John Surratt

[John Fazio]

(08-01-2013 12:27 PM)Gene C Wrote:  

(08-01-2013 09:54 AM)Wild Bill Wrote:  Larry Starkey, Wilkes Booth Came to Washington, 120-27, believed otherwise looking at train schedules, too.

I've never read this. Can you and others give me some feedback under the book section please?

Gene:

In pages 120-127, Starkey deals mostly with the escape of Booth and Herold, the crossing of the bridge, the stop at the tavern, etc. He mentions Surratt only briefly, in connection with his exit from the country, via St. Albans, after the assassination. Charles Higham, on the other hand, postulates Surratt's journeying to Washington and arriving in time for the assassination. He describes how he feels Surratt did it on pp. 205-207 of his book, Murdering Mr. Lincoln. I am not convinced of the validity of his description; it appears to me to be tortured. I believe the greater likelihood is that Surratt left Montreal and arrived in Washington much earlier than any of us realizes. Laurie's statement about Hall's research is telling. Hall was the master. If he said Surratt could not have made it from Elmira, by train, in the time frame given, I have to accept that. But if he left much earlier than we suppose, it's a different ball game.

John

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(07-31-2013 01:31 PM)HerbS Wrote:  John,How do you explain John Surratt talking about being in Canandaigua,NY and going to Easter Mass there? I have his signature[John Harrison] three days later on the St.Lawrence Hotel ledger- Montreal.[Canadian National Archives].In his trial papers he talks about being in Elmira,NY-Onto-Canandaigua,NY-then he contemplates going to Rochester,NY and taking a boat to Coburg,Canada.But,instead he takes a train from Canandaigua-to Albany,NY and on to Montreal.However,no one can find the hotel ledgers from Elmira or Canandaigua,NY.

Herb:

You, SSlater and the others remind me of something Churchill once said, namely that the three hardest things in the world are trying to climb a wall that is leaning towards you; trying to kiss a girl who is leaning away from you; and trying to speak to people who know more about your subject than you do.

All I can say is that Surratt's being in Washington on 4-14 and leaving by train that night or the following morning (in disguise), is not inconsistent with being in Canandaigua Easter Sunday, 4-16 and in Montreal three days later. I have no doubt that he left the country after the assassination and that he was in Montreal by 4-18 or 4-19, via St. Albans, but I have a very strong doubt that he was in Elmira on 4-14.

John