The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1865-05-13

came at an early date, . rebel posto6ice.-|
The great secret mail from Matthias creek,
10 Port Tobacco, struck Surrattsville, and
thence headed of 10 the east Of Washington,
gong meandcringly north. Of this post
route Mrs. Surratt WAS manageres and
Lloyd, when he rented her hotel, assumed
the responsibility Of looking out for the
,neii, as well as the duty OF making Mrs.
SIrfatt at home whenever sue chose 10
visit him.
So Surrattsville, only ten miles from
Washington, las been throughout the
suburb OF Richmond. reaching quite up to
the rival capital; and though the few
Uniohists on the peninsula knew its repu-
tation we'll enough, nothing OF the sort
came out until the murder.
Treason never found better agent than
Mrs. Surratt. She is large, masculine,
self possessed female, mistress of her
or Mrs. Greenhough. She has not the flip.
pantry and menace of the first, nor the So
ciAl power Of the second but the rebellion
has found no filter agent.
AT her country tavern and Washington
home Booth was made welcome. and there
beganthe muttered murder against the ma
tion aud mankind.
DRIFTING TOWARD THE DEATH.
The conspiracy had its own time and
kept its own counsel. Murder, excep,
| among the principals, was seldom men.
toned except by genteel implication. But
they all publicly agreed that Mr.. Lincoln
ought to be shot, and that the North was
race OF fratricides. Much was said of Bru-
tus, and Booth repeated heroic Passages, to
the delight Of Harold, who learned them
also, and wondered if he was not born to
greatness.
In this growing darkness, where all re-
hearsed cold hearted murder, Wilkes Booth
grew great Of stature. He had found q pur.
pose cOnsorant with his evil nature and
bad influence over weak men; so he grew
inoodier, more vigilant, more piausipie.-
| BY mein and teInperamenLthe Was born to
| handle sti.e;to. We have no face so mark
eilv Italian; it would stand for Caesar Bor-
gia any day in the ear. All the rest s.ere
swaye..t or persuaded by Booth; MS schemes
| were three in order:
1~t. To klnap the President and Cabinet
an2 run them south or hlow them mp.
u. Kidnapping failed, TO murder the
Il President and The rest and seek shelter ia
tn. Confederate capital.
/, 81. Tbs rebellion failed, 10 be its aveDger,
and throw the country into consternat. on,
white be escaped by the uHfrequented parts
of Maryland.
i THE MEN FOR THE WORK.
When this last resolution had been made
the pot wa. both contracted and extended.
, There we're made two distinct circles OF
con!idcnts, ,hosc aware OF the met.itated
murder, and those who might shrink from
) murder, though willing accessories for 4
lesser object. Two colleagues for blood
were a. once accep.ed--Payne and Atzer-
att.
The former I have sketched; he is be-
: )ieved TO have visited Washington once
before, at Booths citation; for the murder
WAS mt FIRST fixed for the day OF inaugura
-. T,.l1 ~ 81
scent, who had led . desperate life at Port
. Tobacco, where he was a house, painter.
! He had been block kade- runner across the
Potomac, aud Y mail carrier. When Booth
! and Mrs. Surratl broke the design to him
with a suggestion that there was wealth in
it, he embraced the offer al once, and bought
dirk and pistol. Payne also came from
: the North to Washington, and, as fate would
!, have il, the President was announced tl
, appear at Ford's Theater In public. There
the resolve OF blood WAS reduced to def.
q mite moment.
THE NIGHT BEFORE THE MURDER.
On the night before the crime Booth
found on whom he could rely. John Sur.
RAFT was sent northward by his mother o,
:, Thursday. Sam Arnold and Mclaughlin
u each Of whom was to kill Cabinet officer
: rold, true to his partiality, fingered around
!. : Booth to the end; Aircraft went 80 far a
!. to take his knife and pistol TO Kirkwood's
where Presiden: johnson was stopping
and hid them under the bed. But either
his courage failed, or tri11inH accid0nt de
!, ranged his plan. But Payne, . professiona
= murderer, stood ''game," and fought BIZ
= Tins bed. There was great confusion ane
:, terror among the tacit and rash conspira
, tors on Thursday night. They had looked
;. upon the plot as Of a melOdrama, and found
to their horror that John Wilkes Boot
: meant to do murder.
. PREPARATIONS FOR THE ACT AND TIL
= TLI0RT.
g Six weeks before the murder, yOunj
n John Surratt had taken two splendid re
:. peating carbines to Surrattville, and toll
!. John Lloyd to, secrste them. The latte
I made hole in the wainscotting and aus
pended them from strings, 30 that they fol
Ia within the plastered room below. On th
= very afternoon of the murder, Mrs. Sur
n ratt was driven 70 sorrattville. a and Oh
d ready, because they would be called 70
that night. Harold was made quarter
master. and hired the horses. He and Al
zeratt were mounted between 6o'clock an
). 1.-The time Of the murder, and riding abou
= the streets together.
= The whole party wac prepared for . Ion
= ride. as their spurs and gauntlets show
J. It may have been their design to ride i
Z company TO the Lower Potomac, and b
:. their numbers exact subsistence and trans
y portation; but all edifices Of murder lac
q e corner stone. We only know that Boot
= y. ale aud talked we'll during the day ths
= H. never seemed so deeply Involved j
" - Oil.' and that there is Q hiatus betwee
. itEe supper here and his appearance :
:, Fcfd's Theater.
nl BOASTS OF BLOOD.
is Lloyd, may interpnlate, ordered hi
wife \ few days before the murder TO go o
= visit to Aliens Fresh. She says sh
!does NOT know why abe was sent away
= hut s~a that it Ia 80. Harold thre
70 70 weeks before the murder visited Port tt
:. pacoo. and said thai the next time the hoy
= heard of him he would be in Spain; he ad
= :, ded that with Spain there was no e4trad
- ton treaty. He said at Surrattsville tha
:: q ne meant to make barrel ot money orb
= neck would stretch.
: Afzaratt said that if ever he came to Po,
~ Tobacco again he would be rich enough I
=, ouy the whole place.
Wilkes aiSooth told friend 70 so I
>, rnrA,s on Friday night and see tho bes
~ acting in the world.
ruv AssA sa1xs MARX TYNE.