The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-16 00:00:00

The Assassination of President Lincoln.

REMARKABLE STATEMENT OF STERLING KING, A PRI-
SONER CONFINED IN THE LOUISVILLE (KY.) GAOL.
A man named Sterling King, an inmate of the
gaol in Louisville, Kentucky, has confessed that he
was the person who attempted the life of Secretary
Seward. No faith whatever can be placed in the
truth of the statements, but as a matter of interest
we condense the following further particulars from
the Louisville papers of the 22d of March :
"We chance to be personally cognisant of the
antecedents of this pretended conspirator. He claims
to be a native of Virginia, and states that he was a
cousin of Horatio King, formerly Assistant Post-
master- General.

"In 1863 he figured as a lawyer in Cincinnati,
and also obtained permits for the shipment of goods
to Memphis. While thus engaged he was arrested
by the military authorities, charged with uttering
disloyal sentiments, tried by court-martial, and
sentenced to six months' labour on the fortifications
back of Covington, with a ball and chain attached
to his leg. For some reason the sentence was not
carried into effect.

" Some time afterward he appeared in Abingdon,
Virginia, where he was sporting the uniform of a
Confederate colonel. General John H. Morgan
arrested him as a spy ; he was tried by a court-
martial dud sentenced to be hung. But in this case,
as in so many others, good luck attended him, and
he managed to escape to the Federal lines.
" We know nothing of King's operations sub-
sequent to his escape from Virginia, until he was
lodged in our city gaol on the charge of stealing
horses and buggies."
The Democrat says :
" King states that he was the man who killed
President Lincoln. He says that he entered the
theatre as any other person, purchasing a ticket and
paying for it. At the appointed time he entered the
private box in Ford's Theatre, Washington, where
Mr. Lincoln was, and he shot hint with a single-
barrelled pistol, which he let fall at the time he
leaped from the box. He gives as his object for
using a single-barrelled pistol that he was compelled
to leave it behind him, and if it had been a revolver
those in the box might have used it against him.
He further says that after he shot the President
and leaped from the box he passed by several per-
sons, but one of whom he knew—Miss Laura
Keene—and she did not know him. According to
his statement, J. Wilkes Booth, whom it is said was
the murderer of Lincoln, was in the rear of the
theatre awaiting with horses.
" From the vicinity of Ford's Theatre he
states that he went to the residence of Secre-
tary Seward, and, after forcing an entrance,
he made an attack upon the Secretary himself,
cutting him in the throat with a bowie-knife. He
says that after young Seward was knocked down,
the old man begged not to be murdered, and that
he struck the blow to silence him. His only re-
gret seems to be that he did not kill the Secretary.
He says that the statement published in the papers
that there were two persons in the affair is false,
as he is the man who shot the President and made
the attack upon Secretary Seward. He says that
there was another person in the affair who has not
yet been apprehended, who was to have killed
Stanton, but he failed to fulfil his pledge.
"In regard to Booth, he says that Booth had
nothing to do with the killing, with the exception
of assisting him to make his escape from the city
of
Washington. He gives in his written statement,
which is now in the hands of the military, the
route he pursued after leaving Washington. He
says that the man killed in the barn, and
who is said to have been Booth, is a pri-
soner who escaped from the Ohio prison. He
claims to have, in company with Booth, went from
Washington to Canada, and from thence to the
island of Cuba. He states that his object in re-
turning to the United States was for the purpose
of releasing Jeff. Davis, the President of the Con-
federate States.

"In regard to Mrs. Surratt, who was executed
as oue of the conspirators, he says that she
knew nothing of the conspiracy. The parties who
planned the affair, three of whom have never been
heard of, met regularly at the house of Mrs. Suratt,
but she knew nothing of their design. He says that
he was stopping at the house of Mrs. Suratt some
ten or twelve days previous to the execution of the
plot.

" There are two prisoners now in gaol, Llewellyn
and Grimes, who say that they know something of
the affair, and it may be that the tale has been con-
cocted for the purpose of getting the three released
from the charges now against them, and have them
turned over to the military authorities.
" The above statement was made to Generals Jeff.
C. Davis and Watkins, at the gaol, on Tuesday,
after having been related to two or three of the pri-
soners and policeman Bligh. Finding that his
statement was likely to get him into very serious
difficulty, King determined to put an end to his
.miserable existence. He asked the privilege of hav-
ing a small penknife, which was granted him. With
this he opened the veins of the left arm, and would
have bled to death had it not been that the attempt
was discovered by his cell-mate, and an alarm given.
We yesterday paid a visit to King in his cell, and
found him too low to speak. The alarm in regard
to his attempt to commit suicide was given about
four o'clock in the morning, after he had bled for
several hours."

GEORGE PEABODY.—The following sketch of the
successful commercial career of Mr. Peabody is
given by the Weekly Press, Philadelphia Mr. G.
Peabody, the well-known millionaire, who has been
in business in London since 1837, as a merchant
and money-broker, and previously had in Philadel-
phia and New York branches of his Baltimore
house, is as liberal as wealthy. In 1848 he largely
contributed to restore the credit of Maryland. At
his own proper cost he supplied the arranging and
garnishing of the American department of the Crys-
tal Palace Exhibition of 1851. 'He contributed libe-
rally, in 1852, to the expense of the American expedi-
tion fitted out under Dr. Kane, to explore the Arctic
regions, in search of Sir John Franklin. At Danvers,
New England, where he was born in 1795, he
founded an institute, now bearing his name, de-
voting $70,000 to that purpose, and also gave
over $590,000 to found an institute in Baltimore
for the promotion of science, literature, and the fine
arts. On retiring from active business, a few years
ago, he presented the city of London with the muni-
ficent gift of $750,000 for the benefit of the poor of
that modern Babylon, which has been expended in
the erection of comfortable and convenient lodging-
houses for the working classes ; and he has lately
supplemented this with the additional gift of
$500,000, making his donation $1,250,000 in all.
There are men in London, scores of them, who
could have done as much as this—but none of them
has done it. The humane liberality of the American
merchant stands by itself—its own record, as it
were.

THE DEAD OF THE AMERICAN WAR.—Slowly
and sadly the records of the late war are being
completed. Since the overthrow of the Rebel-
lion, the statistics of the army have been made
up by patient investigation, so that as near as pos-
sible the cost of the dreadful conflict may be ascer-
tained. We have now a partial revelation of the
loss of life, in the summing up of the medical and
hospital records, by which it appears that no less
than 253,000 Union soldiers died on the battle-field
and in hospitals. There are not included in this ac-
count the number of officers and soldiers who died
at home, either from wounds.or the effects of dis-
ease contracted in the service. The latter may be
safely estimated at 47,000 more, so that the entire
mortality by the Rebellion in the armies of the
North, by the casualties of the war, may be put at
300,000. The remains of these gallant men are
scattered all over the South ; thousands of them
sleep their last sleep on the field where they fell ;
many have been exhumed with care and reinterred
in cemeteries near their former homes. The debt
which the nation owes to these martyrs in the cause
of freedom can never be paid. The Amerieanpeo
peo-
ple have a legacy in their example for the
with
encourage-
ment of future generations that will brighten
time, and teach their descendants that patriotism
is the first duty, and that to his country_ee-vbelroyodo.ne
owes his strength, his courage, and

NEWMARKET RACES—'This DAY,
PRINCESS OF WALES STAK.ES.

Salliet do. .. •.. 1
31cestissiraa filly 4 2
HANDICAP PLATE.
The Duke 4. 'l

Elland •••••
Sister to Ascham
7.Fourteen ran. Won by three parts of a length; three
lengths between second and third.
PRINCE OP WALES STAKES.
Broomiolaw....
Effervescence .
Endsleigh

Prodigal
Primrose.
Ratty

... J

Ten ran. Won by a neck.
MAIDEN PLATE.

Twelve ran. Won by a neck.
SWEEPSTAKES OF 20 SOPS:

Problem
Water Cure 2
Bugle Eye 3
Won by three parts of a length.
SPRING STAKES. TY C
King Hal ....... • •
RA
et
iagl an ni
nt ag ......... . . 21
ty
..n....n.
...
.................
..PLATE.......
.... 0..
...
...........
..............
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Ec.glryi
Mint
LATEST:~ppeI do i
lv e r
ran.
.17. .
s.
A.
N.
D.
O
—liar: BETTING.
7 to 4on Lord Lyon
I:NorGd. scratched.
CHESTER CUP
VICTORIA CLUB BETTING—Tins DAr.
TWO THOUSAND.
6to 4 on Lord Lyons (taken and offered)
sto 1 agst Janitor (taken freely)
100 to 9 agst Freedom (taken)
15 to 1 agst Student (offered)
33 to 1 agst Apsley (taken).
6t04 on Janitor-1, 2, 3—(taken)
sto 1 agst Student-1, '2, 3—(taken)

CHESTER- CUP.
sto 1 agst Redcap (taken)
6to 1 agst Delight (taken)
9to 1 agst Treasure Trove (taken)
20 to 1 agst Baragah (taken)
25 to 1 agst Harry Brailsford (offered)
25 to 1 agst Lion (offered)
DERBY.
9to 2 agst Lord Lyon (taken)
5 to 1 agst Rustic (taken freely)
50 to 1 agst Knight of the Crescent (taken),
100 to 1 agst Apsley (taken)
900 to 400 agst Rustic and Lord Lyon coupled (taken)

- -
THE NORTHUMBERLAND.

MILLWALL, MONDAY AFTERNOON.
It was arranged that the great attempt should be made
this afternoon at half-past 2 to launch the Northumber-
land, and thousands of persons embarked on board the
different river steam-boats to witness the attempt. Un-
fortunately their curiosity was not gratified, as
owing to the lashings of the after starboard
camel not being perfected the directors were compelled
to forego the attempt to get the Northumberland afloat.
The Admiralty had sent two powerfnl steamers, and
early in the morning it was confidently expected that
success would attend the exertions of all, but such was
not the case. It cannot be said that failure of any de-
scription occurred to-day, the failure being simply that
owing to the cause above stated, no actual attempt to
move the huge vessel took place.
It is fully expected that by to-morrow afternoon all will
be complete, when the great attempt will be made.
The disappointment to the thousands of persons who
had availed themselves, and that too to a dangerous extent,
of the Greenwich steamboats to witness the launch, was
extreme, especially as many of them had to enduro for
hours the pelting of the rain and a biting cutting wind
from the south-east.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following bills were read a second time : —West
Middlesex Water, Devon and Somerset Railway (capital),
Morayshire Railway, Dublin Corporation Water, Cornwall
County Lunatic Asylum, and Central Wales Extension
Railway.
The following bills wero read a third time and passed :
Worcester and Birmingham Canal, Ryde Gas, and Alder-
shot Gas and Water.
PARLIAMENTARY OATHS AMENDMENT BILL.

Earl RUSSELL rose to move the second reading of this
bill. The noble earl, who spoke in a very low voice, said
that the bill proposed to substitute a uniform oath for
persons who were entitled to seats in Parliament, and to
repeal existing statutes on the subject. The present
oaths taken originated in the reign of Charles 11.,
and was decided upon as being calculated to confer
permanency on the Protestant succession, and the Pro-
testant religion in this country.
LLEFT SPEAKING.]

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

-.0-
HOUSE OF LORDS--THIS EVENING.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.