The Case For Mrs. Surratt

[L Verge]

Okay, I'm outsmarting senility so far! The following is excerpted from The Maryland State Archives/Biographical Series. It pertains to Thomas Harbin, but the 1865 and then 1869 printings of Atzerodt's confession are attested to:

"Thomas Harbin was a Confederate Spy who was involved in the plot to kidnap President Lincoln. Harbin reported directly to Jefferson Davis and used the alias Thomas Wilson during his time as a spy for the Confederates. The Baltimore American published the confession of George Atzerodt on July 9, 1865. Atzerodt admitted to Tom Harbin's involvement in the conspiracy to kidnap the president. In 1869 the newspaper published a more in depth version of Atzerodt's confession, listing Harbin as a co-conspirator. Harbin was never charged with the crime."

Joan Chaconas did find the original, but the details had been published a century earlier. The only hitch might be that there was more than one confession. We need to see that July 9, 1865, news article -- and I am lousy at finding old newspaper articles. Where are our modern Baker Street Irregulars who now depend on the computer age?