John Surratt was one of the conspirators in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. After the assassination, he fled the country, was eventually captured, tried, and acquitted.
John Harrison Surratt Jr. was born in 1844 and became involved with the Confederate secret service during the American Civil War. He was a close associate of John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated President Lincoln on April 14, 1865. Surratt was implicated in the conspiracy, but at the time of the assassination, he was in Elmira, New York, on a separate mission for the Confederate secret service.
After the assassination, Surratt fled to Canada, and from there, he escaped to Europe, living under an assumed name. He served for a time as a Papal Zouave (a member of a regiment in the Papal army) before his identity was discovered. Surratt was arrested in Egypt in 1866 and extradited to the United States.
Upon his return, Surratt stood trial in a civilian court in Washington, D.C., in 1867, as the military tribunal that had tried the other conspirators was no longer in a position to try him. The trial lasted two months, and the jury was unable to reach a verdict, resulting in a hung jury. The government decided not to retry him, and he was released.
After his trial, Surratt lived a relatively quiet life. He worked as a teacher and a school principal. Later, he became a lecturer, recounting his Civil War experiences. He maintained his innocence regarding the assassination conspiracy for the rest of his life. John Surratt died on April 21, 1916, at the age of 72. His involvement in the Lincoln assassination conspiracy remains a subject of historical interest and debate.