Mr. Seward to Mr. King.
Sir: Mr. King’s private letter of September 12, written at Hamburg, has just been received. It is accompanied by a private letter which was addressed from Velletri on the 12th of September by H. B. de St. Marie, 8th company Pontificial zouaves, to Mr. Hooker.
[Page 140]I think it expedient that you do the following things:
1. Employ a confidential person, not St. Marie, to visit Velletri, and ascertain, by comparison with the photograph herewith sent, whether the person indicated by St. Marie is really John Surratt.
2. Pay to St. Marie, confidentially, $—— in gold, in consideration of the information he has already communicated on the subject.
3. Seek an interview with Cardinal Antonelli, and, referring to an intimation made by him to Mr. King in a conversation which took place on the 7th of August last, [as reported in Mr. King’s No. 62,] namely, “that if the American government desired the surrender of the criminal (Surratt) there would probably be no difficulty in the way,” ask the cardinal whether his Holiness would now be willing, in the absence of an extradition treaty, to deliver John H. Surratt upon an authentic indictment, and at the request of this department, for complicity in the assassination of the late President Lincoln, or whether, in the event of this request being declined, his Holiness would enter into an extradition treaty with us, which would enable us to reach his surrender.
4. Ask as a favor to this government that neither St. Marie nor Surratt be discharged from the guards until we shall have had time to communicate concerning them after receiving a prompt reply to this communication from you. St. Marie should be told confidentially that the subject of his communication to Mr. Hooker is under consideration here.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
Rufus King, Esq., &c., &c., &c.
P. S.—The photograph intended to be enclosed with this instruction will be sent by the next mail.