Mary Surratt and the Lincoln Assassination: Her Involvement, Legacy and Execution

Despite unwaveringly declaring her innocence along with the support of several priests, Mary Surratt was sentenced to death.

Mary Elizabeth Jenkins Surratt was born in 1823 in Waterloo, Maryland. Raised in a devout Catholic family, she married John Harrison Surratt at the age of 17. The couple had three children and eventually moved to Washington, D.C., where they opened a boarding house in 1864 after John Surratt’s death. This boarding house would later become infamous as a meeting place for those who plotted the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. There, she was introduced to John Wilkes Booth. Booth visited the boardinghouse numerous times, as did conspirators George Atzerodt and Lewis Powell, Booth's co-conspirators in the Lincoln assassination. Shortly before killing Lincoln, Booth spoke with Surratt and handed her a package containing binoculars for one of her tenants, John M. Lloyd.

Involvement in the Lincoln Assassination

Mary Surratt’s involvement in the assassination plot remains a subject of historical debate. Her boarding house served as a hub for Confederate sympathisers and was frequented by John Wilkes Booth, the actor and Confederate spy who assassinated Lincoln. Key figures in the conspiracy, including Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt, were also regular visitors.

The depth of Mary Surratt’s involvement is contentious. Prosecutors argued that she was deeply enmeshed in the conspiracy. Testimonies from witnesses, including Louis Weichmann and John Lloyd, suggested that she played an active role in aiding Booth and his co-conspirators. Weichmann, a boarder at her house, claimed that Surratt had direct knowledge of the plot, while Lloyd, who managed her tavern in Surrattsville, Maryland, testified that she had instructed him to prepare firearms and supplies for Booth and Herold.

Historians like Edward Steers Jr., author of “His Name is Still Mudd: The Case Against Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd,” argue that Mary Surratt was a willing participant in the conspiracy. Steers posits that her actions, such as delivering messages and facilitating meetings, were critical to the success of the plot. Conversely, some historians suggest that Surratt was merely caught up in the activities of her son, John Surratt Jr., who was an active Confederate agent.

Surratt's boarding house, c. 1890, little changed from how it looked during her occupancy. It now houses a restaurant, is in the Chinatown neighbourhood of Washington, D.C.

Mary Surratt’s co-conspirators included some of the most notorious figures in American history:

1. John Wilkes Booth: The charismatic actor who masterminded the assassination. Booth was killed during a manhunt twelve days after Lincoln’s assassination.

2. Lewis Powell: Tasked with killing Secretary of State William H. Seward, Powell severely injured Seward and several others in a brutal attack.

3. David Herold: Assisted Booth in his escape and was captured alongside him.

4. George Atzerodt: Assigned to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson but lost his nerve and never attempted the assassination.

5. John Surratt Jr.: Mary’s son, who fled the country after the assassination but was later captured and tried, though he escaped conviction.

Mary Surratt was arrested on April 17, 1865, just three days after Lincoln’s assassination. Her trial by a military commission began on May 9, 1865, and she was found guilty on June 30, 1865. Despite appeals for clemency and the efforts of her lawyer, Reverdy Johnson, to save her from execution, President Andrew Johnson refused to intervene, saying she had "kept the nest that hatched the egg."

Construction of the gallows for the execution of the condemned conspirators began promptly on July 5, following the signing of the execution order. The gallows were erected in the southern section of the Arsenal courtyard. Operating on the belief that a woman would not be hanged, Surratt's noose was prepared the night before the execution with five loops instead of the standard seven. To ensure their effectiveness, the nooses were tested that evening by attaching them to a tree branch and a sack of buckshot, which were then dropped to the ground (the ropes held).

The soldiers began testing the gallows about 11:25 A.M. on July the 7th; the sound of the tests unnerved all the prisoners. Shortly before noon, Mary Surratt was taken from her cell and then allowed to sit in a chair near the entrance to the courtyard.

At 1:15 P.M., General Hartranft led a procession escorting the four condemned prisoners through the courtyard and up to the gallows. Each prisoner had their ankles and wrists bound with manacles. Surratt, dressed in black bombazine attire, a black bonnet, and a black veil, walked at the front. Over 1,000 spectators, including government officials, members of the US armed forces, friends and family of the accused, official witnesses, and reporters, observed the event. General Hancock restricted attendance to ticket holders, with only those with valid reasons granted entry. The majority of attendees were military officers and soldiers, as fewer than 200 tickets were issued.

Alexander Gardner photographed the execution for the government, after having photographed Booth's body and taken portraits of several male conspirators imprisoned on naval ships. Hartranft announced the order for their execution. Surratt needed assistance from two soldiers and her priests. The condemned individuals were seated in chairs, with Surratt almost collapsing into hers. She sat to the right of the others, the traditional "seat of honour" during an execution. White cloth was used to bind their arms, ankles, and thighs together. The cloths around Surratt's legs were tied below the knees of her dress. Each person received spiritual guidance from a clergy member. From the scaffold, Powell spoke,

"Mrs. Surratt is innocent. She doesn't deserve to die with the rest of us."

Fathers Jacob and Wiget prayed over her and held a crucifix to her lips. About 16 minutes elapsed from the time the prisoners entered the courtyard until they were ready for execution.

The four condemned conspirators: David Herold, Lewis Powell, Mary Surratt and George Atzerodt (from left to right).

Surratt had her bonnet taken off and a U.S. Secret Service officer placed the noose around her neck. Following this, a white bag was placed over the head of each prisoner. She expressed discomfort with the bindings on her arms, to which the officer responded, "Well, it won't hurt long." The prisoners were then instructed to stand and move a few feet towards the nooses, with the chairs being removed. As she was being led to the drop, her final words were spoken to a guard.

"Please don't let me fall."

Surratt and the others remained on the drop for approximately 10 seconds before Captain Rath clapped his hands. Subsequently, four soldiers from Company F of the 14th Veteran Reserves dislodged the supports securing the drops, causing the condemned individuals to fall. Surratt, who had advanced to the edge of the drop, staggered forward and slid partway down before her body abruptly stopped at the end of the rope, swinging back and forth. She seemed to succumb relatively quickly with minimal resistance. Atzerodt experienced a single heave of his stomach and trembling legs before becoming motionless. Herold and Powell, on the other hand, endured a nearly five-minute struggle, ultimately succumbing to strangulation.

After each body was examined by a physician to confirm death, the executed individuals were left hanging for approximately 30 minutes before soldiers commenced cutting them down at 1:53 p.m. A corporal swiftly ascended the gallows to remove Atzerodt's body, causing it to drop heavily to the ground. Following this incident, the other bodies were handled more delicately. Herold's body was then taken down, followed by Powell's. Surratt's body was finally cut down at 1:58 p.m., resulting in her head dropping forward as it was released. A soldier's inappropriate comment, "She makes a good bow," was promptly criticised by an officer for its insensitivity.

After examining the individuals, military surgeons confirmed that none of them had broken their necks from the fall. The manacles and cloth restraints were taken off, except for the white execution masks, before placing the bodies in pine coffins. Acting Assistant Adjutant R. A. Watts wrote down the name of each person on a piece of paper, which was then placed in a glass vial and put inside the coffin. The coffins were then buried near the prison wall in shallow graves, a short distance from the gallows, with a white picket fence marking the burial location. On the night of her death, a mob attacked the Surratt boarding house and started removing souvenirs until the police intervened.

Legacy and Historical Debate

Mary Surratt’s legacy is complex and divisive. To some, she is a martyr who was unjustly executed based on circumstantial evidence and a biased trial. To others, she is a willing participant in one of the most heinous crimes in American history. The debate over her guilt continues to this day, with scholars examining the extent of her involvement and the fairness of her trial.

In “The Assassin’s Accomplice: Mary Surratt and the Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln,” author Kate Clifford Larson provides a detailed analysis of Surratt’s role, suggesting that while Surratt might not have been the mastermind, she was certainly complicit. Larson writes,

“Mary Surratt knew enough about the conspiracy to be held accountable for her actions. Whether she deserved to be hanged is another question, one that history may never fully answer.”

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