John Patrick Brophy

[Pamela]

I think he was the trusted friend mentioned by John Surratt in his Rockville lecture:

" Things continued in this way for some time, until I could stand the suspense no longer. I determined to send a messenger to Washington for that purpose, and secured the services of an intelligent and educated gentleman. I started him off immediately, I paying all expenses. I gave him a letter to a friend of mine in Washington, with instructions to say to him to put himself in communication with the counsel for the defense, and to make a correct report to me as to how the case stood; if there was any danger; and also, to communicate with me if my presence was necessary, and inform me without delay; with an urgent request that he would see and inquire for himself how matters stood. He left me, and God alone knows the suspense and anxiety of my mind during the days of his absence. I imagined and thought all kinds of things; yet I was powerless to act. At last he returned, and so bright and cheerful was his countenance that I confess one-half of my fears were dispelled. He represented everything as progressing well, and brought me the message from the gentleman in Washington to whom I had sent him:

'Be under no apprehension as to any serious consequences. Remain perfectly quiet, as any action on your part would only tend to make matters worse. If you can be of any service to us, we will let you know; but keep quiet.'

These were the instructions I received from my friend in Washington, in whom I felt the utmost reliance, and who I thought would never deceive me."

Brophy was teaching at Gonzaga College in DC at the time. He was a schoolmate of John and Louis's at St. Charles Seminary and was close to Father Wiget whose name appeared on Brophy's naturalization record. He said something interesting in a speech he gave to the Society of the friendly Sons of St. Patrick in the early 1900's (after Weichmann was dead, John Surratt still alive). It was mixed in with a lot of distortions and lies (like Davey Herold was a "sixteen year old half witted orphan", and maybe that's all it is:
"Booth plotted and planned the kidnapping carefully, but each time the plan was to be put into execution something occurred to frustrate him. Once the President was to be taken as he passed over the Anacostia Bridge in his carriage on his tour of the military hospital. That and the two other attempts failed."
I don't remember reading about three failed attempts. Wasn't there just one?

His speech is in the Confederate Veteran Magazine, Volume 18.

I did some research on Brophy and found that he married a niece of President Tyler, Elizabeth Watts Tyler. I've seen her name as Elizabeth Warren Tyler, also. He moved to New York and became President of St. Louis College, a school for boys. Years later he reinvented himself as an Assistant Deputy Clerk for the New York Supreme Court. He died in 1914.

Weichmann's response to Brophy can be read here:
http://www.nytimes.com/1865/07/18/news/m...davit.html
Weichmann said Brophy wasn't yet naturalized, but apparently he was.

[Susan Higginbotham]

Brophy was naturalized in 1880. Father Bernardin Wiget was his sponsor. He also officiated at Brophy's wedding to Elizabeth Warren (not Watts) Tyler in 1866. (Brophy and his sons published a little book about Mrs. Brophy's genealogy.)

John Surratt, who died in 1916, outlived Brophy.

Edit: I hadn't seen the naturalization document when I posted. I do wonder if that 1855 date is correct, though, because Brophy was only 12 at the time, and couldn't have been a teacher yet. Are there certificates for his parents and siblings from that year?

I do stand by the "Warren" for his wife, as that's the name she's called by in the family genealogy, published during her lifetime by her husband and her sons, and in her own obituary.

[RJNorton]

During December 1870 John Surratt gave a second lecture at the Cooper Union in New York City and a third one at Concordia Hall in Baltimore. Has anyone ever seen the texts of those lectures? The only text I have seen is the one from Rockville. Also, does anyone know if Chase ever confirmed that his carriage was approached by strangers?

[BettyO]

I have the article which Pamela mentions regarding Brophy and Weichmann; including the "Three" kidnap attempts. It is in Volume 18 of the 1910 Confederate Veteran -

There was only one kidnap attempt by JWB and company, that I know of...to wit: the one on March 18 near the Campbell Hospital.

Thanks, Pamela - and thanks Roger for uploading the file!

CLICK HERE.

[Pamela]

Thanks, Roger! Brophy again mentioned three attempts in the Confederate Veteran article:

"John and the others, except Atzerodt, Payne and Herold, dropped out of the kidnapping conspiracy after the third attempt failed."
and
"During these various attempts to kidnap the President Mrs. Surratt was in utter ignorance of her son's doings."

Something else curious from the article:
"He (Brophy) traced the conspiracy step by step from it's first inception, on September 15, 1864, to the assassination."

John Surratt said this in the Rockville lecture:

"In the fall of 1864 I was introduced to John Wilkes Booth, who, I was given to understand, wished to know something about the main avenues leading from Washington to the Potomac."

John Surratt said this in the Hanson Hiss interview:

"Ah! Wilkes Booth! I loathe him. In the first place, Wilkes Booth was never introduced to me by Dr. Mudd on the street or anywhere else. Booth came to me with a letter of introduction from a valued and trusted friend. In the second place, Weichmann was nowhere near when Booth presented his letter."

[Susan Higginbotham]

Here's the 1880 naturalization document for Brophy. I think the 1855 date on the file card shown above must have been a clerical error--perhaps his date of immigration to the U.S.. Note Father Wiget's great handwriting!

The press caught up with Brophy and Wiget at the naturalization ceremony and interviewed them about General Hancock and Mrs. Surratt's case. In the same interview, Brophy claimed that he had published and distributed a pamphlet to stir up sympathy for Mary Surratt--presumably the pseudonymous "Amator Justitiae" pamphlet distributed in June 1865.

---

Re the three kidnap attempts, in Fortune's Fool Terry Alford mentions an abortive plan by Booth & co. to kidnap Lincoln in January 1865, with Thomas Jones as his source. He writes that Mary Surratt "went out to the tavern to inform Harbin, Atzerodt, and John, who were readying the route before Washington, to stand down."

[Pamela]

Thanks, Susan. What beautiful handwriting! It must have been a clerical error and it was so carelessly done, too, with information fields ignored and the wrong country of origin. Very interesting info about another kidnapping attempt, and involving Mary! I wonder of Brophy was a confidant of Surratt's about the kidnapping conspiracy. Brophy's actions and accusations against Weichmann could be the result of a guilty conscience. He might have reasoned that if John mentioned the kidnapping to him, then he must have done so to Weichmann. But Surratt was smart enough to know that Weichmann had to be handled differently.

[Pamela]

(03-30-2015 12:31 AM)Susan Higginbotham Wrote:  Brophy was naturalized in 1880. Father Bernardin Wiget was his sponsor. He also officiated at Brophy's wedding to Elizabeth Warren (not Watts) Tyler in 1866. (Brophy and his sons published a little book about Mrs. Brophy's genealogy.)

John Surratt, who died in 1916, outlived Brophy.

Edit: I hadn't seen the naturalization document when I posted. I do wonder if that 1855 date is correct, though, because Brophy was only 12 at the time, and couldn't have been a teacher yet. Are there certificates for his parents and siblings from that year?

I do stand by the "Warren" for his wife, as that's the name she's called by in the family genealogy, published during her lifetime by her husband and her sons, and in her own obituary.

Maybe the newspaper obit confused her father's first name (wasn't it 'Wat') with her maiden name. The address on the record I found is for his school. I'll see what I can find about Brophy's family naturalizations tonight, hopefully. I want to get the book you mentioned.

[L Verge]

I would still like to see the verification that Anna Surratt "lived with the Brophys for years." Several of the Tonrys and the Surratts told me years ago that they had never heard that.

There is some mention somewhere of the Holohans returning to the boardinghouse to help her clean up and to stay with her. When she couldn't take the crowds surrounding the home in D.C., they said she came to live with her grandmother Jenkins and Uncle Zadoc on what is now Joint Base Andrews. One of Zadoc's daughters was friends with my grandmother and said that the reporters found her even out in the sticks (she also said that Zadoc's family called Mary "Aunt Lizzie."

Anna also stayed for awhile with school friends in Baltimore. By 1869, she was married.

[Susan Higginbotham]

(03-30-2015 03:29 PM)L Verge Wrote:  I would still like to see the verification that Anna Surratt "lived with the Brophys for years." Several of the Tonrys and the Surratts told me years ago that they had never heard that.

There is some mention somewhere of the Holohans returning to the boardinghouse to help her clean up and to stay with her. When she couldn't take the crowds surrounding the home in D.C., they said she came to live with her grandmother Jenkins and Uncle Zadoc on what is now Joint Base Andrews. One of Zadoc's daughters was friends with my grandmother and said that the reporters found her even out in the sticks (she also said that Zadoc's family called Mary "Aunt Lizzie."

Anna also stayed for awhile with school friends in Baltimore. By 1869, she was married.

If Anna stayed with the Brophys, it must have been for a very short period.

Anna testified at the Johnson impeachment hearing that she had remained in the boardinghouse for a few months (with the Holohans) after her mother's execution. She gave a Massachusetts Avenue address at the hearing.

Brophy didn't marry until September 1866, so Anna staying with him before that would have been grossly improper and out of the question.

There's a newspaper reference to Anna working as a governess for Mr. Gwynne (sp.?), apparently the same man whom Mary Surratt had consulted during one of her trips in April 1865.

Brophy was living in New York City in September 1868, when he wrote a letter (which I'm going to transcribe for the Courier) dated from there. He seems to have remained in that city for the remainder of his life, at addresses that most New Yorkers would kill for nowadays.

---

(03-30-2015 02:56 PM)Pamela Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 12:31 AM)Susan Higginbotham Wrote:  Brophy was naturalized in 1880. Father Bernardin Wiget was his sponsor. He also officiated at Brophy's wedding to Elizabeth Warren (not Watts) Tyler in 1866. (Brophy and his sons published a little book about Mrs. Brophy's genealogy.)

John Surratt, who died in 1916, outlived Brophy.

Edit: I hadn't seen the naturalization document when I posted. I do wonder if that 1855 date is correct, though, because Brophy was only 12 at the time, and couldn't have been a teacher yet. Are there certificates for his parents and siblings from that year?

I do stand by the "Warren" for his wife, as that's the name she's called by in the family genealogy, published during her lifetime by her husband and her sons, and in her own obituary.

Maybe the newspaper obit confused her father's first name (wasn't it 'Wat') with her maiden name. The address on the record I found is for his school. I'll see what I can find about Brophy's family naturalizations tonight, hopefully. I want to get the book you mentioned.

I have a photocopy of it I got from the Virginia Historical Society. It's rather dull, I'm afraid--next to nothing about Brophy himself, although it does have photographs of him and the missus in old age. I'll see if I can scan them.

[L Verge]

Didn't know about the governess to Mr Gwynn. If it was Bennett Gwynn, he lived a mile from Surratt House, and those of you who attend our conferences drive through his old farm to reach the museum. When you leave Colony South and go straight through the light at Route 5/Branch Avenue, you are on Surratts Road and Gwynn's property (even when I was a child). It is now a large housing development called Summit Creek. The farm was Mt. Auburn, and the house was still standing until about forty years ago -- along with a charming red barn that artists and photographers used to stop and commit to canvas and film.

[Pamela]

(03-30-2015 04:11 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  During December 1870 John Surratt gave a second lecture at the Cooper Union in New York City and a third one at Concordia Hall in Baltimore. Has anyone ever seen the texts of those lectures? The only text I have seen is the one from Rockville. Also, does anyone know if Chase ever confirmed that his carriage was approached by strangers?

I haven't heard of those transcripts. If they were available, I bet Weichmann would have had them in his book.

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(03-30-2015 07:01 PM)Susan Higginbotham Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 03:29 PM)L Verge Wrote:  I would still like to see the verification that Anna Surratt "lived with the Brophys for years." Several of the Tonrys and the Surratts told me years ago that they had never heard that.

There is some mention somewhere of the Holohans returning to the boardinghouse to help her clean up and to stay with her. When she couldn't take the crowds surrounding the home in D.C., they said she came to live with her grandmother Jenkins and Uncle Zadoc on what is now Joint Base Andrews. One of Zadoc's daughters was friends with my grandmother and said that the reporters found her even out in the sticks (she also said that Zadoc's family called Mary "Aunt Lizzie."

Anna also stayed for awhile with school friends in Baltimore. By 1869, she was married.

If Anna stayed with the Brophys, it must have been for a very short period.

Anna testified at the Johnson impeachment hearing that she had remained in the boardinghouse for a few months (with the Holohans) after her mother's execution. She gave a Massachusetts Avenue address at the hearing.

Brophy didn't marry until September 1866, so Anna staying with him before that would have been grossly improper and out of the question.

There's a newspaper reference to Anna working as a governess for Mr. Gwynne (sp.?), apparently the same man whom Mary Surratt had consulted during one of her trips in April 1865.

Brophy was living in New York City in September 1868, when he wrote a letter (which I'm going to transcribe for the Courier) dated from there. He seems to have remained in that city for the remainder of his life, at addresses that most New Yorkers would kill for nowadays.

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(03-30-2015 02:56 PM)Pamela Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 12:31 AM)Susan Higginbotham Wrote:  Brophy was naturalized in 1880. Father Bernardin Wiget was his sponsor. He also officiated at Brophy's wedding to Elizabeth Warren (not Watts) Tyler in 1866. (Brophy and his sons published a little book about Mrs. Brophy's genealogy.)

John Surratt, who died in 1916, outlived Brophy.

Edit: I hadn't seen the naturalization document when I posted. I do wonder if that 1855 date is correct, though, because Brophy was only 12 at the time, and couldn't have been a teacher yet. Are there certificates for his parents and siblings from that year?

I do stand by the "Warren" for his wife, as that's the name she's called by in the family genealogy, published during her lifetime by her husband and her sons, and in her own obituary.

Maybe the newspaper obit confused her father's first name (wasn't it 'Wat') with her maiden name. The address on the record I found is for his school. I'll see what I can find about Brophy's family naturalizations tonight, hopefully. I want to get the book you mentioned.

I have a photocopy of it I got from the Virginia Historical Society. It's rather dull, I'm afraid--next to nothing about Brophy himself, although it does have photographs of him and the missus in old age. I'll see if I can scan them.

I can't find anything other tha what I posted at ancestry. I would love to see a pic of Brophy even in old age. I contacted a descendant but I may never hear anything..

---

Page 32, Weichmann's book, he writes about meeting on the street when Booth was with Mudd and he was strolling along with Surratt. Mudd introduced Booth to Weichmann and Surratt as "Mr. Boone". The whole evening Booth was referred to as Boone. At the end of the evening, and when Louis and John were alone again, Surratt told him "Boone" was really Booth the famous actor, who Weichmann had seen perform on stage but didn't recognize in person. P68 Weichmann discusses the implications of this apparently staged meeting, and that Surratt was already beginning to deceive him.

P. 70, Weichmann discusses JS's brief employment at the Adams Express Company in Washington, Dec 30 to January 13 1865. Surratt tried to take a few days off, but his employer refused since he had just started. Subsequently, Mary tried to get John a leave of absence, saying she needed him to accompany her to Prince George County, but she was also refused. John left his job that same day and never returned. After the assassination (2 years) a card was found in Booth's vest in Surratt's handwriting, "I tried to secure leave but failed. J. Harrison Surratt."

It was right after that, that Surratt went to Port Tobacco without his mother. P.71 refers to testimony of Mr. Eddy Martin at John's trial. He met Surratt there and Atzerodt was involved in some business that created a problem for Martin. This may have been the time for one of the kidnapping attempts. Booth was in Baltimore Jan 10-12 arranging with O'Laughlin and Arnold to transport a trunk full of guns and provisions to DC, which they did, and etc. It was a busy time and it makes sense that there would have been at least one additional kidnapping attempt between mid January and 2 months later in March.

[Susan Higginbotham]

(03-30-2015 07:20 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Didn't know about the governess to Mr Gwynn. If it was Bennett Gwynn, he lived a mile from Surratt House, and those of you who attend our conferences drive through his old farm to reach the museum. When you leave Colony South and go straight through the light at Route 5/Branch Avenue, you are on Surratts Road and Gwynn's property (even when I was a child). It is now a large housing development called Summit Creek. The farm was Mt. Auburn, and the house was still standing until about forty years ago -- along with a charming red barn that artists and photographers used to stop and commit to canvas and film.

The governess bit is mentioned in the Washington Evening Star of February 21, 1867, in a piece about John Surratt's prison quarters. It states, "The sister, Miss Anna Surratt, was last fall the governess in the family of Capt. B. Gwynn, in the lower part of Prince George's County, but for several weeks past she has been in this city, stopping with some of her relatives, and it is expected that this afternoon she will visit her brother."

(Anna did have more than her fair share of improbable news stories about her--one claimed in September 1867 that Anna had departed for Europe while the jury was deliberating her brother's fate-- but the governess story seems plausible enough.)

[Dennis Urban]

"The press caught up with Brophy and Wiget at the naturalization ceremony and interviewed them about General Hancock and Mrs. Surratt's case. In the same interview, Brophy claimed that he had published and distributed a pamphlet to stir up sympathy for Mary Surratt--presumably the pseudonymous "Amator Justitiae" pamphlet distributed in June 1865."

While a minor point of history, no one seems to question John Brophy being the author of the June 14, 1865 pamphlet Amator Justitiae and the earlier June 5 letter to the editor of the Constitutional Union under the same signature. The 2008 book, The Catholics and Mrs. Mary Surratt offers a very convincing argument (Chapter Six) that Brophy was not the author but that someone much older and more learned than Brophy, such as Fr. Bernardin Wiget, was the likely. Brophy never confirmed nor denied authorship and neither did Fr. Wiget. To gain an understanding of what it took to write such a pamphlet, one needs to read the pamphlet in its entirety (also in the book). This is not the writing of a 22-year-old teacher but someone much more accomplished and educated. The June 5 letter to the editor states, "I know this child." Brophy and Anna were the same age. Why would he then us e such a term to describe Anna?

Given the harsh feelings against the Catholic Church at the time and from many quarters, it is understandable why someone like Fr. Wiget would want to avoid the publicity of being known as the author of the pamphlet. Perhaps between Fr. Wiget and Brophy they were comfortable letting the public think the latter was the author.
The thorough investigation presented in the book makes me think not.

[L Verge]

(10-13-2017 12:44 PM)Dennis Urban Wrote:  "The press caught up with Brophy and Wiget at the naturalization ceremony and interviewed them about General Hancock and Mrs. Surratt's case. In the same interview, Brophy claimed that he had published and distributed a pamphlet to stir up sympathy for Mary Surratt--presumably the pseudonymous "Amator Justitiae" pamphlet distributed in June 1865."

While a minor point of history, no one seems to question John Brophy being the author of the June 14, 1865 pamphlet Amator Justitiae and the earlier June 5 letter to the editor of the Constitutional Union under the same signature. The 2008 book, The Catholics and Mrs. Mary Surratt offers a very convincing argument (Chapter Six) that Brophy was not the author but that someone much older and more learned than Brophy, such as Fr. Bernardin Wiget, was the likely. Brophy never confirmed nor denied authorship and neither did Fr. Wiget. To gain an understanding of what it took to write such a pamphlet, one needs to read the pamphlet in its entirety (also in the book). This is not the writing of a 22-year-old teacher but someone much more accomplished and educated. The June 5 letter to the editor states, "I know this child." Brophy and Anna were the same age. Why would he then us e such a term to describe Anna?

Given the harsh feelings against the Catholic Church at the time and from many quarters, it is understandable why someone like Fr. Wiget would want to avoid the publicity of being known as the author of the pamphlet. Perhaps between Fr. Wiget and Brophy they were comfortable letting the public think the latter was the author.
The thorough investigation presented in the book makes me think not.

Excellent points, Dennis, and I agree. Brophy was serving as a literary cover for the Church hierarchy.