The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-08
ASSASSINATION OF LINCOLN.
Mrs. Harriet Riddle Davis II hates
an Incident Concerninz II.


The last meeting for the season of the
Columbia Historical Society. sid last
evening at the Shoreham. was eniivened
with an interesting paper b. Mrs. Harriet
Riddle Davis. on an unpublished incident
regarding the assassination Of President
Lincoln. The audience. which filled the
hall, listened to II with close attention.
Mrs. Davis was a little girl attend
ing Rsman Catholic academy in the
city at the close of the war. Her teach
er. to whom she referred only as Miss
Annie Y. was a sweetheart OF John Sur
raft, and according to later evidence WAS
employed by the conspirators to secure u
room in an F Street hotel where one OF
them hid. prior to the murder.
The conduct OF Miss X while teach
ing in the academy" said Mrs. Davis.
was fun Of puzzling surprises to the
children. One morning just prior to the
assassination of President Lincoln, she
appeared in the school room in a state OF
great excitement. Her clothes were COW
cred with dust. as if she had Just returned
from a long hard ride across country.
'Kneel. she cried Historically to the
roomfuI Of affrighted children, and as
they fell on their knees the woman broke
out into an agonizing appeal for help and
pardon for some unknown persons who
were planning terrible crime. The ef-
/ feet of it was heightened upon the child
| ish imaginations by her haggard appear
| ance and her evidence of great distress.
| AT the conclusion of the prayer she sum-
| marily dismissed the pupils for the day"
| The little girl who is now Mrs. Davis,
was much perturbed by the affair, but
none of her family paid any attention to
her story OF it, and she herself almost
! forgot it. Later. at the trial of John
| Suratt for completely in the murder
| of the President. Mrs. Davis father.
| Judge Riddle. was employed by the
| Government as one OF the prosecutors.
| The jury failed to agree, and after
| the trial Judge Riddle happened to men
| tion in the presence of his daugh-
| ter that conviction might have been as
| sured had it been possible to get Suratts
| sweetheart, Miss Y, as witness.
why. she was my teacher what did
| she know about it, enquired the girl.
| and then she told the story of the young
woman's mysterious appearance in the
| school room. and her agonizing prayer.
Judge Riddle was profoundly impressed
by the circumstance. and confirmed the
facts by another girl. who had been
| present in the school at the time. Later.
| however. 1t was deemed impossible to get
! jury in Washington that would convict
Suratt. and the case against him was nolle
| pressed. All efforts to trace Miss X.
proved useless.
From that time" said Mrs Davis. in
| conclusion, Il never saw Miss X. until
| three years ago. when l met her face to
| face in street car. She was more bag
| gard than Of old. and was. of course aged.
but otherwise she was little changed. AL
| though our eyes met she dill not recognize
| me. and | have never seen her since. Z
| have reason. however. to believe that She
still makes long visits occasionally to the
academy where as a teacher she appear
ed before us on that eventful day"