connection, something unexplainable,
something preordained, but in fact she
could hear the door. He went without
asking to see her. She moved to the small
window to watch him leave. He did not stop
to glance up. He mounted a black horse,
tipped his hat to her mother.
Her mother boarded a hired carriage,
leaning on Mr. Wiechmanтs hand. She held a
parcel under her arm. Anna had never seen
it before. It was flat and round and
wrapped in newspaper. Anna thought it was
a gift from Booth. It made her envious.
Later at her motherтs trial, Anna would
hear that the package had contained a set
of field glasses. A man named Lloyd would
testify that Mary Surratt had delivered
them to him and had also given him
instructions from Booth regarding guns. It
was the single most damaging evidence
against her. At her brotherтs trial, Lloyd
would recant everything but the field
glasses. He was, he now said, too drunk at
the time to remember what Mrs. Surratt had
told him. He had never remembered. The
prosecution had compelled his earlier
testimony through threats. This revision
would come two years after Mary Surratt
had been hanged.
Anna stood at the window a long time,
pretending that Booth might return with
just such a present for her.
John Wilkes Booth passed George Atzerodt
on the street at five p.m. Booth was on
horseback. He told Atzerodt he had changed
his mind about the kidnapping. He now
wanted the Vice President killed. At 10:15
or thereabouts. "Iтve learned that Johnson
is a very brave man," Atzerodt told him.
"And you are not," Booth agreed. "But
youтre in too deep to back out now." He
rode away. Booth was carrying in his
pocket a letter to the editor of The
National Intelligencer. In it, he
recounted the reasons for Lincolnтs death.
