George T. ATZERODT; (1832-1865) Chapter 6.

Accused No. 2: A German Boat and Carriage builder, near Port 
Tobacco. During the war he provided boats for the Confederate 
spies along the underground mail route of the Potomac for money. 
He agreed to provide boats for the Plot-to-Capture, but refused 
to take  part in any assassination plan. On the assassination 
night of Friday, April 14, 1865, ATZERODT had been too frightened 
to kill anyone, although he was accused during the trial of 
agreeing to murder Vice-President ANDREW JOHNSON. Instead he had 
wandered drunkenly around Washington D.C. until about 3:00 
o'clock in the morning, stayed in a hotel for 2 hours, then set 
off by stage and wagon to the house of his cousin, HARTMAN 
RICHTER, near Barnsville, Maryland. He lived there quietly for 
five days working in the garden, but on Thursday, April 20, 1865 
an informer led the soldiers to him. Both ATZERDODT and RICHTER 
were arrested and taken to Washington D.C. where cousin RITCHTER 
was imprisoned and ATZERODT thrown in to chains, first on the 
ironclad Montauk and then on the Saugus. [REF: #5  pg190

   Brought to Trial:
GEORGE T. ATZERODT, age 33 was not a favorite among the prisoners. 
He was German born, had a thick accent that was hard to understand, 
though of course the courtroom  visitors were not treated to this; 
on exhibition in the docket he was forbidden to say a word; but the 
greatest complaint was he had no neck at all. He was short, round-shouldered, 
and had an expression that was at the same time stupid and crafty. 
People said "hangdog, shabby, neckless", he was a poor advocate 
for himself. He also looked cowardly, mercenary, and as "inscrutable 
as some eastern idol." [REF: #5  pg198

   Trial Sentence:
The Military Commission met secretly on the June 28 & 29 and 
voted the "Death by Hanging" penalty for ""Conspiring to 
Murder""; Was not read the sentence until July 6, was hanged 
the next day at 1:00 o'clock p.m., July 7, 1865; Buried in the 
yard of the Old Penitentiary, Washington D.C. 

End of Chapter, 06.

The Conspirators Index
 

Chap.	F.Name	L.Name	b. d.	Subject
01.	Abraham	Lincoln	1809-1865	Profile
02.	John W.	Booth	1838-1865	Profile
03.	John W.	Booth	1838-1865	Pursuit, Death & Burial
04.	The	Conspirators		Trial of the Assassins
05.	Samuel B.	Arnold	1834-1906	Profile
06.	George T.	Atzerodt	1832-1865	Profile
07.	David	Herold	1844-1865	Profile
08.	Samuel A.	Mudd	1833-1933	Profile
09.	Michael	O'Laughlin	1840-1867	Profile
10.	Lewis T.	Powell	18??-1865	Profile
11.	Edward "Ned"	Spangler	18??-18??	Profile
12.	Mary E. (Jenkins)	SURRATT	1817-1865	Profile
12.1	Mary E. (Jenkins)	SURRATT	1817-1865	Genealogy FGS
13.	John H., Jr.	SURRATT	1844-1916	Profile
13.1	John H., Jr.	SURRATT	1844-1916	1870 Lecture
13.2	John H., Jr.	SURRATT	1844-1916	Genealogy FGS
14.	The	Conspirators		End of Nightmare for the Doomed!
15.	The	Conspirators		Notes & Reference

E-Mail: Paul R. Sarrett, Jr., Auburn CA.