The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1866-04-03
A STRANGE STORY REPEATED

A STRANGE STORY REPEATED.
Some reference to the following curious state
ment was made by telegraph, but the most i'm
portant part of it-namey, that the man King
-confesses to have been the murderer of President
Lincoln, was omitted: I
From the Louisville Democrat
On the 18th of last month Sterling King was
presented before the police court upon the charge
of having stolen horse and buggy from Inc
proprietor of livery stable in Cincinnati Inc
proof was clear against him, and he was com
mtted to Jail to wait requisition from the 0oV-
eruor of Ohio. He is charged with having sto-
len several horses from the neighborhood OF Por-
.kopolis. King, after his committal to Jail, made
statement or what might be called confession,
of a most horrible crime, namely, that of the muir
der of the President of the United States King
states that he WIS the man who killed President
Lincoln He says that he entered the theatre as
any other person, purchasing 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 him with single bar
rel pistol, which he let fall at the time he eaped
from the box. He gives his ol ject for using
a single barrel pistol, that he was compelled to
leave it behind him, and if it had been revolver
those in the box light have used 1t against him.
He further says that after he shot the Presi-
dent and leaped from the box, he passed by sew
eral persons, but one Of whom he knew, Miss
Laura Keene, and she did not know him. Ac-
cording to bis statement, }. Wilkes Booth, whom
it was said was the murderer of President Lin
coln was in the rear Of the theatre awaiting with
horses. From the vicinity of Ford's Theatre, he
states that he vent to the residence of Secretary
Seward, and after forcing entrance, he made
an attack upon the Secretary himself, cutting him
in the throat with bowie knife. He says that
after young Seward was Knocked down, the old
man begged pot to be murdered, and that he
struck the blow to silence him.
His only regret seems to be that he did rot kill
the Secretary. He says that the statement pub
lished in the papers, that there were two persons
in the affair, is false, as he Is the man who shot
sthe President and made the attack upon Secre-
Dtary Seward. He says thatthere another per-
son in the affair who has not yet been apprehen-
ded who was to have killed Stanton, but he failed
to fulfill 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 state
sment, which is now in the hands of the military,
the route he pursued after leaving " aShington.
lie says the man killed in the barn. and who is
said 10 have been Booth, was a prisoner who es-
.caped from the Ohio prison. He claims to have
gone in. company with Booth, from Washington
to Canada, and from thence to the Island Of Cuba.
He states that his object in returning to the L nj
ted States was for the purpose Of releasing jefer
son Davis.
L regard to Mrs Surratt, who was executed
as one of the consprators, he says that she
knew nothing of the conspiracy. The parties
who planned the affair, three Of them have never
been heard of, met regularly at the house Of
Mrs Surratt, but she knew nothing of their de-
,signs. He says that he was stopping at the
house of Mrs Surratt some ten or twelve days
previous to the execution of the plot.
We give the above statement of King without
vouchiDg for the truth of the same, though
there some plausible circumstances connect
Led with his statement, and it would appear that
he had some connection or knowledge Of the
plot. His confession has been sent to Wash
lington to be acted upon by the President,
There are two prisoners in the Jail,
Llewen and Grimes, who say that they know
something of the affair, and it may be that the
tale has been concocted for the purpose Of get
ting the three released from the charges now
against them, and have them turned over to the
military authorities.
King is man who, during the war, figured
dn both armies, being convicted by a military
commission in each and sentenced to death. At
the time he made his escape from Covington he
was under sentence of death as a guerrilla and
spy. He gave object for making the con-
.fession that his name would be published as ar
rested for horse stealing and as there were those
in Washington who knew him, he would be
sent fox
The above statement was made to Generals
.Jef. G Davis and Watkins, at the Jail, on Tues
day, after having been related to two or three Of
the prisoners and Policeman Bligh, Finding
that his statement was likely to get him into a
/ very serious difficulty, King determined to put
an end to his miserable existence Ill asked
the privilege of having a small penkuife, which
was granted him. With this he opened the
veins of the left arm, and would have bled to
death, bad it not been that the attempt was dis
covered 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 iu
regard to his attempt to commit suicide was
! given about four o'clock in the morning, after
( he had 5led for several hours.
The FREEDMEN.-Weat pleased to hear that
an many nsfghborhoods in the several Counties,
the freedmen doing well, fulfilling their con-
tracts better than was expected. This, we learn,