Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-11-18

which | described literally in previous
letter. Harry Ford, brother Of the pro.
prietor, thought to have joke with Booth
being on the best Of terms with him, and
said:
"Jehn, the President is going to be here
tonight with Gen. Grant. They've g
Gen. Lee here as prisoner, and he's CON-
ing too. We're going to put him in the
opposite box"
At the same moment Harry Ford handed
Booth letter enclosed ia long envelope,
addressed 10 him. Booth broke the seal,
remarkiRg, in 4 pooh peohing sort of tone
20, no; they haven't got Lee prisoner
they certainly wouldn't bring him to Wash
ington."
| Now, the fact, important to be stated, Is,
that only an hour or two before messen-
ger had come from the White House to the
theater to say that the President and Gen.
Grant, with Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Grant,
would visit the theater that evening. At
that hour, when the messenger came with
this announcement, Booth must have been
about getting out of bed or at breakfast,
and as Booth had already seen Mrs. Sur
raft, and as she was then bowling along in
a buggy toward Surrattsvile, and az she
was not to, and did rot return to, Washing
ton till nearly or after dusk, the clse en-
deaVored to be made out against her-that
she went TO Surrattsville on Booth'serrand,
with foreknOwledge of his purpose to IN
dertake the assassination at the theater that
evening-collapses in the first place. Booth
hadno possible means Of knowing, nor is it
supposed that he knew, anything about the
purpose of Mr.. Lincoln to attend the even
ing performance until he visited the thea
ter at this time and heard the news from
Harry Ford's tongue. Therefore, the alb
surdity Of the idea that the deed at the
theater could have been contemplated be-
fore this information was communicated to
Booth, also coilapses.
| IL 1870
| Booth read, or rather skinned over his
letter, in way that indicated that some
thing else was troubling his mind. He
folded 1t suddenly, and satisfied himself
| by several other earnest inquiries that at
least that part Of the news he had heard
which concerned the intention Of Presi-
| dent Lincoln and Gen. Grant was true
| Saying good morning." he walked toward
the avenue and toward the Kirkwood
| House at a rapid pace and with preOccu-
| pied manner-a contrast 10 his former lazy
| and perfsCtly-at-ease appearance. which
seems TO have been observed On such an
elegant personage) by nearly all the wit
| nesses.
The presumption, fully fortified by the
| facts to be related, is that the thought that
Mr.. Lincoln might be killed in the even
| ing as be sat in the theater box first
occurred to Booth in these moments. Ger
! tainly the thought could not have been
| long delayed.
One Atz5rOtI was staying at the Kirk
! wood House; Booth went to seek hin.
Alzerott was doubtless one of the chief
couspirators in the previous abduction plot,
in company with Payne and Herold.
After this visit to the KirkWOod House,
Booth was not seen on foot during the after
noon by any witness who appeared at the
| trial or who has made himself known
| elsewhere. Il was there that he saw Atze.
| rOtt, and he also had an interview with
| Payne and Herold. There the plan was
| probably arranged Atzsrott was to take
| the life of Nice-President johnson Payne
was to slaughter Secretary Seward and
! Booth undertook 10 attend to both the
President and Gen Grant. The actor who
| thus succeeding in sCrewing up the temper
of his associates to the sticking point of a
resolve to murder cat down and wrote a
letter justifying the intended ac'. He and
the rest signed the paper, which Booth
| sealed and directed 10 the editor of the
National Iatelligencer
From the Kirkwood House Booth rode
to Z stable for horse, mounted on which
he started up Pennsylvania avenue. On
the avenue he met an acquaintance, Ma
thews, and intrusied TO him the sealed le.-
ter directed to the National IatrIIiqencsr.
This meeting on the street Of Booth
with Matthews was cOrrobora'ed, at the
trial Of John III. Surratt by a witness who
had mistaken Matthews for Sarrltt. The
fact that Booth did hand Matthews the let
ter has been confirmed by Matthews HIM
self, who on The lat of the ensuing july.
met Mr.. John +. Coyle, proprietor Of the
| Iatelligsneer, aud another gentleman, near
the IRteHigeneer office, and informed them
not only that he had received the letter
from Booth, but that, in his agitation the
ensuing night, when the town was raging
| with the news Of the assassination, he had
opened the letter, read and burnt it.
Booths whereabouts, between his adieu
TO Matthews and his second appearance at
Ford's theatre at night, were never conjec-
tured. One clue alone has been afforded
to them. Payne stated in prison before
his execution that they met again that
some doubt arose, and that it was not until
o'clock that night the fiual resolve was
made. Herold was appointed to conduct
Booth along the route beyond Washington.
Meanwhile Mrs. Surratt accompanied
by her boarder, Weichman, logged along
in buggy towards Surratisville. That
was the early springIime, about the middle
of April; and, as Mira. Sarratt had been to
church and wOrshipped az a devodt Catho-
lie on Good Friday, we may suppose that
her anxiety concerning the money due to
her, and the monev she had to pay, was
measurably softened By the recent infu.
ence5 Of the cathedral and the surrounding
odors Of grasses and songs OF birds. Per
chance the gable Of her attendant edited
her; With bin she might have compared
notes Of the chances of clearing the Surrat
estate from its pscunary burdens; with
him, " eichman, she might have deigneI
to jest a little; his humor, such as il was
might have beguiei this woman to laugh
, ter, whose life he WAS destined to swea
e away of the end of rope. Il ia not very
pleasant to think of the ride Of those two
beside each other in the afternoon of al
/ | April day, and then think Of what occurre,
: on the 9Th of the following July.
: Lloyd, the tayern-keeper at SurrattsVilie
t is the fellow who helped Weichman t
D | swear Mrs. Surratt off the scafold. Ye
4 the proof ia sharp az steel that Mrs. Surral
did not once see Lloyd that day until afte
she had finished her business and he
r horse's head was turned ciiyward. With
, man was then in the buggy with her; the
D CHANGED to see Lloyd az they were abOu
n starting for Washington and Lloyd whe
; he came cut TO the buggy to speak 20 then
a was beastly drunk His drunkenness va
3 30 apparent that it WAS observed at one
= by both Welchman and Mrs. SuTratt. I'll
e latter is, or was, accused Of making col
d filant, in q fearful, unprecedented col
y spiracy, Of an inebriate in the very boz
/. ness Of inebriation!
It Weichman, a most COwardiy scOundre
Ia who, if there was not a murdered woma
is in the case, would deserve to be laughed
- for his laundering perjury, swore one da
% at the trial that Lloyd whispered 10 Nj
d Surratt that day. Lloyd, to whom Weic
n man coDfded the fact that he had give
e this testimony lin a prison ambnlanC
3 after be had given iD, Indignantly turn,
i. to Weichmau, reproached him for Il
n story, and denied having done any suc
d thing. But, accepting the testimony
Weichmsn as true. and considering th
h the drunken man, Lloyd, really did a
o. | nrnarh Mrs SnrraIt and unzzle her wi