The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1876-05-05
WHY LINCOLN WAS ASSASSINA.
TED.
How JouN WILKES BooTH AVENGED
THE HANGING or HIS FRIEND, JOHN
Y. BEAL.

Among the chosen friends Of John
Wilkes Booths boyhoOd was a dashing,
chivalrous young man named John Y.
Beal, whose home was in the beautiful
Shenandoah Valley not far from Win
chester. Damon and Pythias were not
more attached td each other than were
Booth and Bpal Bpal was Southern
in his sympathies, and planned raids on
Northern cities, and al last was captnr.
ed at or near Buffalo, tried for piracy
on Northern lakes. and sentenced TO
be hanged on Dedloe's Island.
One afternoon, in the city of Wash
! ingtOn. while l}ral was uhder sentence
Of death, there alightpd from carriage
two men, who walked into the room Oc-
cupipG by Washington Mclean of Gin
cinatti, who was at the time in " ASH
| ington in the interest Of his business.
These men who called were Senator
Hale of New Hampshire and John
Wilkes Booth. Booth was anxious to
save the life of Beal, his chum and con.
hdential personal friend. He had in
terested Mr. Hale in his behalf.
They impOrtuned Mclean to 90 with
them to the President, as Democrat
as friend Of BOOth-Rs a man who had
! much influence with Mr., Lincoln, and
to vouch with Mr.. Hale for any pro.
misses Booth might make in return tor
this great favor TO him. After pro-
tractpd inverview Mclean accompanied
Hale and Booth in carriage to Che re-
sidence of John w. Forn5y, who was
f in l,.,I bn hnt In 20
ney was awakened from his sleep and
told the object Of his call. His sym.
, pathies were enlisted, as he was always
ready to serve his friends.
1T was an hour or more past midnight
when 1iale, Forrey, Mclean, and
| Booth were driven to the White House.
The guard, at the request OF Forney,
admitted the carriage to the grounds.
Mr.. Lincoln was called from his sleep,
and there, in the dead of night, he sat
and listened to the prayers Of Booth
and the endorsements of those who
came with him to ask the favor of Ex.
ecutive c'emeBcy.
This interview lasted till in the
oIning. 1t was one of tears prayers,
and petition. There was not dly eye
,
Of Lincoln, ciasped his knees with his
hands, and begged him to spare the life
1 OF one map-a personal friend who, in
seIviEg the one, he loved, had come to
the door of death.
Booth told al. He told | ow, long
before, in lit OF passion to do some
bold deed. he had joined in some con
! spIraCy TO abduct the President and to
! hold him as hostage for the rpirase OF
/ certain military prisoners who were
| Booths friends, and who, it was
| Thought, were to be shot, He told of
| the meetings they had held at the house
| of Mrs. Surratt, and that all of that
| plan had fallen to the ground long be.
fore. He offered his service at any
! time and in any place or capacity, free
OF cost or fearless of consequences. The
Pmint mt gentlemen who weIe there
with him joined in the request that the
prayer of Booth be granted, and that
Beal should be pardoned.
AT last President Lincoln, with tears
streaming down his face, took Booth by
the hands, bade him rise and stand like
a man, and gave him his promise that
Beal should be pardOned. He asked
the party to depart that he might gain
rest for the work of the morrow, and
said that the official document that they
asked for should be forwarded at once
| to United States Marshal Robert Muir
ray, in New York, and through him to
the officers charged with the execution
of Beal
After breakfast Lincoln informed
Seward, Secretary of State, what he
had done or promised to do. Seward
said that it must not be that public
sentiment in the North demanded that
Beal should be hung. He declared that
to pardon Beal would discourage enlist
ments, lengthen the war ,and insult the
sentiment that called for blood He
| chilled Lincoln for making such pro-
misses without asking the advice of his
Cabinet, or advising with hims elf, Sew
art, on State policy. As the argument
grew contentious. Seward declared
that If the conduct of the war was TO be
trifed with by appeals for humanity
he should go out of the Cabinet and use
his influence against the President, and
should charge him with being in SYM
pathy with the South. Lincoln yielded
and Beal was executed. The reaction
to Lincoln's nervous system was such
that for days he was far from we'll.
The effect on Booth was terrible.
He raved like a, madman, and in his
| frenzy swore that Lincoln and Seward
should both pay for the grief and agony
he had been put to. From the death of
Beal. Booth brooded vengeance for that
which he considered personal affrOnt.
His rage took in Seward, and he en-
/ gagged Harold, Ashcroft. and other to
avenge Beal's death by killing Seward,
while he, Booth, wreaked human ven =
geance on the President.
At last came the hour. Booth killed
| Lincoln His friends and the relatives
or avengers OF Beal tried their best to
kill Seward, and when they left him
stabbed, bleeding, and limp as cloth,
as he rolled over behind the bed where
on they found him, they supposed their
work was completely done.
Our story Is told. We have given
the truth of history and toll exactly
why Abraham Lincoln, the humane
! President olthe United States was killed.