Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1865-04-22

sd. T bic amount OF mis- fathers talent, but
lacks education, having received only a tclerabl
amount of common schooling Latterly h
's'arrcd' IN stoo, Chicago, aud at Ford's The
atre, Washington, with tel; success His last sp
pearance II this city was at the Winter Garce'
last fall, when, With his brothers 4 Twin and ia
MUS. and M rs Avonls Jones, he Per crmed thu
character Of Mpc antony Ia 'JlBus Ca lsr"-th'
representauji. being for the be- EFT of the Shak
speareau monument fund. On this occasion Ed
win scsd the part Of Cassius, aud J lnius that Of
| Brutus. It Il recalled by many who with ,ssed
this representation that Wilkes interpnlated, ct
s3ms inappropriate petit In tie oraion over Ce ssl
body tbs words SIC Sempsr tyrdRnis the same that
he used after jumping from the Presidents box to
the S. age on Friday evening. The expression ap-
pears to have been favorite one with him, SIS a.
nv pers) ns remember q have heard him utter It
when bis ''se.e3h spirit" was srousei.
From all that we can learn of his character, pc
litical feelings, and habits, 1t would seem that be
had long cherished ce:e tminoton to Kill P.eident
Lincoln. He was In the habit of sEo wing to his
associates notohsd bullet which he proclaimed
"was marked for the tyrant lincoln, or words to
that effect II Is reported that while he was last
D ay'ng in Boston lie exhibited this murderous MIS-
sls che evening In the bar-room of the Tremon:
II use. aud IN presence OF come fifteen or twenty
lie with It, H! has said the same thing, we be-
rsvs, IN this city, aud rape ,tedy 10 Washington
B those who have known him for years hsve been
Inclined to re yard him either ss ne excited brag-
gsrs e as bling a little unbalanced In mind TIE
ooenn s. with woic1 be made his bold threats in
Glued people t. doubt his since ity, aud sl who
heard them laughed contemporary at the moment
forgetting them soon after. In the early stages O.
the war Booths talk was SO 10 keeping with that
of hundreds IN Ba t,more aud Wa hington that but
little attention was paid to him individually. Ia
deed for a long while, as we too well know, Il
was dangerous foy Union man to proclaim his
sentiments In the public places of Baltimore and
at the capital Booth has been decidedly dis
solute, spending his nights while In Washington
In low houses, singing rebel songs In company
with abandoned women, according to wide spread
report He Ia vain and passionate II Ia quite
probable that IN bis morbid sentlmeutality for the
rete, cause he considered that he could gain not6
ritt, as an American Brutus, or something of that
sort His Ideas on ali subjects were framed In ac-
cordance with fis theatrical tastes, end we see In
tire melodra nstic manner of bis exit from the
scene of the murder, bis exclamation Of the s c
semper tyrannis -Virgipias motto-an evidence Of
the desire uppefmcst within him to enact q memo
rabls part This he has certainly done. He has
| be xme the most exe3rsted man of his sge. There
aye some who hold the opinion that club of young
S ,cssi1nists IN Maryland and Virginia PROBABLY
took oath long while sgo 10 have tie lives of the
lac President and Mr. Seward, and that lots were
dawn TO determine en- WhJm the iendish task
should devolve In this manner it Is arsued thai
tie murderCrs lots felto Booth aud one or two
o hers, and that from that tine forward the up
psrmest idea 10 his uiad was this. Then, pursu-
Ing the oplLion 1t Is argued still further tha their
] l. al brr 1
taunts from d re to time and at last succe dsd In
foroiag the unhappy men to the commiss on OF the
promised cr!ms. Tnis is not at all unreaGonsb'e
t. suppose, AID, iudee ls more eaily accepted
Ian the theory that Booth, who was not known
70 have any private malice iowa d the Government,
slculd have Voluntarily planned the deed, and at
t e same tine rave infu need another to become
his acc mplico IN the terrible homicides.
TIE resder may remember that when tee news cf
tae X cutlun Of Capt Beall ached Richmond.
the newspapers OF that cisy sta ed that the mem
bers of the Federal Administration had for cited
their right to live in taking his life, and that ven
gssuce would ovsrtake them In time This would
indicate the existence Of bard Of conspirators,
AID the sequel only adds weight to belief that ten
or twenty, and 70, tw, men only, wtrs pledged to
murder the President, VIce-President, and members
Of the Cabinet. 1t Is quite probable that, by the
energy OF the Go Vernmsut, the supposed bard Of
C ,rspirators will &c uuea-thei. Booths amb ton
has ever be apra emily to produce eff ct-drama-
tic effect. lie had n particular reason for sympa-
thzng with tie South as he had relatives there,
owned no property there and was Sc krg an ALI
ance with a loyal household Betides this, bis
prospects Of popularity ard wealth were all id n
fed with the success of the Administration. He
must have looked death N the face l)ng Tim be-
fne the opportunity for executing his purpose c.
CURED, and unless he was kept up to his detelmi-
ustion by the prosp Ct of the eclat that would re
suit to him IL the estimation of few confederates,
or by the taunts Of thoss with whom be was asso-
clated, it seems almos. absurd to suppose that he
could have maintained bis eft-proclaimei resolution
81 the last.