The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-04-27
from che Philad delphi. Inqairer.

II the Eastern District cf Pennsyivnnia g
" was handed over to the officer nv John 3.
Clarke. vi ois brother in .aw OF Mr. Boot h
The history connected with it is somewhat
peculiar. In November. 1864. the paper
was deposited with Mr. Clarke bv Booth. IN
a sealed envelope. "for safe keeping" Mr.,
Clarke being ignorant Of the cnn,e nts In
January last Booth called n Mr. Clarke's
house. asked for the package, anil IL Wa.
given up TO him. Il is now Supposed that
at that time he took out the paper and added
{" il his signature, which, appears 10 he in q
different .;Dk from that used in the body Of
the letter. ard also. from the language en-
Moved, conld not have been put TO IL orig.
inally. Afterwards re returned the pack
age to Mr.. Clarke for safe k eping.. sealed
and bearing the superscription ~. Wilkes
| Booth" Il, es.- s-s-e .srr .-..sss,,f, l.
Mr. DEAR SIR: Yo,iy may use this a. you
| think hest, Butas some NAV wish IN know
when. mho an ,ohy. and as know not ioso
&, direct. give il lin the words of your an.
S'cnt:- .G2+H#- .sls. IS. TtF aF1 80 .8 ~
"7S sohom IL may eoncern::" S,7 I'M l.as
Right or wrong. God judge me, not man
For be my motive good or bad. Of one thing
! am sure, the lasting condemnation OF the
North. asgg ygFSi isd fHi1d sT7w 50
I, Islove rFace more than life. Have loved
the Uni.n beyord EXPRESSION. For fen- years
have ! waitel. hoped, and prayed for tn.
dark clouds to break. and for q restnrat ion
OF cur hammer sunshine. To wait longer
world be a crime Al hope for peace is
dead. My PRAYERS have proved as lille As
nv hopes. 90 to see and share the bitter
end '"~.H H.' - - ~ -'''
y lhnve ever held the South were right. -
The very nomination of Abraham Lincoln.
four years age. spoke plainly. war-war M
on southern rights and institutions. His
election proved II. "Await an overt act :"
Yes. til ron are hound and pinndered. -
What foi,i TIE South was wise. Who
thinks "f argument or patience, whea the
finser Of bis enemy presses the trigger! In
> foreign ,car ]. too. could say, "couptry,
right nr wrong" But in 1 struggle such as
ours. (where the brother trie< to pierce the
brothers hearty for Gods sake choose the
right. When a canntrv like this SPUN.
j"s'iee from her side. she forfeits the allie.
g'ance Of every honest freeman. and should
leave him. un:rarnmeled by any fealty soev
er, tn act as his conscience may approve.
People Of the North. to hate tyranny, TO
love liberty and justice 10 strike at wro. 2
aud oppression, was the teaching Of our
fathers. Tie study Of our early history
viii not LEI me forget it. and may il never
his c"hntrv was formed for The ,ohite
not for the black man. q And look ..ns upon
african slauery from the same standpoint
he'll by the noble trainers IF our Constitu.
ton ! for one. have ever considered Il one
Of the greatest blessings (both for them.
selves and NY that God ever hest WED upon
favored nation. Witness heretofore our
wealth and power; witness their .leva.
ton and enlightenment above their race
elsewhere. have lived am ,nx II most Of
my Me. and have seen less harsh treatment
from master to man than have beheld in
| the North from father to son. Yet Heaven
knows, no one would be willing to do more
fur the neer" race than I, could but see
wav TO still better their condition. So ET.
Bnt Lnc"ln's policy is only preDaring the
| way for their total arnihilaiion. The South
are not nor hlus they been fighting for the
continuance Of slavery The first battle OF
Bull Run did away with that idea. Their
canses aimee for tonr have been o. noble and
greater .far than ttoss that urged our faith
ers on. Eren should we allow they were
wrong ut the beginning Of this contest, cru
city and injustice have made the wrong he.
come the right, and they stand now (be'ore
the wonderland adnrarop IF the WORLDLY a.
noble band ofspatriotic heroes Hereafter,
reading Of their deeds, Therlnopyl@ will be
for gotten d. u
When I aided in the capture and execu
tinn Of John Brown, (who was a murderer
on our Western border, and who was fairly
tried and connected, before an impartial
judge and jury, Of treason, and who, by
the way. has since been maze god. J I was
proud Of nv little share i, that transaction,
Tor deemed it my duty. and that was
helping oar common country. to perform an
act Of justice. But what was . crime in
poor John Brown is now considered (by
themselves) as the greatest and only virtue
of the whole Republican party. Strange
tran.migration! rice to become virtue, sim
plV because more INDUCED in. g.. %
! Thought then, a. nou that the Abolition.
lists toere the only traitors in the land, and
that the entire party deserved the same fate
As poor old Brown. not because they wish
to abolish slavery, but on account Of the
means they have ever endeavored 10 use %
effect that abolition If Brown we're living.
doubt whe,her he himself would set slave.
rs against the Union. Most or many in the
North do, and openly curse the Union. il
the South are 10 return and retain sinolss
right guaranteed to them by every tie which
We nnce recered az sacred. The South can
make no choice, It's either determination
or slavery for thewselres (worse than death)
to draw from. know nv choice, -,
have also studied hard to discover upon
what grounds the right Of State to secede
las been denied. when our very name, Uni.
ted States. and the Declaration Of Indepen.
dence, both provide for secession. But there
is no time for words I write in haste. 1
know how foolish shall be deemed for un.
der,aking such step as this. where, on the
one side. ! have many. friends and every,
thing TO make me happy, where my pro.
fes>iun ain, 9 has gained me an income of
more than twenty thousand dollar. a year,
and where my great personal ambi,nn in
my p-ote- sioE has such great field G,r la
Dor. On the other hlnd, the South has
never bestowed upon me one k;ni word q
place now where't have no friends, except
beneath the sod "a place where mus, eth
er Lecofne private soldier or beggar. To
give up all vt the J1rmer for the latter, be.
SIDES my mother and sisters. whom love no
dearly. (a,,housh they so widely differ with
me III opinion.) seens insane but God Is
my judge. love justice inore than do
c"uatry that d s0wns ii more than fame and
ealth: more (heayep par(loo ina If wranol