The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1867-05-30
The DIaryo fJ >. Wnkea nootn.

seems very generally 10 confirm the
impression which largely prevailed IN
the public mind previously, that the
original plan of Booth was to capture
and not to kill President Lincoln, and
that Booth suddenly, and of his own
yolition. changed it into a tragedy
without prompting from other parties
who might have been privy to the or
,pinal intention. In the diary this
sentence occurs: "For six months We
had worked to capture, but our cause
being almost lost, something decisive
and great must be done. But it's
failure was owing to others, who did
not strike for their country with q
) heart" Who or how many had been
prlvy to the daring plot to capture the
President may now never be definitely
known, unless brought TO light in the
trial Of young Suratt, yet to take place;
but if the diary, as published be the
whole document, it seems certain that
Booth was not the agent of others-at
least he duplicates none--but shows
finally n terrible awakening in bis own
mind ofthe atrocity of his crime. But
ms taking away the idea of an original
conspiracy for assassination, the mon
st~rousuess of the tri, and condemna-
|, ton by tho military commission Of
I, Mrs. Surratt becomes more clear. 1t
is well SAID, that had this book, retain
ed 10 the hands of Judge Advocate
Holt, been produced, il would have
been n great deal better evidence than
, much which was gwen. 1t is not
probable that il would have changed
the result Of the trial, since that was
q ~foregone conclusion. Probably
. nothing would have saved Mrs. Sur
. raft, however clear, for the melancholy
: fact remains, says tho Journal Of Com.
, mercc, that there was no evidence
against her which was worth consider
, alton, and she was unquestionably q
4 victim to the wild passion Of tho hour.
: The most important bearing Of tho
notes in Booths diary is with refer.
, cnce to her. If the assertion OF Booth
= be accepted as true, that no mover
contemplated killing Mr.. Lincoln un-
A til the morning of Good. Friday, it is
clear that the slight evidence which
was given against Mrs. Surratt falls to
the ground. The Journal polntedly
remarke that the important point at
prcsen. is TO know on what principle
~ or with what design the Judge Advo-
,r cate suppressed such evidence rs this,
,f carried 1t in his pocket, and deprived
- 1t as he has of all va4ue for all time
We remember with shame, as Amcri-
7 cans, the testimony which was intro
ar duced in this case. Anonymous pa
- pers, said TO have been picked up in
, tIn NK.afnpa NJ pnpnnfa paou MT oGsa 4
:, he'd to or proved as the hand writing
4 Of any individual on earth, were read
M evidence and weighedin the balance
nd against lives. What possible eXplana
ton. then, is there of the suppression
h. Of written notes, found on the person
,r Of the assassin, and forming Il part 0
the fatal history
simultaneously, almost, with tn.
Il publication of this mysterious diary
d. comes forth n book ofwhat purports t
-. be the experience Of the notable Lafay
n ette L. G. Baker, chef detective Of tn
M Var Dcpartn cut during the war, an.
n who was finally dismissed from hi
general" ship at tho instance Of Nh
w. Of the President, for having underta
~ ken to dominate the White House.
- III IlllN B'JJA Illh'I ~ NtlJst iO ~
it up for him, essays to solve the mys
terry that attended the final dispositio
~ Of the remains Of John Wilkes Boott
W Stories were afloat that the body wa
vi strangely mutilated, that the head wa
removed, the heart taken out; and th1
finally the poor corpse was mystcriou,
~ buried with n number ofother fDlor
W and the ground sr .othcd over, so'th,
"' the grave might never again be recol
,o4 nized. The facts according to Bake
(who ought to know )are that, whe
the body lay upon the gun boat
Washington, great pains were taken
ascertain its identity beyond n que'tO
This done, Surgeon General Barn,
removed about two inches Of the ce
~ veal column containing the vertebI
through which tho bullet of BostC
Corbett passed, and had it prepared
II surgical specimen, which can be sec
,."y by any curiosity hunter in tho Arm
,no Medical Museum ut Washinton, du
W. labelled and numbered. by this tin
tho body of Booth had become We
y" offensive, 1--WE quotc.) sowing to Il
!" condition in which il had renamed
ave after death; tho leg, broken in jumpll
!" from the box 10 the stage, was mu
discolored and swollen, the blood fro
'"" the wound having saturated his uud
'''' clothing. With the assistance Of Lie,
W. l.. b. Baker, l took the body from I
In'S gun boat direct to the old penitentia
~ adjoining tho old arsenal grounds.
The building had not been used al
W prison for some years previously,
tng The Ordinance Department had FIJI
tho ground floor cells with fixed M
mu ,ition-on Of the lnrgest Of the
en- cells was selected as the burial place