The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1867-04-04

~-r'
made in the diary, prior 70 tho time
Of Mr.. Lincoln's assassination. absent.
The edges show chat the pages
were all cut out. What IS:wan.s. t6t
know il lhiGA 1sf, WA tAt kliary
whole who1 It cains into ace I'll
of the Govesnment2 Cd Whethcf IL
was good Judgment on TIN part of
those who were proceeding the as>l
sassins az Abraham Lincoln to p1t in |
. tobacco pipe found in Booths pock-
ct as evidence against the prisoner,
while the diary in Booths own wri.
ting detailing the particulars Of hin i
crime, was Withheld. i did not
charge the able, brave, and gallant
soldiers who sat on that Court with
any wrong. They did not sec the
diary. They did not know Of lis ex.
iiAtcnce. II they had, they might
have given i different account 81 The
matter. Who spoliated that hook q
Who suppressed that evidence2 Who
caused that innocent woman to be
hanged while he had in his POCKET
the diary which would have Shown.
at least what was the idea and what
iwerc the thoughts Of ths main con-
spiratorf There is still remaining
ID that diary i memorable instance
written but few hours before j..
Wilkes Booths death j quotc from
memory, II have cndeavored to cross
the Potomac five times and failed
/ propose to return TO Washington
and give myself Dip, and clear pyself
from this great crime" M
How cleAf HIMSELF III, giving him.
self up and disclosing bis scc ompiioos!
Who were they7 Who spoliated that
book after it got into the possession
81 the government If it was not
spoliated, why was Lieut.. Conger
SLOWED to 20 on ard state what had
been found on Booths body : The
| questions were carefully put TO him,
90 he should not tell about the book.
HE identifies the knife, pair Of pis-
tols, holster, tobacco pipe, cartridges,
Il bill Of exchange, &C.; but he was
| nowhere asked, 'swere these eli the
ARTICLES that were found on Booth r
| If he had been asked that question,
he would have answered that he had
taken Booths diary from his pocket
as he lay gasping in death. I do not
know what would have been the YER
/ dict Of the Military Commission il
that evidence had been produced
i That evidence found on the, person
Of Booth should have been produced
1 / understand the theory to b. thai
tho reason it was not produced was
J, lest Booths glorifcation Of himself
, should 60 into the case, Think tina,
!, q most lame excuse. If an assassin
can glorify himself let him do 90; bul
there is no d4hger Of it. Therefore
i l again say here, it was . most re
markable circumstance that piec,
Il of evidence found on the body Of tn,
!, great conepirator should be conceal
ed. / will lake that back mean
thatit was not put forward mo
brought before the great public mind
, / believe that piece Of evidence woult
, have shown what, in my judgment
the whole case now shows-tha
Booth, up to certain hour, mean
! q capture and abduction of Mr.. Lin
coin, and that he changed his pur
f pose and resorted TO assassination. :
! Mrs. Surrattmay or may not hav,
known Of the change Of purpose
: What find fai,lf .,,;tl - a., = ~.
Advocate, who did not sum up for Ia
= prisoner, is, that there was no motto
BY him brought to the mind Of tn,
Court, in his very able but very BIZ
ter argument kainst the prisoner
Of this change 6f purpose, IF Mrs.
4 Surratt did not know Of this change
f she would have, had no knowledg
of the intended assassination, an
therefore cold not have been convictc
These are the reasons why say tina
q l am glad the blood of that woman
i whether she were innocent or guilty
o is not on my hands. / mean by n
= intclldment to say a word agains
9 the officers who composed that CON
J. mission. They were men who relic,
. for the law upon the Judge Advocat
. who thought they had all the fact
n before them, but before whom all th
i facts were not put. I do not meal
\ to say that they judged wrongly I'm
der the light which they had. Th
J. point which / make, and the poin
8 which l should stand made befor
Z the country, is, that if all the tcsti
J. mony had bcen presented, we shoul,
have been ablo to pursue the accom-
: fplices, aud to find out who it wa
J. that changed Booths purpose iron
capture to assassina tion-who it wa
Q that waste profit by the assassina
= ton, and that would not profit b,
) the capture Of Mr.. Lincoln-who
r was that should succeed Mr.. Lincoll
case the bullet made vacancy :,
In some aspects ofthe case that diar,
I might not have been legal testimony
Q but it's moral evidence would hav
9 carried conviction TO the mind Of ey
. crybody, because it was tho dyin,
declaration Of q man, assassin thoupl
9 he were, who was telling the trutl
between himself and God. How
q was Booth, bv coming back TO W aah
lngton, going to cloar himself Of tn,
eI great crimeY That question still Re
I mains! Were the eighteen pages .
9 Booths diary gone when it came in
& TO the possession of the learned Judg,