Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1871-01-14
Surrat's Confessions,

John ii. Surrat, HotQrious through his
connection with the assassination of
President Lincoln, delivered a lecture
recently. The address consisted of an
account of his connection with J. Wilkes
Rootb, which led to his being suspected
OF completely in the assassination plot,
and his arrest and long confinement. lie
contesses, or rather boasts, that he was,
during the war, up TO the time of the
assassination, engaged as rebel spy
and carrier of dispatches. lie was in
and out of Washington frequently, as
sisted IN Keeping up a regular line of
communications with Richmond. He
tells how he used to carry letters con-
cealed about bis person or carriage, and
laughs at the detectives who did not
know how to search and find these pre-
clous documents, when they had them in
1 reach, lie met Booth in 1864, and re-
la,es the progress nt their acquaintance.
Booth was alfAtous to tind out all about
the rebel mail services, the routes and
means taken for communicating with
Richmona, etc, mt Surrat was shy and
refused TO enlighten him ill he revealed
his object in making the inquiries. FL
nally, Booth, after seeking to pledgr
| him To secreSy, informed Surrat that his
object was to abduct President Lincoln,
and carry him to Richmond, to bs held
as a hostage for the exchange of prison.
ers. Booth explained how he thought a
party of bold men could accomplish this
by suddenly seizing the President when
he was unprepared, and hurrying him
across the Potomac before pursuit could
be organized. Snrrat hesita.ed, but f.
nally fell in with the plot, and relates
what afterw9rd took place in attempting
to carry ont the plan.
Surratt says he was IN Washington on
Monday, April Sd, 1865, having left
Richmond on Saturday mornin. before
the evacuation. and met one of the CON
spirators, who inquired for Boolh, but
he-Surratt-was unable to give ANY in-
formation, and advised his friend To go
home and 90 TO work. Next morning
he left Washington for Canada, and AYERS
that he was not again in that city until
he was brought back from Egypt He
carried dispal ches from Richmond to
Gen. Edward q. Lee on this trip, and
delivered them in Montreal. About a
week after he was sent To Elmira, to OBJ
ain Information with view 10 reeas-
ing the Confederate prisoners held in
camp there. AT ElmIra he heard of the
assassination, but at first thought 1t Il
canard. Before he heard the name Of
Booth connected with the affair, he went
TO the telegraph office and wrote a dis
patch TO Booth, directing it To j. w. b.,
at his residence in New York. While
be was waiting tor the operator to send
it off, he heard the name Of the Booth
brothers mentioned exciledly, and the
truth flashed on his mind that Booth
was the assassin. lie would have de-
stroyed the telegram but the operator
objected, and he left, intending TO go to
Baltimore 70 learn the particulars of the
affair. Instead he went to o,Cauandaigua,
where, on Monday, he read in the paper
paragraph charging himself with being
the assailant of Secretry Seward. He
then concluded TO go 10 Canada, aud
did so by the way of Albany and ST.
Albans. AT the latter place he was
scanned by detectives, but by wearing
English style of clothes and talking
loudly of the assassination, he escaped
attention. lie then details his plan for
keeping out of sight and for receiving
information of What was in progress.
He Indignantly denies that he kept out
OF the way, Knowing that his mother
was in danger. His friends concealed
from him the true state Of the case, aud
"A special messenger sent by him, return
ed with a reassuring message from a
trusted friend. lie says he wrote full
statement TO be published in the World,
but his friends. withheldit. He declares
that his mother was innocent, but does
not say she was not privy ~ the abdnc
uon plot 'l lHt. s.. l-e., ~ s.-.ans