The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1870-12-30

object was very much the same as ours.
Arising from the table / thought over
who the party could be, for at that
time no names had been telegraphed.
L was pretty sure 1t was none of the
old party. approached the telegraph
office in the main hall of the hotel for
the purpose of ascertaining if j. Wilkes
Booth was in New York. picked up
a blank and wrote "John Wilkes
Booth" giving the number of the
house. / hesitated q moment, and
then tore the paper up, and then wrote
one ~. w. b. :" with direction, which
| was led to do from the fact that dur.
ing our whole connection we rarely
wrote or telegraphed under our proper
names, but always in such manner
that no one could understand but our
selves. One way of Booths was to
send letters to me under cover to my
qu0ndam friend, Louis j. Weichmau.
Doubtless you all know who Lewis j.
Weichman is. They were sent to him
because he knew of the plot to abduct
President Lincoln. l proclaim it here
and before the world that Lewis j.
| Weichmau was a party to the plan to
abduct President Lincoln. He had
been told all obout it, and was constant.
ly importuning me to let him become
L
simple reason that told him he could
neither ride horse nor shoot a pistol,
which was fact. These were two nee
essary accomplishments for us. My re
fusal nettled him some so he went off
as 1T afterwards appeared by his testi
mony, and told some Government clerk
! that he had a vague idea that there was
a plan of some kind on foot to abduct
President Lincoln. This he says him
self: that ne could have spotted every
man of the party. Why didn't he do
it? Booth sometimes was rather sus-
picious of him, and aske1 me if 1
thought he could be trusted. Said 1,
"Certaiply he can. Weichman is a
Southern man." and / always believed
it until l had good reason to believe
otherwise, because he had furnished in
formation for the Confederate govern
ment, besides allowing me access to the
Government records after Office hours.
| have very little to say of Louis j.
Weichman. But do pronounce him a
base. born perjurer, a murderer of the
meanest hue! Give me man who can
strike his victim dead, but save me
from mau who, through perjury, will
cause the death of an innocent person.
Double murder He'll possesses nc
worse fiend than a character of that
kind. Away with such character.
leave him in the pit of infamy which
he has dug for himself, a prey to the
lights of his guilty conscience.
telegraphed Booth thus:
. j. W. B., in NeU York:
"If you are in New York telegraph
me.
"JouN HARRISON, Elmira, N. "
The operator, after looking over it
said, "Is it j. w. B.?" to which L re
piled, "Yes." He evidently wanted
the whole name, and had scarcely fin
, ished teegraphing when door right
near the office, and opening on the
street, was pushed open, and | heard
some one say, "Yes, there are three OF
, four brothers of them, John, Juniu:
Brutus, Edwin, and j. Wilkes Booth
The whole truth flashed on me in ar
instant, and l said to myself, "My God
what have done ?" The dispatch wa:
, still lying before me, and l reached
over to pick it up for the purpose of de
stroying it, but the operator stretched
forth his hand aud said, "We must file
all telegrams.' My first impulse wa:
to tear it up, but L pitched it back anc
, walked Off The town was in the great
est uproar, flags at half mast, bells toll
ing, &c. Still | did not think that
was in danger, and determined to GO
Immediately to Baltimore to find ou
the particulars of the tragedy.
But here | wish to say few word,
concerning the register Of the Brainart
House. When my counsel, by my
own direction, went to seek tina
register, it could not be found. Our in
ability to produce il on the trial natur
ally cast suspicion over our alibi. Fo
weeks, months, did we seek to find it
whereabouts, but to no purpose. Every
man who was connected with the hOte
, WAS hunted up and questioned. Every
register of the hotel before and after thu
, one which ought to contain my name
was to be found, but the most import
, ant one of all was gone. Now the ques
ton is, what became OF that register
The United States Government, by ont
of its witnesses. DR.. Mcmillan, knew
in November, 1865, that was in Elmi
ra at the time of the assassination. The.
, knew it, and they naturally traced m
there to find out what l was doing
That some of the government emisSa
! rieS abstracted that register | firmly be
lieve, Or perhaps it is stored away il
| some of the other Government vaults
. under charge of some judge high in po
, sition; but this is only surmise o
mine. But the circumstance involve
| mystery of villainy which the Al
; Seeing God will yet bring to light. Th
[ despatch | sent to Booth, also from FL
r mira, it Was impossible to find. w
3 had the operator ut Washington durin;
! my trial, but he said the original wa
, gone, though he had copy of it. Il
: telegraph Offices they are compelled t
keep all dispatches filed. OF course W
in na
| because the original alone would be &C
1 cepted, and that had been made away
f with. So sure was the Government
{ that they had destroyed all evidence O
1 my sQjOurn in Elmira, that in gettin;
| me in Washington in time for Mr., Lin
coins death they brought me by wa,
; of New York city, but so completed,
| were they foiled in this that in their re
; butting testimony they saw the absO
| lutte necessity of having me go by wa,
l of Emira, and they changed their tao
1 ties accordingly. That was enough t
; damn my case in any mans mind. Thi
) is a strange fact, but nevertheless true
, that the Government, having in its pos
4 session this hotel register as well as m,
despatch to Booth, and knowing, more
) over, by one of its witnesses that l wa
, in Elmira, yet tried to prove that
' was in Washington on the night of MI
, Lincoln's assassination, giving order
, and commanding in general, as the
+: were pleased to say. The gentlemen
; Elmira by whom l proved my dHL
Y were men of the highest standing an
| integrity, whose testimony the Unite
6 States Government could not aud dar
t not attempt to impeach. l left Elmir
T with the Intention of going TO Bait
f., more. ! really did not comprehend q
+ that time the danger that l was in. A
/, there was no train going south tina
1 evening / concluded to go to Canandai
|, qua, and from there to Baltimore b.
{ way of Elmira and New York.
III Upon arriving at Canandaigua o
/ Saturday evening, / learned to my III
2 ter disappointment that no train lei
: until the Monday following, so took
j. room at the Webster House, registerin
Il myself as "John Harrison" The mex
la Il 40. al, a. l..