Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-05-29
Booths Diary.

Since ten. Butler made his charge ia Con
gross. that government officials had mutilatcd
the diary of john Wilkes Booth. the assassin
of President Lincoln, the demand for full
publication of all the facts connected with
it has been very general. In obedience to
that demand the President directed the Sec
retary Of War to furnish him certified copy
Of the diary. and this copy has now been
published and with the Secretarys letter
ani the Judge Advocates certificate. j. as
follows
ENEctrsl NANsto>. W,~nlNcroN, p. c.. }
Alal =. I~G7 {
The Secretary of War will please furnish
the President with a certified copy Of the
3. Diary = found upon the body Of j Wilkes
Booth. together with 4 succnct statement of
all the facts connected with it, capture and
its possession by the War Department.
ANDREW JonNso>.
WAR DEPARTMENT. WAsHI>GTo> CITY.
May Il. 1867.
SIR. have the honor to submit herewith
a copy Of the entries contained in the memo
randum book found on the person of j.
Wilkes Booth. at the time OF his capture,
certified bv ten. Holt, Judge Advocate Gen
eral, " ho has possession OF the book together
with Ills report in relation thereto. The
memorandum book was first seen by me about
the 10Th day Of April, 1860. shortly after
Booth capture. and few hours before his
remains reached Washington. 1t was brought
To my house by Provost Marshal Baker and
another person who was. | think. Lieut.. Col.
Congcr The book was then examined by me
in presence of Gen. Eckert, Assistant Sccre-
tarr OF War and was found to contain only
+T., Il LII 81
photographs Of females. Immediately PIE
ceding tie entries some pages appeared Il
have been cut out. but there was nothing
indicating what had been written thereon. or
whether anything had been written, nor when
or bv whom they had been cut out. Im1ne-
diatclv after careful examination Of the book
and its contents, it was placed in the hands
of General Eckert in the same condition ae
when / first saw it to be delivered by the
Judge Advocate General. in whose possession
after its delivery to him by Gen. Eckert,
am informed and believe it has continued
until the present time. The last time | saw
the book was some time last winter. 1t was
! then before the judiciary Committee of the
! House Of Representatives., and was in all
respects in exactly the same condition as when
| saw it first. without any change or altera-
+ ton. 50 far ar | could discover in its con
tents. Gen. Eckert reported to me that
upon receiving the memorandum book from
me. he sealed it up and locked it up in his
I safe. and it continued in his possession until
he delivered it to the Judge Advocate General
and that it was then in the same condition AZ
when it was brought to my house by Baker
Very respectfully. your ob't sery't,
EDWIN NJ. STANTON, Sec'v of War.
! To the President
The following is copy of the writing
which was in pencil, found in the diary taker
/ from the body of j. Wilkes Booth.
Official Copy.
j. HoLr, Judge Advocate General
:. ii amo," April 18th, 18th. Friday the
/ Ides. Until to-day nothing was ever thought
I six months had worked to capture but
cisive and great must be done But its fail
ure was owing to others who did not strike
! for their country with heart | struck
/ boldly and not as the papers say. | walkcG
with n firm step through thousand of his
friends and was stopped, but pushed on. 4
colonel was at his side. | shouted g s,t
/ senper > before | fired. In jumping broke
my leg. passed all his pickets, and rode
90 miles that night with the bone of my lee
tearing the flesh at every jump. | can never
repent it, though we hated to kill Our
country owed all her trouble to him, and God
simply made me the instrument of his pun
ishmcnt. The country is not what it was
/ This forced Union is not what have loved
| care not what becomes of me- | have nc
desire to outlive my country This night