The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1865-04-27
Sketch of John Wilkes Booth,

: Tellfcl.
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, Sketch of John Wilkes Booth,
, John Wilkes Booth, who is dir
ccily accused Of the assassination
} of prcsidcnt Lincoln. in one OF th,
sons Of the celebrated English nc
tor. Lucius Junius Booth, the con
temporary aud rival of Edmund
: Kcau. The elder Booth came t.
this country asa scar actor, and
finally settled upon farm near
Baltimore, Md. His eccentric
habits, strange cXtravagances and
wasted life are familiar to most OF
ourre dcrs. by different wives
the elder Booth had lour sons, nam
ed. in the order of their ages, Ju.
Mus Brutus, Edwin, John Wilkes
and Joseph. The three oldect
brothers adopted tho stage as a
profession. The youngest studied
medicine, and was last heard OF
somewhere in Gcoraia.
/ John Wilkes Booth was born in
1888. near Baltim re, in the same
vicinity rs tho noted rebel Harry
Gilmore. At the early age of ld
hc went upon the stage, and in
1856 made n regular debut at
Philadelphia lie inhcr',s the
we'll known Booth tace and figure.
and some of the dramatic talent
of the tpmily. After starring for
a whilc in the provinces we tind
him, in lS59-60, ,fthe leading actor
lat Montgomery, Alabama. In
I $50 he wounded himself in the
foot with n pistol, and came North
to recruit his health.
Soon after his arrival North,
discovering that his brother Ed
win was achieving a decided sue
cess, he determined upon debut
in New York, ana made his first
appearance in New York City al
iWallacll's old thcater, now the
, Broadway, which was then undci
, the management of Miss Mar,
? Provost. lie opened in Richaro
the Third playing worry hmoly ill
, the lighting scene at the end o. the
9 drama, when he wicdod his two
. handed sword with such vigor as
to astonish the audience. Th,
, stage combat has never been bet
ter performed One evening, rou
sed to intense excitement, he at
tackled Mr.. + l.. Tilton, tho Rich.
Imond OF the occasion, SO violently
rs to knock him into the orchestra,
nearly breaking his arm. After
two OF three nights ot Richard
young Booth played Shylock, and
failed, The unnatural son. in
! Schiier's Robbers, was his third
: roie, and, after acting it, he went
) to Boston, VIII ,re he was better re,
ccivcd.
When the present war began
John Wilkes Booth avowed him
self an ardent Sccessionist. and he
always persisted in his disloyalty,
His brothers Junius and Edwin
were aud are most decided Union
men; and several quarrels have
arisen hetweden the brothers on
account oi these differences. TheJ
acted together, however, at the
Winter Garden. on the 23l ot No
lvember last, for the benefit of the
Shakspere Monument Fuuy, and
attracted one of the largest and
most intellectual audiences ever as
scmbled in any theatcr. The play
was Julius Caesar, with Edwin
Booth rs Brutus, Junius Booth as
Cassius and John Wilkes Booth
, as Mark Antony. AS an acto'
john Wilkes could not compare
with either of his brothers, al
, though his resemblance to them in
:. form, feature, voice and manner
; WAS remarkable. This his las
A public appearance in Now York,
Q Some months ago Booth ceased
e acting, on account of bronchia
!, affection, and since then he is salC
= TO have accumulated considerabl,
Q money by oil speculations in West
o .ern Virginia. Ol late ho has pas
d sed large portion of his time il
o Washington, with which city anC
It's theaters he was perfectly tamil
: lar About eight or ten days az
b he was in New York, drinking
: proMselr. Rrmor say that il
9 his drunken moods he has Otter
i declared his iutention to kin Presi
Z dent Lincoln.
- THE BooTus ~ BOSTON,
:. Bosros, April l5,--This fore
q moon u gentleman stated, Barton
o saloon, No. IL Congress street
Q that he had been told by Johl
Y Wilkes Booth, within tew weeks
that he intended to kill tho Presi
q eldopt, Some OF his hearers imme
% ldiaSely sent word to the police, anc
. officer Curtis TNsk, of the Second
o station, and detoctive George Il
d Curtis, Immediately proceeded I,
If the saloon and took the person intc
q custody, His namo is J II. Ror