Where was John Surratt on April 14, 1865 ?

[L Verge]

(03-22-2017 06:36 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  Another government witness who seems sincerely believable (to me) was an attorney named Benjamin Vanderpoel. He said he saw Surratt with Booth in a saloon on the afternoon of April 14th.

Here is a small portion of Vanderpoel's testimony:

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Q. Did you ever see Surratt before?

A. I cannot say that I did.

Q. Did you ever see him since?

A. Not until this morning.

Q. You have examined him very carefully this morning?

A. I noticed one alteration. The goatee he has on now he did not have
then.

Q. You have examined him carefully, and you have no sort of doubt
the man?

A. I have no sort of doubt he was the man I saw in that place.

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Does anyone know if that is correct - did Surratt not have a goatee on April 14th, 1865?

We have had so many visitors today (school groups and senior groups as well as walk-ins) that my brain is on overload. I don't remember ever even thinking about Surratt's goatee in 1865, but what does the reward poster say - if anything? My instinct is that he didn't, but at this point I'm not sure if I have a goatee!

The photos online are mainly dated 1867 and 1868 (in his Zouave uniform and also his Garibaldi jacket) and show him without a goatee. There is one undated photo that shows definite chin whiskers (need a true definition of what constituted a goatee in 1860s; I think it varies over the years). I can't find a date on that particular photo, however.

He must have liked the large handlebar from the Zouave photo because he kept that style through the rest of his life. We have photos that the grandchildren shared with us in the 1970s, when we put together a family reunion for them here at the museum. That appendage turned very white over the years, but it was basically the same shape as in 1867. His brother, Isaac, had an even more impressive "walrus" one with chin whiskers also.