John Surratt, Jr.

[Pamela]

I've been checking out past threads and found this very interesting one. I thought it would be a good place to put something I found when a reread Weichmann's book and read more carefully some parts I only skimmed over the first time. This is news to me although maybe most of you know about this. He wrote a critique of a paper written by Reverend J. A. Walker 25 years after the trial. Among his comments was this, p.326; "Finally Father Walker informs us that John H. Surratt, during the trial of the conspirators, sent a person to Washington, furnished him the means, and was ready to give himself up in the defense of his mother. This friend saw the counsel of his mother. They advised the friend to return and tell John H. Surratt to remain in Canada, for there was no danger that his mother could be convicted.

This part of the reverend gentleman's statement, I believe to be measurably true. I myself was approached by Frederick Aiken of Mrs. Surratt's counsel, at one time during the trial and informed by him that John H. Surratt would return to the United States, if certain stipulations, which I do not fully remember, could be secured from the Government. One of these stipulations, however, was that he should be used as a witness against Jefferson Davis.

When the trial of the conspirators was over, I wrote to the Judge Advocate General, Judge Holt, about the proposition to have Surratt returned, but was assured by him that he had heard nothing of it."

JS referred to this incident in his Rockville lecture. It make me think that MS told her lawyers to give a false message back to her son because she was afraid for him if he returned, even if he got assurances from the government. Otherwise, it's hard to imagine that Aiken would have said there was no chance of a conviction, and also Holt said he was never contacted.