Where was John Surratt on April 14, 1865 ?

[John Fazio]

Kees, Roger, John, Laurie and Gene:

This is one of the more intractable mysteries of the war years. In my judgment, we are more likely to arrive at the truth, not by hanging our hats on this or that item of evidence, but by thinking of the matter globally. I say that because the evidence is conflicting, especially anything coming from the mouth or pen of Surratt, whose lies rolled off his lips like water off a duck's back. He told at least three different versions of his whereabouts between April 6 and 18, probably with the express purpose of confusing everyone, then and for all time. Let us, rather, look at the forest rather than the trees.

We know that Booth and Surratt were engaged in an active conspiracy against Federal leadership from at least December, 1864, if not before. Surratt's pedigree as a Secret Service agent dates to August, 1862; Booth's, probably the summer of 1864. Surratt had a hand in hiding the guns, etc., at the tavern; recruited Atzerodt and Powell; arranged with Smoot for a boat; met often with Booth at the boardinghouse and elsewhere after December 23, if not before; participated in the Jack Cade affair; was present at the Gautier's restaurant meeting; and participated in the Campbell Hospital episode. He told McMillan that he and Booth had spent $10,000 on their conspiracy ($150,000 today). He told Ste. Marie that "WE (my emphasis) killed Lincoln, the n____r's friend". In these circumstances, it makes no sense to postulate that from approximately April 1 through 20 they were not acting in concert. The evidence to the contrary is there; we have only to look at it. We know that when Surratt left Washington on the 4th, he stopped in New York to see Booth, but was told he was in Boston performing. We know that when he was in Montreal, he received a telegram from Booth telling him to return to Washington forthwith because their plans had changed. We know that in response thereto, he left immediately for Washington, according to McMillan. We know that when he was in Elmira, he telegraphed Booth in New York, but was advised that he had already left for Washington. Clearly, they were still acting in concert. Not only does the evidence take us there, but it fits with overall direction of their conspiracy by Richmond, inasmuch as Surratt was Benjamin's courier (per his biographer, Eli Evans) and made weekly trips to Richmond (per Ste. Marie) and inasmuch as Booth and Harbin were known to be close (they met before and after the assassination) and Harbin, by his own admission, reported directly to Davis. Thus Davis and Benjamin had to know what Booth and Surratt were doing and thus had to be firmly in control of their conspiracy. It is inconceivable, therefore, in these circumstances, that the two conspirators would have acted independently of each other. Secret Service agents operating under the direction of authority don't behave that way. Surratt's staying in Elmira to case out a prison for a possible break, therefore, pursuant to orders from Gen. E. G. Lee (rather than following orders from Booth), when Confederate POW's were already being exchanged and after Lee had already surrendered, is contrary to reason. Also contrary to reason is the supposition that Surratt, with the war coming to an end and the Confederacy crumbling, would take time out to soak up the scenery of lower New York state and blithely patronize haberdashers and tailors in Elmira, with Booth waiting for him in Washington and after he left Montreal "immediately" in response to Booth's call. Clearly, Surratt had other reasons for stopping off in Elmira (he had been there before, spreading a lot of Yankee gold around, he said). My conclusion, therefore, based on this global view of the matter, is that after a brief stop in Elmira, perhaps for the purpose of establishing an alibi should he need one, which he did, he continued on to Washington, arriving in plenty of time to help Booth. Pierrepont's Herculean effort to establish a last-minute dash by Surratt from Elmira to Washington was largely a waste of time and probably counter-productive; he was already there. As for the witnesses who put him in Elmira, only one of the five was unequivocal; the others hedged in some degree. The possibility of undue influence, or even of use of a Surratt double, cannot be excluded. (There is reference to a Surratt "personator" on p. 1226 of Edward's and Steers's tome.) The 13 witnesses who put him Washington cannot be ignored, especially the better, more convincing ones.

I realize that my conclusion is contrary to the conventional wisdom. But so much of the conventional wisdom surrounding the assassination has been shown to be wrong, in my opinion, that adding another casualty to the list does not cause me any great pain.
I do believe that Wild Bill is in accord with my conclusion, as he is with my thesis that multiple assassinations were ordered by the Confederate government. But let him speak for himself.

John