The Hidden Connection
The Vatican & Lincoln's Assassination
After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the prime suspect fled to Rome — and was sheltered by the Vatican's own army. What did the Holy See know, and why did it protect a wanted man?
John Surratt: The Man Who Got Away
While eight conspirators were tried and four hanged for the murder of Abraham Lincoln, one key suspect vanished. John Surratt Jr. — son of Mary Surratt, who was executed for her role in the plot — escaped to Canada, then to England, and ultimately to Rome. There, he enlisted in the Papal Zouaves, the elite military force guarding Pope Pius IX. The United States government knew exactly where he was. The Vatican did nothing.
The Papal Zouaves: A Sanctuary in Uniform
The Papal Zouaves were a volunteer military corps defending the Papal States in the turbulent years before Italian unification. Surratt enlisted under the alias 'John Watson' in 1866. American diplomat Rufus King, the U.S. Minister to the Holy See, formally requested Surratt's arrest and extradition. Pope Pius IX's government delayed, obstructed, and ultimately allowed Surratt to escape — fleeing to Alexandria, Egypt before he could be taken into custody.
The U.S. Government's Formal Complaint
Secretary of State William Seward — himself a target of the assassination conspiracy, having survived a near-fatal knife attack the same night Lincoln was shot — personally directed diplomatic pressure on the Vatican. The correspondence between Washington and Rome is preserved in the historical record. The Vatican's response was evasive. When Surratt finally escaped from custody in Veroli, Italy, American officials were furious. The incident strained U.S.-Vatican diplomatic relations for years.
The Trial That Raised More Questions
Surratt was eventually captured in Egypt and returned to the United States for trial in 1867. The prosecution presented evidence of his direct involvement in the conspiracy — including testimony placing him in Washington on the night of the assassination. Yet the trial ended in a hung jury, and charges were eventually dropped. Surratt lived until 1916, giving occasional lectures about his role in the plot while carefully omitting the most damning details. His survival, while his mother hanged, remains one of the most troubling episodes in American legal history.
What the Evidence Actually Shows
Historian and author Paul Mellen's investigation draws on primary sources — diplomatic cables, trial transcripts, Vatican records, and contemporary newspaper accounts — to reconstruct the full picture. The evidence does not support a claim that the Pope ordered Lincoln's death. What it does show is a pattern of institutional protection: a wanted man was sheltered in Vatican service, diplomatic requests were stonewalled, and an escape was facilitated. Whether by design or negligence, the Vatican's actions obstructed American justice.
Why This History Was Suppressed
The story of John Surratt and the Vatican was widely reported in 1866 and 1867 — then largely forgotten. Anti-Catholic sentiment in 19th-century America made the story politically charged, and later historians often dismissed it as nativist propaganda. But the diplomatic record is real. The Papal Zouave enrollment is documented. The escape from Veroli is a matter of historical fact. Paul Mellen's book 'Who Really Shot Abraham Lincoln' restores this chapter to its proper place in the assassination story.
The Escape Route: A Documented Timeline
April 14, 1865
Abraham Lincoln is shot at Ford's Theatre. The same night, Lewis Powell nearly kills Secretary of State William Seward. John Surratt is believed to have been in Washington coordinating the conspiracy.
April–September 1865
John Surratt flees to Canada with the help of Confederate sympathizers and Catholic priests. His mother Mary Surratt is arrested, tried, and hanged on July 7, 1865.
September 1865
Surratt travels to Liverpool, England, under the protection of a Catholic priest, Father Charles Boucher, who had sheltered him in Quebec.
April 1866
Surratt arrives in Rome and enlists in the Papal Zouaves under the alias 'John Watson.' He is assigned to the papal garrison at Sezze.
October 1866
U.S. Minister to the Holy See Rufus King formally requests Surratt's arrest from the Vatican's Cardinal Secretary of State. The Vatican acknowledges the request but delays action.
November 1866
Surratt is arrested by Papal authorities at Veroli — but escapes by leaping from a cliff into a ravine. He flees to Naples and boards a ship to Alexandria, Egypt.
December 1866
Surratt is captured in Alexandria by Egyptian authorities at the request of the U.S. consul. He is returned to the United States aboard the USS Swatara.
June–August 1867
Surratt stands trial in Washington, D.C. The jury deadlocks — eight for conviction, four for acquittal. A mistrial is declared.
1868
The statute of limitations expires on lesser charges. All remaining charges against Surratt are dropped. He walks free — the only senior conspirator never punished.
1870
Surratt gives a public lecture in Rockville, Maryland, admitting his role in the kidnapping plot but denying foreknowledge of the murder. The lecture causes a national sensation.
“The Vatican accepted a wanted man into its army. When asked to arrest him, it let him walk free. The evidence is documented.”Read the Full Investigation
Frequently Asked Questions
The Full Story Has Never Been Told — Until Now
Paul Mellen's investigation brings together the diplomatic cables, trial transcripts, and archival evidence to tell the complete story of the Lincoln assassination — including the Vatican connection that history forgot.
The Vatican Connection — Read the Evidence
Paul Mellen traces John Surratt's escape to Rome and his role as a Papal Zouave. Fully illustrated, as featured on Fox Nation.
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