Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-12
From The Evening Star December g, 1870.
A REMARKABLE LECTURE.
John II. Surratt Tells
His Story.

A Vivid Narrative-History o.
the Abduction Plot-Surratt' En-
perience with ]. Wilkes Booth
Booths Hints at the Murder OF Lin
coin The Other Conspirators
Threaten to Withdraw-TheA ssas-
s!nation-Surratt's Escape to Can
ada-He duplicates Weichman In
the Abduction Plot-He Denounces
Weichman. Judge Fisher and Ed
win NJ Stanton-"John HARRISON
Surratt and the Confederate Gov
ern1nent-Why Surratt Did Not
Come to the Aid of His Mother.
What. go twenty miles for an
i.em?'' Well you would have
thought gu If you had seen The.
Star reporter making the dust fly
last night on the Rockville turn
pike. And this is what called The
Star reporter to Rockville last
night-the following announcement
in the Rockville paper:
Lecture by John n. Surratt.
ION Tuesday evening. December 6.
1870. John H Surratt will deliver a
lecture in the courthouse, IN Rock
Vile. on his Introduction to j.
Wilkes Rooth-The Plot for the A b.
Guction o. President Lincoln-1ts
Failure and Abandonment-His
Trip TO Richmond. and From
Thence to Cana da-Then by Orders
to E1mira. and What Was Done
There-His Hearing of the Assassi-
nation OF President Lincoln-His
Escape Back to Canada. and Con-
cealment There-The Efforts of De-
tectives to Arrest Him and Means
to Battle Them-His Final Depart
ure for Europe. Doors open at $50
o'clock. and lecture commences at
q Admittance. 80 cents. Children
half price"
John Fl. Surratt. everybody knows
who he is. and of his alleged con-
nection with the conspiracy of 1865.
his escape. capture and subsequent
trial ard DISCHARGE in this city over
year since. Since then he has
srent portion az his time in lower
MARYLAND heen IN the commission
business in Baltimore and now has
turned up a school eacher in Rock
vile. where he has availed himself
OF leisure hours 10 prepare in shape
OF lecture q history of the events
which brought him so prominently
before the public The lecture took
place In the courthouse. a quaint
old building. but roomy and com
Portable. The village looked desert
cd of everything save horses and
empty vehicles of all kinds from
Il sulky to a cord-wood wagon the
occupants of which had passed into
the courtroom. the scene of the lee
ture. a curious spectacle was pre-
sented within. The bar was occu-
pied by the ladies in large numbers.
while without and high up around
the walls. on crier's bench. etc,
men and boys held every available
spot At o'clock Surratt entered
and passed up the side platform in
Cnceremonious style to the Judges
bench. He was unattended. wore a
mixed gray suit. and. with the ex-
ception of having grown much
ssouter. looked the same as during
rs trial here. He has rather a
ri.ld and pleasant face. and de-
E!ded!y intellectual head. and does
rot look like the sort of stuff for
performer of desperate deeds
On his entrance the Rockville cor
ret band in attendance struck up a
lively air. Surratt then threw off
!.!s overcoat. revealing n manu-
script book which he drew from
Under his arms and laid opea on
The desk before him. He referred
70 1t but little. however. having his
lecture we'll in his memory. With
out any Introduction he was off,
speaking very rapidly. but distinct
~. for an hour and a quarter. He
has a good voice and easy deliy-
cry. 10 which hn occasionally add
ed great warmth of feeling, partic-
u.arly when he referred to his
mother: and his alleged desertion
of her in her darkest hour.