Middletown transcript., 1870-12-17

until had good reason to believe other
wise, because he had furnished informa-
ton for the Confederate government, be-
sides allowing me access to the Govern
ment records after Office hours. I have
very little to say of Louis j. Weichman
But do pronounce him base-born per-
jurer, murderer of the meanest hue
Give me man who can strike his victim
dead but save me from man who,
through perjury, will cause the death of an
innocent person. Double murderer
He'll possesses no worst fend than a char
acter of that kind. Applause Away
with such character. leave him in the
pit of infamy which he has dug for him
self, prey to the lights of his guilty con-
science. Applause.
telegraphed Booth thus:
"J w. b., in New York:
If you are in New York telegraph me
"JouN HARRISON, Elmira, N. Y"
The operator, after looking over it, said
"Is it j. w. b. ?" to which l replied,
Yes" He evidently wanted the whole
name, and had scarcely finished telegraph
ing when door right near the office, and
opening on the street, was pushed open,
and | heard some one say, /" Yes, there
are three or four brothers of them, John,
Junius Brutus, Edwin, and j. Wilkes
Booth" The whole truth flashed on me
in an instant, and | said to myself, "My
God what have l done p The dispatch
was still lying before me, and 1 reached
over and took it up for the purpose of dss.
troying it, but the operator stretched forth
his hand and said, " We must file all tele-
grams" My first impulse was to tear it
up, but l pitched it back and walked off,
The town was in the greatest uproar, flags
at half mast, bells tolling, &c, Still 1 did
not think that | was in danger, and deter
mined to 60 Immediately to Baltimore to
find out the particulars of the tragedy.
But here | wish to say few words con-
cerning the register of the Brainard House.
When my counsel, by my own direction,
went to seek that register, it could not be
found. Our inability to produce it on the
trial naturally cast a suspicion over our
Nib For weeks, months, did we seek to
find its whereabouts, but to no purpose
Every man who was connected with the
hotel was hunted up and questioned Ev-
cry register of the hotel before and after
the one which ought to contain my name
was to be found, but the most important
one of all was gone. Now the question is,
What become of that register? The Unit
ed States Government, by one of its wit
nesses, DR.. Mcmillan, knew in November
1865, that | was in Elmira at the time Of
the assassination. They knew it, and they
naturally traced me there to find out what
| was doing. That some of the Govern
ment emissaries abstracted that register
firmly believe, or perhaps it is stored away
in some of the other Government vaults,
under charge of some judge high in posi-
ton ; but this is only a surmise of mine.
But the circumstance involves a mystery
of viliany which the All Seeing God will
yet bring TO light. The despatch sent to
Booth, also from lmira, it was impossi-
BILE to find. We had the operator at Wash
ington during my trial, but he said the o.
riginal was gone, though he had copy OF
it. In telegraph offices they are compell-
ed to keep all dispatches filed. Ofcourse
we could not offer this copy in evidence,
because the original alone would be accept
ed, and that had been made away with.
So sure was the Government that they had
destroyed all evidence of my sojourn in
Elmira, that in getting me in Washington
i'll time for Mr.. Lincoln's death they
brought me by way of New York city but
so completely were they foiled in this that
in their rebutting testimony they saw the
absolute necessity of having me go by way
of Elmira, and they changed their tactics
accordingly. That was enough to damn
my case in any mans mind. This is q
strange fact, but nevertheless true, that
the Government, having in its possession
this hotel register as well as my despatch
to Booth, and knowing. moreover, by one
of its witnesses that was in Elmira, yet
tried to prove that l was in Washington
on the night of Mr., Lincoln's death, Civ
ing orders and commanding in general, as
they were pleased to say. The gentlemen
in Elmira by whom l proved my alb,
we're men of the highest standing and in
tegrity, whose testimony the United States
| Government could not and dare not at
tempt to impeach. left Elmira with the
intention of going to Baltimore really
did not comprehend at that time the dan
ger was in As there was no train g.
ing south that evening concluded to &C
to Canandaigua, and from there to Balti,
more by way of Elmira and New York.
Upon arriving at Canandaigua on Sat
urday evening. I learned to my utter dis
appointment that no train left until the
Monday following, so took a room at the
Webster House. registering myself as
"John Harrison" The next day went
to church, I remember it being Easter
Sunday, can here safely say that the
United States Government had not the
remotest idea that I stopped anywhere
after I left Elmira. They thought, when
I left there. went straight through tc
Canada. 1t was very fortunate thing
for me that I could not leave Canand-
aigua. Now mark, ladies and gentlemen,
If you please, my name was signed mid.
way of the hotel register. with six Other