Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-06-05
Baker. the Detecaive, and the
Booth and sarrats HIysteries-
A PEN Picture OF the Lying
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RASCAL - t--N
lFrOm the Mac-a-cheek Press. Junel.l
BAKER vENTILATEs.
The businessof detective, however nee |
essary it may be, has never been regarded
as the most reputable. Whether 1t can be |
regarded otherwise than despisable, de-
pends altogether on the chare5ter of the |
detective. In Europe, where the system |
both political and of. the police, has been
carried to almost perfection, the first quail
ity sought for in the detective is honesty.
He is lntrusted with so much irresponsible
power that unless he is possessed of the
highest Integrity his Office becomes the
means OF carrying out what it was created
dnithis country, acting on the old maxim
of setting thief to catch q thief, we suffer
more from our police, and especially the
detectives, than we do from the rogues.
And in all cases where the honest man gets
into trouble he had better 90 over to the
enemy at once, and seek safety among the
thieves. He may in that case lose his prop
erty, but he will save his temper and be
relieved of much aggrayation and disap-
pointment. 6'7i.I .lAe ,...il 3
General Baker lBreyet Brigadier General
God save the mark is q representative
man. He is the American detective. From
among the thieves he was selected as the
thief to catch thieves. He has the distinc-
tive features and qualifications of his call
ing. OF these he boasts. 1t is his pride of
Il
appointed him, and it the Gen, raj had been
questioned why, he would haze responded,
''because, sir, he Is the most ctiv !, intelli-
gent. adroit, rascal that X, ,ow of. For
the same reason the Secretary Of War, Mr.,
Stanton, continued Baker in ice. We
can see the grim smile which ths sardonic.
Secretary would dwell on his creatures ut
ter want of conscience and honesty.
1t was a. grave error. "A, blot has been
left on the fair fame of the Secretary, and a
shame on our administration.
Brevet Brigadier Gen. Baker has rushed
into print. He has made a book. And
since the publication of Barnum's Confess
ions and Wykoff7s Courtship, no such
shameless volume has appeared. Recol-
lecting General (Brevet Brigadier) Bakers
qualifications as u detective, we may ap-'
preciate his qualifications as an author.
How many lies are we to have to the square
inch? That is the question that must ami
mate the reading world ON taking up his
volume. 80
We never could make out what the late
and lamented Mr.. Lincoln wanted with q
detective system at all. From the hour OF
his first Inauguration up to that OF his
death, the thieves were all in Office. Ex-
cepting Messrs. Chase, Stanton and Holt, it
was impossible almost to lay hands on an
official and not touch man not made rich
through his position. This was especially
the case with the moneyed offices. Honest
men stood aghast at the impunity with
which stealing went on. All cries of shame
and outrage seemed unavailing. All oppo-
sitlon was thrown away. Thieves were
turned out to be succeeded by thieves, and
colossal fortunes were made in an hour.
The amiable old President cracked jokes
over the rascality, and said that in his ap-
pointments he had to run his hand into a
sack of fifty snakes TO find one eel. Among
the later acts of the Congress that preceoed
his death was an investigation of the cot
ton frauds, and out of a great number OF
permits to steal, three-fourths were signed
by the President.
We know that any quantity of timid men
will remonstrate at this, as likely to injure
our party. We think differently, and firmly
believe that the only hope we have to hold
our Government in the hands of loyal men,
is to expose the rascality and drive out the
thieves. To remain silent is to connive at
the frauds and protect the rogues.
To return, however, to cur nutton-very
tough and tainted atthat. We open Brevet
Brigadier General Bakers book with the
same feelings we take up dying speech
and confession, believing that all that is
interesting is not true, and all that is true is
not interesting, and we find it from begin
ming to end about the dullest performance
it has been our misfortune to meet WITH
We turn at once to that part which treats
OF the assassination. In it we find, If any
where, the uses of our national police, and
the net purport and upshot OF the much
vaunted detective, system. And the result.
to use slang term, is ssnix." If as is
claimed, great conspiracy existed, origi-
mating at Richmond. and encouraged in
Canada, it went onunder the nose OF Brevet
Brigadier General Baker, and engaged his
attention only when the President was
killed in the presence of a great crowd, and
the Secretary of State was hacked to pieces
at his own residence. If, on the other
hand, no conspiracy had being, the subse-
ouent coil with the hanging of one woman
and several imbeciles, were outrages on our
common sense, to say nothing OF that neg
elected goddess called Justice. This is all
57and for, this little all, we have paid
dearly.
For the book itself few words are requi-
site. 1t abounds in bare-faced lies. One
requires little experience in this sort oi
literature to- recognize the falsehoods at
once. 1t reads very much like second
rate tale in the Ledger. 1t has all the marks
of q mean, poverty stricken imagination
Each series of adventures eliminates in an
impossible, escape, where success turns or
the not very brilliant smartness of the hero
and the utter imbecility OF the enemy. ,.rT
In the escape from Richmond, for exam
pie. If we are to take as truth the account
of Davis, Toombs and Brock, we must ac-
cept Davis, Toombs and Brock as the veri-
est iackasses the Lord ever set on end
Brock is unknown to fame, but Davis anC
Toombs have rather impressed this ag'
with a confidence in their sagacity, and 81
long as this confidence continues Breye
Brigadier General Bakers attack on theil
brain must be at discount.
The evidence of falsehood, however, i
to be found in the fact that throughout th'
narrative the author not only gives the mi
nIitest details but the accompanying con
versation. The moment story-teller un
dertakes to give the .says he, :" and .say
She" and ''says /" ne passes into the reglol
of romance. Let any one try this for him
self. Make an effort to remember the word
of conversation held yesterday, and mari
the result; and then Judge of the reliabili
tyof a conversation running through a.
entire volume and extended over years il
the past.
the asserred confession of Mrs. Surratt.-
The simple rules governing evidence fore
us to consideration first of the characte
of the witness; secondly, to the probabilit
of the story. In either view this proposes
confession falls through. Our Brevet Brig
adler General has been convicted of lyint
and he tells us that woman who made
hard fight for her wretched life, forfeite
that life to man that she loathed and de
spised. 1t will do for such noodles as th
editor of the Cleveland Herald to reproduc
this absurd story-but no man possessed G
a.tbimblefull of brains believes it. -
There is one thing that strikes us forcibly
and that is the renal kable similarity DC
tween the style of this book and That OF Gil
so-called Booth Diary. To any one of Oh
dinary sagacity it is difficult to distinguis
one from the other. In the history of tn
remarkable diary we learn that it passe
from the hands of Brevet BIigadier Gener'
Baker to MIR. Stanton. .g-,es..
of all the possessions found on the bod
of the assassin, the. diamond pin and diar
fnd for w