Existing comment:
Trial Ticket:
Ticket to the 1867 trial of John Surratt.
John Surratt claimed he was in Elmira, New York, at the time of Lincoln's assassination. Escaping to Canada, he found sanctuary with a Catholic priest in St. Liboire, east of Montreal. After his mother's hanging, Surratt fled to Europe and enlisted in the Papal Guard.
Captured in Egypt, Surratt was extradited and returned to the US to stand trial. He was brought before a civilian court in 1867. His trial ended in a hung jury, and a second trial had barely begun when he was suddenly released -- the statute of limitations for his part in the crime had expired. He later went on the lecture circuit, earning money from his infamy. |