The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1867-05-21
BY TELEGRAPH
Booths Diary Its Contents - A
Certified Copy.


Certified Copy.
WASHINGTON, May 2O.-Although Sec
retary Stanton had emphatically said that
with his consent the Diary of Booth, the
assassin, should not be published, it has
just been given to the public, on the au-
thority of the President, as certified by the
Judge Advocate. The admission will be
observed that Booths body was taken to
Washington;
[coPY.l
EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, d. C,(
May 9, 1867.
The Secretary of War will please furnish
the President with certified copy of the
diary found on the body of j. Wilkes
Booth. together with succinct statement
OF all the facts connected with its capture
and its possession by the War Department.
[Signedl ANDREW JOHNSON.
WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON CTTY,l
May IA, 1867. T.
SIR: i have the honor to submit here
with a copy of the entries contained in the
memorandum book found on the person Of
j. Wilkes Booth at the time of his capture,
certified to by General Holt, Judge Advo-
| cate General, who has possession of the
book, together with his report in relation
thereto. The memorandum-bookw was first
seen by me about the 26th day of April,
1865, shortly after Booths capture, and a
few hours before his remains reached
Washington.
Il was brought to my house by Provost
Marshal Baker and another person, who
was, think, Lieutenant Colonel Conger.
The book was then examined by me in
presence of General Eckert, Assistant Sec
retary of War, and was found TO contain
only the entries certified by General Holt
also some photographs of females. Imme-
diately preceding the entries some pages
appeared to have been cut out, but there
was nothing indicating what had been
: written thereon, or whether any thing had
been written, nor when or by whom they
. had been cut out.
Immediately after careful examination
of the book and its contents, it was placed
in the hands of General Eckert, in the same
condition as when i first saw 1t, to be de-
livered to the Judge Advocate General in
whose possession, after its delivery to him
by General Eckert, am informed and be-
lieye, 1t has continued until the present
( time. The last time saw the book wa;
= some time last winter. 1t was then before
, the Judiciary Committee of the House Of
Representatives and was in all respects
T in exactly the same condition as when
saw it first, without any change or altera'
tion, 80 far as l could discover, in its con-
tents.
General Eckert reported to me that upon
receiving the memorandum book from mt
he sealed it up, and locked it up IN his safe
/ and it continued in his possession until hG
delivered 1t TO the Judge-Advocate Cen
2 eral, and that it was then in the same con-
dition as when it was brought to the house
j.. by Baker.
Very respectfully, your obedient ser
want EDWIN NJ. STANTON,
Secretary of War;
To the President:
A The following is copy OF the writing
which was in pencil, found in the diary
taken from the body of j. Wilkes Booth:
j. Holt,
Judge-Advocate General.
| I'll Amo, April l3-l4.-Friday the ides
Until to-day nothing was thought of sacri
Iicing to our country's wrongs. For si1
months we had worked to capture; but
i one cause being almost lost, something de
5, cisiVe and great must be done; but its fail
d ure was owing to others, who did no
strike for their country with heart.
struck boldly, and not as the paper
say. j walked with firm step through !
, thousand of his friends, and was stopped
but pushed on. A colonel was at his side
r 1 shouted ",Sic Sempsr" before l fired. ii
Jumping broke my leg.
l. passed all his piekets, rode sixty mile
4, that night with the bone of my leg tearing
e the flesh at every jump: can never re-
I pent II, though we hated TO kill. Our coun
IS try owed all her troubles to him, and Coz
I. simply made me the instrument of hi
:. y punishment. The country is not what Il
was.
April, May s, 1s65.-This forced Union i
not what have loved. care not twhat be
l. comes Of me; have no desire TO Outliy'
3, my country. This night-before the deeC
70 II wrote long article. and left IL for ON
t of the editors the National IRteiligencer, II
which I fully set forth our reasons for oul
lss proceedings. He is the Government.
% Friday, the 2lst, after being hunted lik
a dog through swamps and woods, the las
night being chased by gunboats till wa
forced to return, wet, cold and starving
=, with every mans hand against me, an
/. here in despair, and why For doing whs
R. Brutus was honored for, what made Tell
x, hero, and yet /, for striking down create
4. tyrant than they ever knew, am looked up
cd on as a common cut-throat. My action wa
50 Ipurer than either one of theirs. One hope
sd " TO be great. The other had not only hl
cd oountry's but his own wrongs TO aveng'
II hoped for no gain. ] knew no priyat
n wrong. / struck for my country, and tla
alone--a country that groaned beneath thi
- tyranny, and prayed for this end, and y'
now behold tae cold hand they extend
me, God cannot pardon me II have don