The Republican journal., 1874-02-12
"Reminiscences of Wilkes Booth.

George Alfred Townsend, in one of his
Washington letters, tells Of call upon
Judge Advocate General Holt and OF lie
explanations into the pocket diary found
upon the body of John Wilkes Booth:
There was brought to me diary of the
common leather pattern, the back enfold-
ing the book, and of this diary half and
| should think two-thirds, We're missing
Still, when we consider the fact that the
book in question was printed diary of
1864, and that the assassin had to accom-
modate this book to the year 1868, there
was nothing unreasonable in the mutila-
tlon of the first thirty or fifty pages-l
guess widely, because my memory is not
clear as to the quantity of pages abstract
ed.
What did those pages contain? Who
possessed them Had they received the
inscription of the various points in the
conspiracy Of which Booth was the lead
er and were for that reason torn out by
himself? Did they contain the names OF
persons Of fair social and political influ-
ence, women as well as men-whose rep
utations We're saved by the timely mutila-
ton of the book If Booth did not ex-
ptHSt tIltot pages IlOllI HIS tltIN WHO
now possesses them? This question is
committed to the debating societies, and
there are abundant reasons both ways,
enough to make mystery equal to the
Wandering jew tradition, or the legend
of the man IN the iron mask.
WHAT WAS IN THE BOOK.
| should guess that Booth tore out the
pages because his ruling motive was van
ity and he would wish to begin his diary
with his great, vain crime That is Just
where the diary does begin, after the mu-
tilated pages.
You open this diary at the first page
which the assassin preserved and find on
the left side calendar headed December
1864 !; then follows the stubs the abstract
ed pages, cut of with knife; the sue
ceedng pages are headed Saturday, June
Ilth, 1864" Under this, in Booths hand
writing are the two words "Pi R.Do.
Midway of the page are printed the words
Sunday l2th,' referring to the previous
year. Booth has dashed his pen through
this and written beneath;
'ArRIL 13-l4 FRIDAY THE IpEs.
Then follows the assassin's story Of hi,
crime, very delicately written as if he had
copied it from some careful compositions.
and this idea is strengthened by the fact
that, on another pago in similarly deli
cate handwriting, is a whole letter to Dr
Stewart, copied out, while the original
written in an ignorant, hungling way, is
found in the pouch at the end Of the diary
1t is always safe to aNpound human
mystery by reference to the key Of thu
leading characteristics of the leading act
OF. Booth lived for ctleets-stagey effect,
and his father was mad for notorietV.
and had named him for the most eXcita-
Bile and rampant dema@ogue OF L certain
period Old Booth himself was named
1or an almost impossible Roman charac-
ter - / barbarian who slaughtered hi
sons for the State. Crazness, with Il Ger
tain method, came down through three
generations to j. w Booth, and the fol
lowing verses in his diary, written bN
Richard Lovelace, sufficiently show hi,
melo-dramatic education.
Lovelace, it NAV be remembered was
an English poet born about the time OF
the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth
He was wild royalist whom Parliament
imprisoned, and he died in great poverty,
being chiefly remembered ior the lyrics
which he addressed to some nameless mis-
tress under the name of ''Lucastra'
Read this short piece, and YOU viii find
an explanation of Booths character 1t
may be said that in all probability be
copied this piece for Miss I.ucv Hale
daughter of John p Hale. 50 that She
could understand the tragedy when he
should have committed it,
To TT-Ct-TPt