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07-12-2013, 08:46 PM

I highly recommend the article in this month's Surratt Courier concerning the 1880 Baltimore American interview with Anna Surratt that concerned Gen. Hancock. It certainly is at odds with the reported history of Hancock trying to help Mrs. Surratt. I was especially intrigued by the mental torment that discussion of her mother's death still brought Anna 15 years later. I only wish she could have told the story of her last "interview" with Hancock. It sounds interesting to say the least.

Heath

RJNorton · 07-13-2013, 05:04 AM

Thanks, Heath. The mail is slow in the Sunshine State and no sign of the Courier down here yet.

BettyO · 07-13-2013, 09:00 AM

Here neither..... I'm waiting -

L Verge · 07-13-2013, 09:52 AM

Start fussing at your regional post offices. The Couriers left our government mail room on Wednesday, and our immediate area got them the next day. Heath is hundreds of miles away and got his on Friday.

John E. · 07-13-2013, 06:08 PM

Got mine today. I look forward to reading it.

RJNorton · 07-14-2013, 05:30 AM

Ours arrived yesterday, too. Regarding the John Mathews story - has anyone ever seen the actual text of what Mathews claimed was in Booth's letter (which Mathews said he burned)? I am not asking about his earlier accounts; I am referring to his last one. I have seen numerous references to the fact it was printed in the December 7, 1881, Washington Evening Star. However, I do not think I've ever seen the article itself.

RJNorton · 07-14-2013, 12:46 PM

Many thanks to Betty - she just sent me the December 7, 1881, Washington Evening Star. We have talked many times on the forum about the embellished memories of folks in the years after the assassination. I think John Mathews might just have the record for this! What a memory!

CLICK HERE.

BettyO · (This post was last modified: 07-14-2013 01:12 PM by BettyO.)

Thanks, Roger!

Just checked the mail this morning and must have gotten my Courier yesterday as well - looks like a good issue as always!

07-14-2013, 02:03 PM

(07-14-2013 12:46 PM)RJNorton Wrote: Many thanks to Betty - she just sent me the December 7, 1881, Washington Evening Star. We have talked many times on the forum about the embellished memories of folks in the years after the assassination. I think John Mathews might just have the record for this! What a memory!

CLICK HERE.

Would you mind posting it here?

RJNorton · 07-14-2013, 03:14 PM

Hi Heath. If you click on the link I posted it should open for you if you have a program on your computer (such as Adobe Reader) that will open .pdf files. The article will be on the right side of your screen, and Betty colorfully highlighted it. It's almost assuredly quite an embellishment on Mathews' part; author and expert Ed Steers has written that Mathews likely used Booth's "To Whom It May Concern" letter to reconstruct the burned letter from 1865.

I do not recall the name of the writer, but I have a recollection that at least one writer/author has written that Mathews concocted the story of the letter from the very beginning. This writer feels no letter ever existed, and Mathews made the whole story up. At this moment in time I have forgotten which author this was, but I know I read his viewpoint on the letter somewhere.

BettyO · 07-14-2013, 03:39 PM

If you can't get the PDF which Roger posted - here is the section relating to Matthew's letter - it's a very LARGE article....

If you want the article in it's entire PDF format, please PM me and send me your email address -

RJNorton · 07-14-2013, 03:52 PM

Thanks, Betty! I had to enlarge the text in the .pdf file to read the article, and it still was not as clear as what you just posted. Wonderful!

07-14-2013, 09:26 PM

My apologies, Roger. In my haste to get from under my wife's watchful eye before church, I didn't see your hyperlink. Thanks for posting.

ps, I was chastised during church for reading "Murder at Ford's Theatre" on my iPad instead of paying attention to the sermon. Oh well. Smile

Gene C · (This post was last modified: 07-14-2013 11:13 PM by Gene C.)

A great July issue with many interesting articles.

As you read the interview with Anna Surratt, I had to keep reminding myself of certain facts. Anna was 22 years old when her mother was arressted, tried and hung. Anna was also arrested and spent nearly one month in prison before she was released. She is allowed to spend the final days with her mother in prison up to the execution, due to Mary's failing health. She was very active in trying to save her mothers life, and several prominent people try to assist her. A few years later her husband is dissmissed from his government job in 1869. No wonder she doesn't want to talk to reporters and she (and her husband) have some bitter feelings.

Regarding the Anna Surratt interview, the reporters persistence and insensitivity is very remarkable. "The interview on Thursday ended at this point, and on yesterday, the representatives of The American again visited Mr. and Mrs. Tonry. (Anna and her husband) The lady was only seen for a few moments as she was laboring under a nervous excitement that prostrated her."

Because of the tragedy in her life, she is used as a pawn in a presidential election. Anna is another of the innocent victims of Booth's deeds (and her mother's short sighted actions)

RJNorton · 07-15-2013, 04:58 AM

In the middle of the night I finally remembered the author I referred to above. It's Robert Lockwood Mills. In It Didn't Happen The Way You Think Mills admits the Mathews' story of the burned letter is in virtually all assassination books, but he argues quite forcefully that no such letter ever existed. He feels Mathews made the whole story up regarding Booth giving him a letter for the National Intelligencer.