What if Booth Escaped?

[Laurie Verge]

I tend to think that, if Booth could have made it to Mexico or South America, he could have stayed hidden for several years or longer. The confusion in Mexico at that time would have given him a good cover there, and Confederate exiles would take him in other places. But, I think his desire to see his mother and sister would eventually cause him to stick his head out of the hole and make contact in some way. However, were there any extradition agreements with countries south of our borders at that time?

I would have to go back and re-read the ups and downs of the case of the escaping John Surratt, but I think that his being turned over by the Vatican had a lot to do with the fact that Pope Pius IX needed a lot of U.S. help at that point in the warring that was going on with the Italian states and John-John became a bargaining chip for U.S. aid. That made it easier to catch him - and it still took two years.

If I remember correctly, there was a Surratt trail through Europe that the U.S. gov't knew about but didn't act on, until their hand was forced. It almost seemed like they didn't want John-John brought back because it would stir up the controversy (especially of his mother's execution) all over again?

Again, we're getting into legal ramifications here - and the word "legal" freezes my brain!