Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-06-24
MEMPHIS. TENNESSEE. MONDAY EVENING. JUNE 2

Brlgouler Jeneral Dakcr, anu engaged
his attention only when the President
was killed in the presence Of a great
crowd, and the Secretary of State was
backed to pieces at his own residence.
If on the other hand no conspiracy had
being, the subsequent coil with the hang
ing Of one woman and several lmbeciles
were outrages on our common sense, to
say nothing of that neglected goddess
called Justice. This is all--and for this
| little all we have paid dearly 'ali.
For the book itself few words are requi-
site. 1t abounds in barefaced lies. One
requires little experience in this sort oil
literature to recognize the falsehoods at
once. II reads very much like second
rate tale in the Ledger. 1t has all the
marks Of mean poverty stricken imagl-
nation. Each series of adventures cul.
inmates in an impossible escape where
success turns on the not very brilliant
smartness of the hero and the utter i'm
becility Of the enemy ~
In the escape from Richmond, for ex-
ample, if we are to take as truth the &C.
count of Davis, Toombs and Brock, we
must accept Davis, Toombs and Brock
as the veriest jackasses the Lord ever set
on end. Brock is unknown to fame, but
Davis and Toombs haverather impressed
this age with a confidence in their sa-
gaeity, and so long as this confidence
continues Brevet Brigadier General Ba-
ker's attack on their brain must be at q
discount. 1iH 80,
The evidence of falsehood, however, is
to be found in the fact that throughout
the narrative the author not only gives
the minutest details but the accompany
ing conversation. The moment a story;
teller undertakes to give the says he, =
and says she, and saysI |, he passes
into the region Of romance. Let any
one try this for himself Make an effort
to remember the words of converse
tion held yesterday, and mark the result;
and then Judge of the reliability of a
conversation running through an entire
volume and extended over years in the
past.
In this, connection we call attention to
the asserted confession of Mrs, Surratt.
The simple rules governing evidence
force us to q consideration iirst OF the
character Of the witness; secondly to the
probability of the story. In either view
this proposed confession falls through.
Our Brevet. Brigadier General has been
convicted Of lying, and he tells us that a
woman who made 10 hard fight for her
wretcked life, forfeited that life to man
that she leathed and despised. 1t will
do for such noodles as the editor of the
Cleveland Herald to reproduce this abb
surd story-but no man possessed of a
thimhlefull of brains believes it.
There is one thing that strikes US for
chilly, and that is the remarkable simi !
larity between the style of this book and
that of the so-called Booth diary, To
any one Of ordinary sagaeity it is difficult
to distinguish one from the other, In.
The history Of this remarkable diary we
learn that it passed from the hands of
Brevet Brigadier General Baker to Mr..
Stanton. lTT furn Wgfe aof .i
OF all the possessions found on the
body of the, assassin, the diamond pin
and diary are the only two not accounted
for. We recognize the distinguished
detective in the fact. But the world is
puzzled to know why the. able Judge
Advocate General, in his effort to identify
the body of Booth, failed to produce the
most positive evidence, and that was the
note book or diary Of the deceased.
Baker, the diary, and the diamond pin,
all disappeared together
-, The wonder is solved in the fact, we
suggest, that Judge Holt and Mr. Secre-
tary Stanton discovered that eighteen
pages had been cut from the hook, and
certain ether entries made that could
not be identified as the handwriting of
the assassin, This clears up the mystery
that attached to this diary.
We now understand why Judge Holt
failed to produce it at the trial, and why
Mr.. Stanton treats with contempt. all
reference 10 it. Without some explana-
ton the conduct of these two eminent
statesmen appears inexplieable.
y This is the first, and we fervently hope
the last of political espionage in America.
1t was born Of Seward and his little bell,
and dies in Baker. 1t was conceived in
sin, lived in shame, and dies in general
disgust. Let every honest man throw a
stone on its decaying carcass, that a
monument may remain to warn future
generations to beware Of such attributes
Of despotism. In this way Brevet Brig
adler General Baker may be of use to
humanity, and no other way.