Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-08-05

the great democratic Con ventiou met IN
dent. Mr.. Lintol had then been nomfnated
by the other party, o ser all his adversariss.
THOSE who were hostile TO our Government
succeeded IN ereaking up that fthe Charlestonl
Convention. They wanted Mr.. LiacOlu elect.
ed. SO they could have an excuse to turn trail /.
tors. They succeeded, and Mr.. Lincoln was
e fhsH Then followed plots and plans First
fors. tsev 70 his BY
Breckinridge would be President and prevent
the inauguration; bot Mr.. Lincoln was inau.
eurned Then what did they attempt
ter plan was to kidnap the Presi.
dent. In-y found that was impossible
and 1t was much easier to have bin killed.
s Ihns conspiracy, nsy commenced in 1853 That
and then they attempted the plan for the muir
der Of the President and ofhcers Of the Dab
met They hoped by this the Government
holders would rule this country, as hereto
fore, with rod Of iron. The loyal people
rose in their might aud forbid it Hostile
and when passions were aroused. it was be-
lieved that IL Mr.. Lincoln could be got out Of
the way the South would succeed, which
would have sulted in the loss OF liberty to
all Of MS. Now, in 1864, as early as the month
Of April, 1t was discovered that Mrs. McClar.
mond saw three men talking together, speak
Ing OF the telescope rifle. Another said, "His
I'VE will them outof the way II ecessary."
Who was thisl Heroic. You heard some ac-
count given OF him. Booth called him an in
nocent boy. You will notice that Booth
wanted to take all the blame upon himself He
wanted to fight all of Col. Cenger's men, He
wanted to sell his life as dearly as he could.
His object was TO shield all, he thought he was
greater than Brntus; strange wild MOTTO
he had after this great drama In which he ha d
been the bloody actor. Now, who was tn il
Herold! He was an humble and poor clerk
in the drug store Of Mr.. Thompson. How
hammered h n n ia IN nu1
MI. Lincoln got his medicine at this drug store.
II Herold could he got in, there might be
some chance to poison Mr.. Lincoln. That is
why he was brought in. He was discharged
on July 4th, 1864. and was in no employment
after that, but with Booth all the time, until he
was caught, put in irons, and finally disposed
Of by that Military Commission.
At twelve o'clock the court took recess for
half an hour.
EN- Resembling. at 1890 O'Clock
MI Peirrepoint resumed his argument. He
SAID Gentlemen, now come to a strange act
Ia this dark drama; strange, though not new;
so wonderful that it seems to come from be-
yond the veil which separates from death.
As have already said. all government is or
God. The powers that be are ordained OF God.
The great ruler of all sends some shadowy
warning when some great disaster is to befall
it when the great Julius Caesar died; so was 1t
when Christ was crucif1ed, for the wife Of
Pontius Pilot said, tHavc nothing to do with
this just mn, for l have suffered many
things OF him in my drPam:' so was it when
Henry the Fourth was assassinated; so was it
before the bloody deed when Abraham Lincoln
fell; and there is not single instance where
the head OF a Govern emit has bsen assassiuatsd
hat the as assins have not all been caught
and punished. 1t is a terrible thing to fight
against God. No man has ever escaped. On
The lith OF April, 1865, Abraham Lincoln called
together his Cabinet. He was in good spiri S,
but still upon his soul there lay heavy Clio m
and he said 81 am very anxious TO hear from
sherman. teel that some great disaster is
n O m nc Irht 4
a fearful dream. Before the battle Of Bull Run;
before the battle of Chancellorsvi vile: this same
distinct form came to me In my dream" and
the nem bers OF that Cabinet who heard III
VIII never forget it, In a few hours, after pc
did not he ar from sherman, but the dream W q
fulfilled and led his spirit mp to God. l hold
IN my hand a letter, which is the letter Mrs
Benson found IN a railroad car, and this other
letter In female hand. You have seen them
before. There is remarkable history con-
nected with this letter. Let trace it. Mrs.
In railroad car in 1864: just after the election
OF MI Lincoln as you Will remember. Let us
see what this woman says She Is brought
here from Canada; put upon III 1t stand and tells
yeu Der simple tale. MI. p. here
read from the testimony OF Mrs Benson for.
merlp Mrs. Hudspeth) as to where he found
the letter. and her description OF the parties
whom she noLced In the car. MIR. p. here
read the letters. the first being the Charles
Seloy letter Gentlemen, you will begin to
see what's meant by changing plans. At one
time IT was fixed that Payne should kill the
President; at another time Herold was TO do
IL; and finally Booth was - do it. The cup
JAILED them once; they changed their plans.
Who is the English gentleman Harcourt! That
introduced, and then commit the deed He
next read the letter addressed to "dearest hus-
band, and dated st Louis, requesting Louis
to come home to his heart-broken wife The
poor woman did not know he was in a plot to
murder. There is truth there, entlemen. The
letters Were sent to President Lincoln. He
paid e need TO them; he had received many
threatening letters. When this letter came he
went over to the office OF the Secretary OF War
ard went in the private room.
Mr. Bradley.-I don't like to interrupt Mr..
self to the evidence.
Mr.. Pierrepoint.-It is merely the history Of
the letter.
Mr. BradIey-Go on.
Mr.. Pierrepoint resumed:-After the Presi.
dent was murdered, the Secretary, to whom it
had been referred, thought this letter had
something to do with the murder, and imme-
dlately sent To the Presidents Office, where L.
was found In the private drawer of the Pres-
dent, Endorsed ASSASSINATION l have told
you, gentlemen, In relation to Booths place at
evidence. Mr.. p. here read from the testi.
mony of Mr.. Bunker as to Booth leaving here
on November llth and returning on the 18th.
He was IN New York at the very time this
letter was found. From 1864, in the spring, the
plan was 10 m urder Mr.. Lincoln. They at one
time thought to poison him, and again changed
their plan. The change was that Booth SD Guild
Kill the President at the theatre, and Payne
was 10 kill the Secretary OF State. The change
OF plan was as to the made Of killing, and the
man who should strike the fatal blow. Mr. p.
next read from the testimony OF Charles
Dawson, and said there was found in the
hotel where Booth boarded this letter, ad.
dressed to j w. b. Mr.. p. here read the letter
dated South Branch Bridge, April 6. 1865.
no were Booth 8 helpers In sinking the well!
We have one OF those helpers on trial here,
You are told we have blood enough. This
understood, If lost This fellow calls Booths
letters nighfalu'in, and he does not write high
faiutin himself. Jake had the funds, and
Surratt took Zoo, and S3n,0Oe OF the funds
TO Jake II they had succeeded, per-
hnps Jake would have divided the funds.
Why did he want this letter burned? 1t lives,
and cannot be biotted out. 1t lives, a terrible
witness to this horrid crime. l come next to
the evidence OF Mr.. Chester. He says the last
time be saw Booth was on Friday. week
previous TO the assassination, in New York
city. l new come down to what occurred at
Mrs. Surraus house on the night Of the muir
der. Mr.. p. here read from the testimony of
Wsichman as to the officers visiting the
house on The night Of the murder. Mrs.
Surratt said, "For God sake let the Of
dcers in" She expected the house would
be searched. Why did she? Because she had
been with Lloyd that day. and short time
before her son had left the house. What was
the expression OF DIR Webster when he was
told the body OF DR.. Parkman had been found
"Has 1t all been found?' chad cut the body
up, and inyoluntarily made this expression.
Nobody doubted that John Surratt was in the
city that night. We are asked by the coun.
sci why we did not put his friends on the
stand 10 say they saw him here. We did not
n al a han Th0u oIl