
as villain in the minds of every homes
and upright man. Had Judge Fishe
been one of the lawyers for the prosecu
ton. he could not have worked harde
against me than he did, But. thanks
him, he did me more good than harm
His unprincipled and vindictive characte
was too apparent to every one in the cour
room. / could not help smiling at th
time to think of the great shrewdness an
foresight he accorded me by that decision
At times. really, during my trial. / coul
scarce recognize any vestige of my forme
self. Sometimes I would ask myself
'Am the same individual7 Am reall
the same John H. Surratt p
| A Trembling Lawyer.
When that register was produced
Court the Hon. Judge Pierrepont, tt
II e IL L.