The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1932-12-29

the Confederates and was fully COM
mitted to the conspiracy to kidnap
Mr.. Lincoln. The story itself is old
and absurd, and will hardly repay
perusal; the strangest part of it is
that it should ever have found listen
ers in any respectable community"
With this cut from his whiplash, Mr..
Greeley dismissed Surratt from his
columns, not even reporting his lee
ture in Cooper Institute.
Among all the New York papers
only one, the Herald, treated the
young man with one spark of courtesy
or good craftsmanship. Of the lee
ture it said: at certainly makes an
exceedingly interesting story, but as
to the good taste that turns such ex-
perience as his into a money-making
exhibition, there may be some divis-
ion of opinion
In the face of this barrage Of oppo-
sition, Surratt gave his lecture as ad-
vertised, and did not take in enough
money to pay his expenses. 1t was
a bitter experience for him, for he
had confidently expected the hall to
be filled. The papers, in their news
stories of the lecture, ridiculed the
lecturer, the lecture and the audience,
which numbered variously from two to
three hundred.
1t seems obvious, now, that Sur
rats critics did him a serious injus-
tice, in charging that he ran away and
left his mother to her fate. He did
no such thing. One-half of his lee
ture was taken up with a detailed an
swer to that charge. From his lee
ture and using his own language, the
following is that answer:
"After the abandonment of the plot
to kidnap President Lincoln, 1 left
for Richmond and arrived there on
Friday evening before the evacuation
of that city. Sec'y Benjamin, hear
ing that I was in the city sent for me,
and on going to his Office he asked me
if l could carry some dispatches to
Canada for him. 1 replied, Yes
He gave me 5000 in gold and the dis
patches. / left Richmond on Satur-
day morning before the evacuation
and reached Washington the follow
ing Monday at o'clock P. M, April
3, 1865. The next morning l took the
early train for New York. Arriving
there I went to Booths house and
found he was in Boston. Then / took
the train for Montreal, reaching there
the next day, when I sought out Gen
Edward G. Lee and delivered the dis
patches from Secretary Benjamin tc
him.
IT remained in Montreal. A week
or so after my arrival General Lee
came to my room and told me he had
a plan on foot to release the Confed-
crate prisoners at Elmira. He asked
me if l would go there and take 8
sketch of the prison, find out the num-
Der of prisoners, etc. accepted.
went to Elmira, arriving there two
days before the assassination. Or
Saturday morning, April Is, 1865
while at breakfast, 1 first learned OF
the death of the President and thought
it was a joke. When the truth dawned
on me and I read in the papers that
had made the assault on Secretary
Stewards family, 1 left Elmira and
returned to Canada, where l went in
hiding.
Immediately I got in touch with
friends in Washington and proposed
to return and face trial. They advised
me against it. One of their messages
read: "Be under no apprehension as
to any serious consequences. Remain
perfectly quiet, as any action on your
part would only tend to make matters
worse. If you can be of service to us
we will let you know, but keep quiet.
"My friends in Canada concealed
from me, with all good intentions,
the terrible result. I learned from a
newspaper. handed me by hotel pro-
prietor, what had happened. 1t had
been determined upon and even car
ried out, before 1 had any intimation
that there was any danger"
Every word of this is literally true
Most of it was proved at his trial
General Lee was not allowed to tes-
tify, and the Government withheld tes-
timony that would have verified every
statement Surratt made. 1t became
known, long after his mother was ex-
ecuted, that the military commission
that tried her unanimously voted to
acquit her, but Judge Joseph Holt, the
Judge Advocated General of the Army
got them to change their verdict, Sin
order that he might get President
johnson to pardon her." Holt never
brought that matter to the Presidents
attention.
I speak with great confidence and
E