Assassination of Lincoln: a History of the Great Conspiracy: Trial of the Conspirators by a Military Commission, and a Review of the Trial of John H. SurrattHarris, T. M. (Thomas Mealey)
History
Assassination of Lincoln: a History of the Great Conspiracy: Trial of the Conspirators by a Military Commission, and a Review of the Trial of John H. Surratt
Harris, T. M. (Thomas Mealey)
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Assassination; Surratt, John H. (John Harrison), 1844-1916
The most active measures were at once resorted to by the government
to discover the conspirators, and to capture all who could be found
of those engaged in it. The civil and military police, as also those
engaged in the secret service of the government, were at once set to
work. It was soon learned that Booth and a co-conspirator, which proved
to be Herold, had passed over the navy-yard bridge, on horseback, very
shortly after the hour at which the fatal shot had been fired, and
were fleeing toward Surrattsville and Bryantown in Maryland. They had
been allowed to pass by the sentinel at the bridge, having represented
themselves as citizens on their way to their homes. Booth was first
at the bridge, and gave his true name to the sentinel, saying that he
lived close to Beautown. Five minutes later Herold came and gave his
name as Smith, saying that he lived at White Plains and was on his way
home. Having gotten safely on the road, they directly joined company,
and pushed on rapidly, arriving at Surrattsville about midnight.
Stopping at Lloyd's tavern in Surrattsville, Herold dismounted and
went into the house, saying to Lloyd, "For God's sake, make haste
and get those things!" Lloyd, understanding what he wanted from the
notification given him by Mrs. Surratt on the evening previous, without
making any reply, went and got the carbines, which he had placed in
his bedroom that they might be handy, and brought them to Herold,
together with the ammunition and field-glass that had been deposited
with him, and the two bottles of whiskey that Booth had ordered through
Mrs. Surratt the evening before. Herold carried out to Booth one of
the bottles of whiskey, drinking from his own bottle in the house
before going out. Booth declined taking his carbine, saying his leg was
broken and he could not carry it. As they were about leaving, Booth
said to Lloyd, "I will tell you some news if you want to hear it"; and
then went on to say, "I am pretty certain that we have assassinated
the President and Secretary Seward." The moon was now up and shining
brightly, and the two confessed criminals resumed their flight. The
next heard of them was at the house of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, near
Bryantown, in Maryland, and about thirty miles from Washington, where
they arrived at about four o'clock on the morning of the 15th, having
travelled at the rate of six miles per hour.
[Illustration: MAP OF BOOTH'S ROUTE.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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