Where was John Surratt on April 14, 1865 ?

[L Verge]

My first instinct was to ask why a Pennsylvania doctor was in Elmira, NY, on the night of the assassination. (Note: Andrew Jampoler places him as a doctor in New York City in 1865, in his book on The Last Lincoln Conspirator, pgs. 201-02). Author Michael Schein provides a synopsis of Bissell's testimony at the Surratt trial on page 266 of his John Surratt: The Lincoln Assassin Who Got Away.

Surratt recalled meeting a man on crutches at the Brainard Hotel in Elmira. Surratt inquired about the injured leg being a war injury and was told that it was due to a railway accident and that he (Bissell) was in the city to find a railroad employee who could testify in his lawsuit against the rail company. Bissell said little else because he feared that Surratt was an investigator for the company and was trailing him.

He was asked how he knew that he saw Surratt on April 14 precisely and answered that he received a telegram that evening from his wife saying that their child was very ill. Bissell immediately boarded a train and headed home, but his child died before he could get there. Personally, I doubt that the man would concoct such a sad story - and one that could be easily verified by authorities of the court...

I know that Steve will supply dates for these articles (did I miss the year?), but future transgressions do not necessarily indicate a lifetime of dishonesty.