Mary Surratt's Denial of Lewis Powell

[Thomas Thorne]

I think the very vehemence of Mary Surratt's denial,her behavior as if she was testifying at a trial and her freudian slip when she asserted that she and Anna thought that Powell had come to kill them indicate she knew Powell had tried to kill Seward and she had foreknowledge of that. Her source must have been JWB.

If you think Mrs Surratt was innocent or was only involved in the kidnapping conspiracy,consider that no person could have truthfully come forward and said he/she had seen Powell,Booth,John Surratt etc. lay rough hands on Lincoln in a kidnap attempt. Lots of people could truthfully identify Booth and Powell as the persons who attacked Lincoln and Seward respectively. .

Suppose Richard Smoot and not Louis Powell had shown up at 541 H St on Apr 17. I don't doubt Mary Surratt would have denied knowing him but her denials would not have been as dramatic and freudian. Certainly Smoot would have been hauled off to the Provost Marshall's office-in real life he was arrested but was ultimately released as no one could directly tie him to the assassination.
Tom