New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-12-11
JOHN HI. Sl!RRATT.
TS0t flor Abduction of ;Lincoln-Meeting
of C0nspiratOrs i'm Washingten-Facts
About ]. Wilkes .800th.

Mot to assassinate President Lincoln, made
a full confession or statement of his knOwl-
| edge of the same in the shape of q lecture
| delivered in the courthouse at Rockville,
| Maryland, 81 few miles distant from Wash
ington, last night. It'is very long, but the
following opening extract covers the fea-
| lures OF it:
"REMINISCENCES.
Ladies' and CONDENSATION entering
| that door Il few moments ago, the impress
sion on my mind was SO strong as to wildly
recall the scenes OF three years ago. / am
not unacquainted with courtroom audi
ences. Sensation. l .aave stood before
| them before. True, nOtsin the character of
| a lecturer, but as a prisoner at the bar,
arraigned for the high crime of murder.
In contrasting the two positions must
| confess l felt more ease .as the prisoner at
| the bar than l do as a lecturer. Then l felt
confident of success, now i do not; then l
had gentlemen Of known ability to do all
| my talking for me; now, unfortunately,
have to do it for myself. q feel lily capable
of performing the task, still / hope you will
all Judge me kindly. amnot here to sur
prise You by any OratOrical effort, not at all;
but only to tell a simple tale. i feel that
some explanation, perhaps, indeed, an apOl-
| ogy, is due you for my appearance here this
| evening.
/ OBJECT OF THE LECMyRE.
In presenting this lecture before the pub
l'lic, do it in no spirit of self,;ustitication.
| In a trial of sixty-One days j azsade my de-
Tense to the world. and i have no need or
desire to rehearse it, nor do appear for
| self-gloriication. On the contrary, i dislike
nOtoIiety; and leave my solitude and OBJ
security unwillingly. Neither is it an itching
| to present a simple narrative of events as
| they occurred. l stand here Though the
force of that which has obliged maaly other
| men to do things quite as distasteful-pecu-
mary necessity, for the supply of which no
other available channel presented itself. So
you will take it. kindly, trust, aGd the
ground we will have to go over together
| will guarantee sufficient interest to repay
your kind attention in this, my first lecture.
/ will speak of my introduction to j.
Wilkes Booth, his plan, its failure, our final
separation. my trip from Richmond and
thence to Canada, then my orders to ElMira,
and what was done there.
WHERE HE WAS AT THE TINE.
The first intimatiOn had of Mr.. Lincoln's
death, was mostly engaged in sending III
formation regarding the movements of the
United States army stationed in Washing
ton and elsewhere, and carrying dispatches
to the Confederate boats on the Potomac.
We had 4 regular established line from
Washington TO the Potomac. and being the
only unmarried man on the route, had
most of the hard riding to do Laughter
/ devised various ways to carry the dis
patches-sometimes in the heel of my boots.
sometimes behind the planks of the buggy.
i confess that never in my life did / come
across a more stupid set of detectives than
these generally employed by the United
States government. They seemed to have
no idea whatever how to search a man.
THE REMOVAL TO WASHINGTON.
In 1864 my family left Maryland and
moved to Washington. where / took still
more active part in the stirring events of
that period. 1t was fascinating life to NE.
1t seemed as if l could not do too much or
run too great risk.
HIS INTRODUCTION TO BOOTH.
In the fall of 1864 was introduced to
John Wilkes Booth, who, / was given to
understand, wished to know something
about the main avenues leading from Wash
ington to the Potomac. We met several
times, but he seemed to be very quiet with
regard to his purposes.
BOOTHS PROPOSITION.
Finally he said: You know as well as I,
the efforts that have been made to bring
about that much desired exchange of pris-
Oners. Aside from the general suffering
they are compelled to undergo, we are sadly
in want OF them as soldiers. We can not
spare one man, whereas, the United States
government is willing to let their soldiers
remain in our prisons, because she has no
need Of the men.
PLAN FOR THE ABDUCTION.
/ have a proposition to submit to you.
which, / think, if we can carry out. will
bring about the desired exchange. There
was long and ominOus silence, which | at
last was compelled to break, by asking:
well, Sit, what is your proposition ~
WALLS HAVE EARS"
He sat quiet for an instant, and then, be-
fore answering, he arose and looked under
the bed, into the wardrobe, in the doorway
and the passage, and then said:
1--WE viii have to be careful; walls have
ears"
He then drew his chair close to me, and
in a whisper, said: sit is to kidnap Presi-
dent Lincoln and carry him off to Rich
mOnd ~
''KIDNAP PRESIDENT LINCOLN
said. ! confess that stood aghast at the
hardy undertaking. To think OF success
fully Selling Mr.. Lincoln in the capital of
the United States surrounded by thousands
of his soldiers, and carrying him off to
Richmond, looked to me like "a foolish idea.
told him as much.
now IT WAS TO BE DONE.
He went on to tell with what facility he
could be seized in the various places in and
about Washington, as, for example, in his
various rides to and from the Soldiers
HOme-llis summer residence. He entered
into the minute details of the proposed cap
ture, and even the various parts to be per-
formed by the actors in the performance.
was amazed, thunderstruck and, in fact,
l might also say, frightened at the unpar-
aleled audacity of this scheme.
After two days rejecting l told him was.
willing to try it. / believed it practicable
at that time, though l now regard it as u
tOolhardy undertaking.
- HIS OWN DEFENSE.
hope you will not blame me for going
thus far, for honestly thought an exchange
of prisoners could be brought about could
we have once obtained possession of Mr..
Lincoln's person. And now the reverse of
the case. Where is there a young man in
the North with one spark of patriotism in
his heart who would not have, with enthu
siastic ardor, joined in any undertaking for
the capture of Jefferson Davis and bringing
him to Washington! There is not one who
would not have done SO, and so was1 on
by a sincere desire to assist the South in
gaining her independence. had no hesita-
ton in taking part in anything honorable |
that might tend toward the accomplishment
Of that object.
THE IDEA OF ASSASSINATION.
Such a thing as the assassination of Mr.. |
Lincoln, never heard spoken Of by any Of |
the party, never. [Sensation.]
AN ABANDONMENT OF THE PLAN PROPOSED. |
Upon one occasion, remember, we had |
called IA meeting in Washington for the pur-