The Vatican's Early Ratline: Quebec Clergy and the Lincoln Conspirators

Type of resource
Author/collaborator
Title
The Vatican's Early Ratline: Quebec Clergy and the Lincoln Conspirators
Abstract
Following the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865, the American government undertook an international investigation to track down southern conspirators who aided and abetted the assassin John Wilkes Booth. Among those conspirators was John Surratt Jr., a Confederate spy, who managed to escape to Quebec. Montreal at this time was a well-known hub for Confederate sympathizers during the American Civil War. The author outlines how not only Confederate sympathizers but priests in Quebec’s Catholic Church supported Surratt’s escape from American authorities until late 1865, when the American fugitive escaped to Europe. Surratt was eventually arrested in Egypt in 1867 and brought back to the United States, where he was acquitted by a hung jury.
Publication
Quebec Heritage News
Date
Spring 2026
Volume
Vol. 20
Issue
no. 2
Pages
19-20
Language
en
Citation
Husk, Barry. “The Vatican’s Early Ratline: Quebec Clergy and the Lincoln Conspirators.” Quebec Heritage News, Spring 2026.
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