Lot 69 email save

Mary Surratt Autograph Letter Signed UACC PADA

Sign In to see what this sold for

Exceedingly rare Manuscript Document Signed 6 pages, 8" x 12.5". Washington, D.C., May 10, 1853. To help pay off a debt to Benjamin L. Jackson and William B. Jackson, doing business as "B L Jackson and brother," and others in the form of notes, with interest "from the 14 April 1853," John H. Surratt and his wife, Mary Eugene Surratt transfer to Benjamin F. Middleton and Benjamin Beale "two pieces or parcels of land lying and being in the County of Washington in the District of Columbia which are known as part of 'Fox Hall' and the whole of the parcel or tract known as 'Pasture and Gleaning'...and premises with the appurtenances." The Surratts "may use any occupy the said Lands and premises. And upon default by the said John H. Surratt or his assigns in the payment of all of said notes and of the debt of sixty three dollars and twenty three cents for costs of an intended sale...with interest from the periods pertaining to each as already set forth - on or by the first day of January eighteen hundred and fifty four" after which time the land, or part of the land, may be sold by Middleton and Beale. The document is also signed by Justices of the Peace Benjamin K. Morsell ("B.K. Morsell") and Thomas C. Donn ("T.C. Donn") as witnesses. There is also an attached 8" x 12.5" Manuscript Document Signed "B.K. Morsell" and "T.C. Donn" certifying the signatures of the Surratts. Tiny holes at one fold. Morsell has filled in the name "Mary Eugene" three times in blank areas between "Mrs," and "Surratt" as well as his name and Donn's name in the text of the certification. The pages are tied together at the top with white ribbon. The documents are docketed on verso of the certification in an unknown hand: "John H. Surratt/and wife/In Trust/to/Benjamin F. Middleton/and/Benjamin Beall" and was recorded on June 8, 1853 by "John A. Smith/Clerk."On the evening of April 14, 1865, actor John Wilkes Booth, who had been a frequent visitor to Mrs. Surratt's boarding house, assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. A search began for Booth and others suspected of having been involved in any way with the assassination. Three days later, Mary Surratt was arrested at her Washington boardinghouse. Her Surrattsville tenant, John M. Lloyd, testified before the Military Commission hearing the case, that Surratt had requested that he have field glasses and carbines ready for Booth and David Herold, whom Surratt had recommended as a reliable participant in the conspiracy, when they arrived at the Surratt House late on the night of the assassination. Lloyd also claimed that Mrs. Surratt delivered the field glasses to him for safekeeping earlier on the same day. On July 7, 1865, found guilty and sentenced to death, Mary Surratt was hanged, along with conspirators Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt, and David Herold. John Surratt fled to Canada after the assassination, then to Europe. He was captured after his ship docked in Alexandria, Egypt, after sailing from Naples. Surratt was tried by a civil court in 1867. In August, after 62 days and almost 200 witnesses almost evenly divided, the jury could not reach a unanimous decision (8 not guilty, 4 guilty) and a mistrial was declared. Eventually, the government dropped the charges and Surratt, whose friendship with Booth and Herold brought them to his mother's boardinghouse, implicating her as a conspirator in Lincoln's assassination.Signed, "Mary Eug. Surratt" and "John H. Surratt". The autograph of convicted Lincoln conspirator Mary E. Surratt, the first woman executed by the U.S. government, is exceedingly rare. In fact, in the last 30 years, only one example appeared at a major public auction, at Sotheby's sale of the Sang Collection on April 26, 1978. A two-page 1858 ALS to her father about removing her eldest son Isaac from the influence of her drunken husband, sold for $2,200. Putting that 1978 sale into perspective, at the same sale, a four-page 1864 ALS of John Wilkes Booth, about his New Years' activities and other matters, sold for $2,500. On December 16, 2004, at Christie's New York, that same Booth letter sold for $45,600, almost 20 times its 1978 price! Neither the Surratt nor the Booth letter were even remotely connected to the Lincoln assassination.This document directly led to Surratt's acquiring title to the house on H Street where John H. Surratt, Jr. met with John Wilkes Booth and other Lincoln conspirators, first to plot the kidnapping of President Lincoln, then, when that failed, to murder him. While the conspirators would have undeniably met elsewhere had not Mrs. Surratt owned the boardinghouse, if this document had never existed, she wouldn't have been arrested, convicted, or hanged. In excellent condition.

Guaranteed Authentic Forever - Buy With Confidence.

Offered by:

Thispiece is offered by Max Rambod Inc, one of the nation's largest and most respected dealers of original historical autographs

Over the past 2 decades, we have sold and authenticated thousands of autographs in all categories including US Presidents, Vintage Hollywood and famous people in all fields. We are one of the top autograph dealers in the world. Make sure to view our page for more information about Autographs our Guarantee and Our Company.

ALLAUTOGRAPHS ARE GUARANTEED AUTHENTIC FOREVER.

Max Rambod Inc. is a member of PADA (Less than 50 dealers in the world have been accepted to PADA), we have been a member of UACC for 15 years, and an ebayseller for 8 years, Manuscript Society member for 15 years, IADA Registered Dealer, and former author of The Autograph Collector Magazine'scolumn on authentication, and we were a Sotheby's associate . During the time period that Sotheby's held auctions on the Internet, on Sothebys.com we were one of the few Licensed Sothebys.com Associate Dealer. Licensed Sothebys.com Associate Dealers were required to be specialists in the fields in which they offered property and to provide a Guarantee of the Authenticity and Condition of the property they sold. Our clients include Museums, Universities, and many major collectors anddealers who are captivated by our authentic material.

If you have any question about this great item please call or email us at least one day prior to the auction day, we have between 500 and 1000 lots in each auction so we will be very busy on the last day and unable to respond to inquiries on auction day, but we would be more than happy to do so on any day before the auction day

.We stand behind every autograph we sell with our unconditional guarantee of authenticity. WE will refund 100% of your money if it is ever proven that this autograph item is not authentic. So you can buy withconfidence.

If you have any questions please email us at max@maxrambod.com during weekdays. Please see Max Rambod's other guaranteed authentic autographs on eBay

TERMS OFAUCTION: PLEASE READ THE TERMS AND CONDITION OF THIS AUCTION, IF YOU BID ON THIS LOT YOU ARE ACCEPTING THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS. Please also remember that we must receive payment from winning bidder within 7 business days. If auction closes on the weekend Please note that we will contact you on the Monday following the closing of this auction (we are closed during weekends). Note that some scans may be in in black and white. Postal Money Orders preferred. Personal checks will have to clear for 10 business days before mailing. We accept VISA and Master Charge through PayPal.com. All sales are final. US funds Only. NO COD's. Item(s) are shipped via UPS ($15.50) or Federal Express for items priced above $1500.00 (Fed Ex charges are $38.50) all items also have an Shipping insurance fee of $3 for items priced below $300, Insurance for items valued above $300 will be $7.5 plus 0.03 percent of the value, but insurance fee will be less than what the postal insurance rate would cost. Please wait for your Invoice before making payments. All International shipping via Registered Mail is $29 plus insurance on all items. CA residents add 8.25% sales tax to all orders. Please wait for your Invoice before making payments. We have between 500 and 1000 lot in each auction so invoices will be sent out within 10 days of the sale. Thank you for participating at our auction.

Catalog #: 50
Inventory #: 13112