The daily gazette., 1876-04-26
Why Lincoln ,pas Assassiaated


HOW JOHN WILKES BOOTH AvENaEDTHE
HANGING OF HIS FRIEND, JOHN r
BEAL.
From Pomeroy' 8 Democrat.)
Among the chosen friends of John
Wilkes Booths boyhood was dash.
ing, chivalrous young man named
Jno. Y. Beal, whose home was in the
beautiful Shenandoah Valley not ia,
from Winchester. Damon and Pythias
were not more attached to each Other
than were Booth and Beal. Beal was
Southern in his sympathies, and plann
ed raids on Norther cities, and at last
was captured at or near Buffalo, tried
for piracy on Northern lakes, and
sentenced to be hanged on Bedloe's
Island.
One afternoon, in the city of Wash
inten, while Beal was under sentence
of death, there alighted from a carriage
two men, who walked into the room
occupied by Washington Mclean, OF
Cincinnati, who was at the time in
Washington in the interest of his
business. These men who called were
Senator Hale, of New Hampshire, and
John WilkesBooth. Booth was anxious
to save the life of Beal, his chum and
confidential personal friend. He had
interested Mr.. Hale in his behalf.
They impurtuned Mclean to 90
with them to the President, as Demo,
crat-as friend of Booth-as a man
who had much influence with Mr..
Lincoln, and to vouch with Mr.. Hale
for any promise Booth might make in
return for this great favor to him.
After protracted interview Mclean
accompanied Hale and Booth in a car.
riage to the residence of John W. For
ney, who was then in bed, the hour
being late. Forney was awakened
from his sleep and told the object OF
his call. His sympathies were enlisted
as he was always ready to serve his
friends.
1t was an hour or more past midnight
when Hale, Forney, 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 tie 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 clemeney.
This interview lasted till four in the
morning. 1t was one of tears, prayers
and petition. Their was not dry eye
in the room as Booth knelt at the feet
of Lincoln. clasped his knees with his
hands and begged him to spare the lite
OF ole mana personal friend who, in
serving the ones he loved had come to
tle door of death.
Booth told all. He told how, long
before, in tit of passion to do some
bold deed, he had joined in conspi-
racy to abduct the President and to
hold him as hostage for the release
of certain military prisoners who were
Booths friends, and who, it was
thought, were to be shet. 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
before. He offered his services at
any time and in any place or capacity,
free of cost or fearless of consequences.
The eminent gentlemen who were
there with him joined in the request
that the prayer of Booth be granted,
and that Beal should be pardoneQ.
AT last President Lincoln. with tears
streaming down his face, took Booth
by the hands, babe him rise and stand
like man, and gave him his promise
that Beal should be pardoned. He
asked the party to depart that he
might gain rest for the werk of the
morrow, and said that the official do
cument that they asked for Should be
forwarded at once to the U. S. Mar
shal, Robert Murray, in New York,
and through him to the officers charg-
ed 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
Real should be hung. He declared
that to pardon Beal would discourage
enlistments, lengthen the war and in
suit the sentiment that called for
blood. He chided Lincoln for making
such promises without asking the ad-
vice of his Cabinet, or advising with
himself. Seward, on State policy.
As the argument grew contentious,
Seward declared that if the conduct of
the war was to be triefd with by ap-
peals for humanity he should go out
of the Cabinet and use his influence
against the President, and should
charge him with being In sympa by
with The South. Lincoln yielded aud
Beal was executed. The reaction to
Lincoln's nervous system was such
that for days he was far from well.
The effect on Booth was terrible.
He raved like "a madman, and in mis-
frenzy swore that Lincoln and Seward
should both pay for the grief a d
agony he had been put to. From I; e
death of Beal, Booth brooded ven.
ge nee for that which he considered a