The Surratt Courier

[RJNorton]

Bill, I feel I should mention one of the books which gets favorable mention in the article. The Private Journal and Diary of John H. Surratt, the Conspirator is listed in the paragraph that begins with, "Of course, there are excellent books and bio’s on the Lincoln conspirators."

John Brennan called that book "a complete forgery and fabrication produced by a diabolical, money-mad, two-bit liar of the vilest hue."

Betty Ownsbey wrote, "Dion Haco's Surratt Diary is what was popularly called "yellow journalism" or a yellow-backed novel" (so called because of the color of the paperback covers) which was supported by the "Penny Dreadful" press - i.e. it was pure spectacular hack fiction sold for profit - not a word of truth in these things."

In a review on Amazon the late Laurie Verge wrote, "As a lifelong student of the Lincoln assassination and the director of the Surratt House Museum in Clinton, MD for the past 35 years, I can assure anyone interested in purchasing any rendition of this so-called "Journal" that it is a fake - yellow journalism published for a quick buck while Surratt was on trial. Please do not be fooled by this fraudulent attempt at history. In my opinion, any reprinting of this does a disservice to history."

The book simply does not belong in the same paragraph as Ownsbey, Kauffman, and Steers. Just my opinion.

[wpbinzel]

With regard to specific items of content in The Surratt Courier, Laurie Verge was first and foremost a teacher and she never lost that instinct at Surratt House Museum. Her charge to the docents there was to never draw conclusions for our visitors, but provide them with enough information that they would want to read and learn more and become "addicted" (her word) to history. She did the same with the pages of the Courier in order to generate additional discussion and research. Throughout her tenure, the opinions expressed in an article were those of the author, not of Laurie or the Surratt Society. If someone wrote a contrary view, Laurie never hesitated to print that in the first available subsequent issue. Now, in Laurie's absence, our intention is to honor that approach, and for that reason, we are very reluctant to edit an author's article for content. Such was the case here. The article reflected the views and opinions of the author, and not those of the Surratt Society or the editor. In addition, the inclusion or exclusion of certain books in compiling such a list is subjective and may be subject to debate, which is the very thing that Laurie always encouraged (and in which she was never hesitant to be a willing participant).

[wpbinzel]

The May/June 2021 issue of The Surratt Courier has been posted and is available to all at https://e5ec1477-9120-45b9-bf06-b84967a7...8d664c.pdf . The primary focus of the issue is on Lincoln-assassination conspirator George Atzerodt.

[wpbinzel]

The July/August 2021 issue of The Surratt Courier has been posted at: https://e5ec1477-9120-45b9-bf06-b84967a7...56c41c.pdf

In addition to editor Louise Oertly's informative "President's Message" on the extended history of the Surratt House in Clinton, MD, there are two outstanding articles on "the Guerrilla Boyle." Those familiar with the Lincoln assassination saga may recognize his name as the reason cited as to why Dr. Samuel Mudd did not report Booth and Herold's visit to his home in a timely manner. Few, however, know who John Boyle was or why he was feared. Starting on page 3, is the story.

[RJNorton]

Thank you for posting this, Bill.

[wpbinzel]

The September/October 2021 issue of The Surratt Courier has been posted on the Surratt Society's website (surrattmuseum.org) and the direct link to it is: https://e5ec1477-9120-45b9-bf06-b84967a7...199372.pdf .

The primary focus of the issue is Mrs. Surratt's H Street boardinghouse.

[Susan Higginbotham]

Enjoyed the new issue!

[LincolnMan]

I found what Miss Rowe had to say about the future interesting!

[RobertLC]

Great edition of the Courier.

Thanks for the good work.

[wpbinzel]

Thanks, all. Louise Oertly deserves the credit and does all the heavy lifting in compiling the issues. I help with the editing. We welcome new articles, but there is such a wealth of research and articles that no one has read in 20+ years, it seemed logical to go back and compile some by subject, as Louise has done. I certainly have enjoyed it.

[wpbinzel]

Thank you all for your VERY kind comments. I am pleased to inform you that the November/December 2021 Surratt Courier is available at: https://e5ec1477-9120-45b9-bf06-b84967a7...3deeae.pdf

[wpbinzel]

We had some IT issues with getting the January/February 2022 issue of The Surratt Courier posted on the Surratt Society website, but Louise Oertly persevered and I am pleased to announce that it is now available and may be viewed at: https://www.surrattmuseum.org/surratt-courier

This issue features articles by Joan Chaconas, who recently retired from the Surratt House Museum. Joan has contributed articles to our newsletter since 1977. They have ranged from the assassination to the conspirators to shipping disasters to people and places in Washington, D.C.

(We are in the process of transitioning to electronic communications and notifications. If you are interested in receiving updates and news from the Surratt Society, please scroll down to the bottom of https://www.surrattmuseum.org/surratt-courier and provide an email address. The Surratt Society will never sell or exchange its list for marketing purposes.)

[RJNorton]

Oh my...what a wonderful idea to include all those articles by Joan Chaconas in the Courier!! Enjoy your retirement, Joan!

[Lincoln Wonk]

(01-24-2021 10:21 PM)wpbinzel Wrote:  Great news for all who have missed reading their issues of The Surratt Courier in 2020. As of this evening, the 2020 issues are available on the Surratt Society's website: http://www.surrattmuseum.org . In the past, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission printed and paid the postage to mail the Courier, but citing COVID, the Commission ceased publication after the March 2020 issue. At this point, it is uncertain when or if the Commission will resume publication. With annual dues of $10, printing and mailing is not a task the Surratt Society can afford. Consequently, the decision was made to post the Courier online and to initially make it available to all who visit the Society's website regardless of whether they are members of the Society. (Of course, if you find the Courier to be of interest, we hope that you will join and support the Surratt Society. At $10, it is a pretty good deal.)

The April issue of the Courier is a fitting tribute to Laurie Verge. After that, given the time and effort that goes into an issue (a task previously done by Laurie), the decision was made to produce issues bimonthly. Louise Oertly, the president of the Surratt Society, has ably assumed the role of composing and editing the Courier.

It has taken us a while to get all of this assembled and posted, and we thank the Surratt Society members for their patience. But if you missed the Courier last year, I hope that you will find the back issues worth the wait.

Great news. Thanks, Bill

[Tom Bogar]

(04-05-2022 03:42 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  Oh my...what a wonderful idea to include all those articles by Joan Chaconas in the Courier!! Enjoy your retirement, Joan!

I second Roger. These are wonderful articles, and Joan and Colleen will be very sorely missed. I'm holding my breath about the future of the James O. Hall Research Center.