Where was John Surratt on April 14, 1865 ?

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(03-20-2017 06:03 AM)loetar44 Wrote:  

(03-20-2017 04:44 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(03-18-2017 06:17 PM)brtmchl Wrote:  Did Susan Jackson ever speak of his physical appearance during her testimony?

Mike, long ago I think I read somewhere that Susan Jackson had her dates confused. In other words, what she described in her testimony did not really happen on April 14th. Rather it happened much earlier (maybe in late March or very early April). Now I have looked for this in several books and cannot find where I read it. Does anyone recall ever reading something like this?

Roger, this is new for me, never read about it. But I remember a sort of confirmation that John Surratt was in the Surratt boarding house on the 14th. I think it was Richard Smoot who wrote in his “The Unwritten History of the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln” (1908) that he visited the Surratt boarding house on April 12th because he wanted to see John Surratt about something. John was not there, but Mary Surratt told him that he would be there on the 14th.

Smoot did write those words, but when he returned on the 14th, he claimed that he was met by an agitated Mary Surratt, who hustled him away. He never saw her son -- and, on the 12th, Mary probably expected her son to be home in time for Easter (or what might occur shortly before the holiday!).

I also agree with Susan about Susan Jackson. She was a new employee, had only met John once, and had to be extremely excited by all of the federal "activity" around the boardinghouse, starting with the midnight intrusion by the authorities. Who knows what pressures were put upon her in both 1865 and 1867.