Herold and Surratt

[Pamela]

I've really enjoyed reading this thread. It's loaded with information, and very cool that Betty found another witness for John Surratt's presence in DC on April 14th, which I'm on the fence about, although leaning toward his being in Elmira. I'd like to add some information about Surratt's activities following the failed kidnapping on March 17th, according to Louis Weichmann in Chapter 12 of his book. On March 18th Booth gave Surratt two passes for The Apostate "countersigned with his own name". Surratt invited Weichmann to the play and he went. Atzerodt, Holohan and Davey Herold were also at the theater. Just the day before when Surratt returned from the failed kidnapping, he had leveled his revolver at Weichmann. Weichmann was so unnerved from what he experienced and suspected that he sought out Gleason (who wasn't at his boarding house) to talk to, and then wrote a letter to Father Menu in which he mentioned his suspicions.
After the play, Herold and Atzerodt had a beer with Booth, Surratt sent Weichmann to bring them back to a restaurant, which he did, and joined them for a drink. Atzerodt, Herold, Holohan and Surratt all went to Kloman's saloon.
On March 20th Surratt met Weichmann on his way home from work and Weichmann accompanied him to the post office where he witnessed Surratt obtaining a letter addressed to him under the name of James Sturdy. Surratt showed him the signature "Wood" on the letter. Surratt admitted to him that Wood was Payne/Powell. March 23 Mrs Holohan delivered a telegram to Weichmann at work from "J. Booth" which contained a cryptic message for Surratt, and misspelled Weichmann's name. The message was, "Tell John to telegraph number and street at once." Weichmann gave the telegram to Surratt when he returned home and asked what it meant. Surratt's response was "Don't be so damned inquisitive." That evening Surratt asked Weichmann to take a walk with him and they stopped at the Herndon House where Surratt confirmed the reservation for Powell for March 27th. Weichmann didn't find out that the reservation was for Powell until a few days later when he asked Atzerodt. On March 25th Surratt, his mother and Mrs Slater left the city in a carriage early in the morning, around 8 AM. Surratt wrote a letter to Brooke Stabler dated March 26th explaining the return of the carriage and mentioning that he should only let Booth use his horses. Apparently Surratt's involvement with the conspiracy and Booth continued after the failed kidnapping.

I have some more to add tomorrow since I'm falling asleep now, but I'll say that because of the timeline, it must have been Mary Surratt who stole Father Menu's letter to Weichmann and gave it to Booth.