Mr. Adams to Mr. Seward
Sir: Now that the interest in the capture of Booth, the assassin, has passed away, it may not be unadvisable to explain the cause of my application in my No. 947, of the 6th of May, for papers to facilitate his arrest on this side of the water.
Circumstances had occurred which fixed the suspicions of the detective force in this city in a particular direction as the hiding-place of some malefactor just arrived from abroad. Moreover, there were plausible reasons for the idea that this person might be Booth himself. It is due to this government to say, that the very moment the information was received by them from the proper channels, every arrangement was provided to secure the apprehension of the supposed criminal. Among other things, a form of application was furnished to me from the Foreign Office in advance, to claim his surrender, which I signed; and the expediency of sending to you for the necessary proofs was suggested, according to which I now mention these things only for the sake of doing justice to the good will of the authorities in their endeavor to aid in the apprehension of the criminal.
I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.