Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-12-28

on Tuesday night, at Rockville, Md.
in the course Of which he said he wa
introduced to John Wilkes Booth il
the fall of 1864. Alter meeting sew
eral times, Booth declared to him {
plan for efTacting an exchange o
prisoners, which the United State
| Government, he said, had refused
The plan was to kidnap Presiden
Lincoln and carry him to Richmond
Surratt, after two days reflection, IN
formed Booth of his willingness Z
Join the plot, but such a thing rs assas
sinatiOn was never spoken Of by AM
I of the Darty. Months passed befor'
an opportunity was presented for at
tempting the capture. All arrange
ments were perfected, and boats Wer
in readiness to carry them across th'
4 river.
One day they received information
| that the President would visit Sew
enth street Hospital for the purpOs'
Of being present at an entertainment
I to be given for the benefit of wounded
soldiers.
The report reached them only abOu
three-quarters of an hour before thl
time appointed, but so perfect wa.
their communication that they were
instantly in their saddles on the way
to the Hospital. This was between
one and two o'clock in the afternoon
1t was their intention to seize the
carriage, which was drawn by splen.
did pair of horses, and to have one Oi
their men mount The box and drive
direct for Southern Maryland, via
Benning's bridge. over the eastern
branch Of the Potomac. They felt
confident that all the cavalry in Wash
ingtOn could never overtake them.
They were mounted on swift horses,
besides having a thorough knowledge
Of the country, it being determined to
abandon the carnage after passing the
city limits.
They depended for success upon the
effectiveness Of the blow and the cele-
rity of their movements. To their
great disappointment, however, the
President was not there, but another
Of the Government officials, Mr..
Chase, he believed. They did not
disturb him. This was their last at
tempt. A separation finally took
place.
This scheme of abduction wGs con-
cOcted without the knowledge or the
assistance of the Confederate Govern
ment in any shape or form. Surratt
left Washington on the 4th of April
for New York, two days before Lin,
coins death.
After the abduction scheme had
failed, went to Richmond to carry a
message to Canada, and returned and
succeeded in reaching Washington
safely, and in passing up Seventh
street 1 met one Of the cOnspiratOrs,
who inquired what had become Of
Booth. 1 told where had been, that
I was then on my way to Canada, and
that l had not seen nor heard any
thing of Booth since our separation.
In view of the fact that Richmond
had fallen, and that all hopes Of the
abduction of the President had been
given up, advised him to 90 home
and 90 to work. That was the last
time | saw any of the party.
1 went to q hotel and stopped over
that night, as a detective had been to
my house inQuiring Of q servant Of
my whereabouts. In the early train
next morning, Tuesday, April 4, I left
for New York, and that was the last
time 7 ever was in Washington until
brought there in irons. Upon arriv-
ing i'm New York I called at Booths
house, and was told by the servant
that he had left that morning sudden
", on the pretense Of going TO Boston
TO fulfil an engagement at a theatre.
In the evening of the same day I
took the cars for Montreal, arriving
An-= II NJ m# fnn
st. Lawrence Hotel, registering my
self as John Harrison, such being my
two first names. Shortly afterward
saw General Edward G. Lee, to whom
my dispatches were directed, and de-
iYered them to him. They were &C.
counts of some money transactions,
nothing more nor less.
A week or so after my arrival there
General Lee came to 10y room and
old me he had a plan on foot to re-
the Confederate prisoners then
n Elmira, New York. He said be
Ient many parties there, but they al l
Tays got frightened and only half .
executed their orders. He asked me I
+ I would 60 there and take a sketch I.
# the prison, and find out the num- I
ler of prisoners also, minor details !.
n regard to the number of soldiers on /
,uard, cannon, small arms, &c. 1 I
vent to Elmira, arriving there on .
two days before Mr.. Lin I
.oln's death, and registered at the .
3Tainard House as usual, as John .
Harrison. The following day I went .
o work and made a complete sketch
# the prison and surroundings.
About ten o'clock on Friday night 1
etired, little thinking that on that
light a blow would be struck which
you'd forever blast my hopes and
make me wanderer in foreign land.
slept that night through, and came
own the next morning little dream
ng of the storm then brewing around
~ head. When 1 took my seat at
he table about nine o'clock, A. NJ, q
entleman to my left remarked, Have
on heard the news ?' {
mo, I've not" I replied. "WhTt
il ."
"Why President Lincoln and Sec
staTy Seward have been assassinated. 1
is so ~ he said, at the same time
rawing out n paper and showing it
} me.
Sure enough there 1 saw an account .
+ what he told me; but, as no names
ere mentioned. il never occurred TO
le for an instant that it could have ,
cen Booth, or any Of our party, for
lie reason that l had never heard
lything regarding assassination
,oken Of during my interview with
lem.
l had good reason to believe that
,ere was another conspiracy ahOat,
fact we all knew it. telegraphed
Doth thus:
-. W. B., New York-If you are
New York, telegraph me.
JOHN HARRISON, 7,
ElmiTa, New York"
The operator, afte. looking over it,
id as il J. W. B ?n TO which / re- G
led, YES He evidently wanted
e whole name, and had scarcely (
lished telegraphing when 4 door, {
,ht near the Office, and opening on 5
e street, was pushed open and / 7
ard some one say, "Yes, there are 8
rec or four brothers of them, John, a
Inius, Brutus, Edwin and J. Wilkes y
1Oth.n y
The whole truth flashed on me in a
instant, and I said to myself, "My .
ID, what have I done ?" The dis g
tch was still lying before me, and I !,
lched over and took it up for the q
rpOse of destrOyingit, butthe opera u
r stretched forth his hand and said a
must file all kilograms. My first a
pulse was to tear il up, but l pitch "
il back and walked of. The town u
IS in the greatest uproar; flags at ~