Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-06-27
Mlistellaueuns &eadiue.
LINCOLN,S BRUTUS.


Shakespeare's tragedy of "Julius Caesar" is
about to be produced in Baltimore. The
striking similarity between two of the great
est tragedies that history records prompted a
representative of the Baltimore Gazette to re-
vive the history of the Presidential assassins-
tion, and endeavor to ascertain the real mo-
tive of Booth in taking Mr.. Lincolns life,
and the following is the result: The impress
sion has generally prevailed that Mr.. John
Il. Ford, who was manager Of Ford's Thea.
tire at the time the tragedy occurred, was fa.
mliar with facts in connection with the mat
ter that had never appeared in print, and he
was asked if such was the case. Mr.. Ford
remarked that he had frequently been re-
quested to give expression to his views on the
subject, but had declined. A general coz
substance of which, with Mr.. Ford's conver-
sation, we print. 1t throws some new light
on the great tragedy, and will, doubtless, be
found of general interest. Mr.. Ford said:
ADMIRATION OF BRUTUs.
John Wilkes Booth was trained from ear
liest infancy to consider the almost dei6ed as
sassin Brutus just as Shakespeare immortal
!
Brutus his brother is now the bearer of
that surname The great Booth frequent:
Iy appeared in the play of Julius Caesar, "
and not later than 1864 three of his sons act.
ed the three leading characters of the play to
an audience that applauded the sentiments of
Brutus to the echo Now trace the assassin
alton of Lincoln. On the morning of April
18th, 1865, Booth, who had conspired for six
months previous to abduct President Lincoln
and convey him prisoner to the South, was
the last guest at breakfast at the National
Hotel in Washington. The surrender at Ap.
pomatox had ended all chance for him to-
carry out his original conspiracy. He left
the hotel after eleven O'Clock that morning
and walked up Sixth street to H, and stopped
at the Surratt House, where he met the wild
ow who kept it, returning from the religious
services of Good Friday, and then in the act
of going to her former country place (the ve.
hicle to convey her already at the door) to
collect some money due her, so as to pay
what was due by her to the Calvert estate.
Booth, when informed of her intended visit,
requested her to pet some articles belonging
to him that he had left at the country tavern,
and then, bidding her adeu, he walked up H
street to Tenth, and down Tenth to the thea
ire. When he reached there it was about or
probably little later, than IL o'clock, mid
day. There he heard. for the first time, that
both President Lincoln and General Grant
were to visit the theatre that night. The
private box was in process of decoration.
The White House messenger had been there
an hour before to secure its use. | believe
and all reliable written or oral testimony con-
firms that belief-that then and there the ter
rible thought of assassination first suggested
itself. 1t came like this: "If failed to serve
the South in my conspiracy to abduct, [ can
now be her Brutus"
BOOTHS DECLARATION BURNED.
This thought fastened on his brain-led him
to 60 from the theatre toward the Kirkwood
House to have conference with some of his
old conspirators. John Surratt was away,
O'Loughln was in Baltimore and Arnold
was in sutler store at Fortress Monroe
They knew the abduction conspiracy had been
abandoned, but Payne, Atzerodt and Harold
we're in Washington. These latter he got to-
gether and conspired with them to kill the
President, the victorious General and some of
the Cabinet. He must have written between
the time when he parted with his CO. conspira-
tors and the hour he again appeared at the
theatre lengthy statement for publication,
excusing his intended crime by Roman pre-
cedent. When dying he referred to it for his
justification. He gave, on the evening of the
18th, package to an actor, directing its de-
livery the next day to the National InteIi-
gencer. The actor eonfesses that he, frighten-
ed at the risk be ran, broke the seal, read the
inclosed matter and at midnight burned it..
If that package had been preserved it would
have revealed the declaration that until noon
that day its writer had not premeditated
murder, but feeling deeply the humiliation of
the South, to the people of which he bore all
the love that Brutus ever felt for Rome, he
would strike down that night the leading men
of the victorious hosts who were then shout
ing their paans of triumph. When dying,
with his face lit up with the blaze of the burn
ing barn upon the Gsrret farm, just at the
break of day, on the morning of April "a,
he muttered some words, soldier bent over
him and caught them from his fast ebbing
breath. First, a message for his mother.
"Tel her did it, as thought, for the best, "
and then he said, "Tel others that the CON-
munication | wrote, addressed to the Nation.
al InteNigencer, will explain why l did what
| did," During the conspiracy trial at the
arsenal the Hon. Joseph Holt, the Judge.Ad
vocate, called on John F. Coyle, then the
publisher of the National Intelhgencer, and
asked if that communication had ever been
received. His reply was "No" ut was, "
continued Mr.. Ford, burnt in the CRATE of q
chamber of boarding house, and Catholic
Priest, now living in Washington, had the
fact confessed to him soon afterward. I had
the occurrence revealed to me-with the add
ed information of the confession the par
ty who was the custodian of the package.
This fully sustains my theory that John
Wilkes Booth had not contemplated the as
sassination of the President when he met Mrs.
Surratt, at midday, and he never met her
again.
WILKES BOOTH DESCRIBED.
In order to demonstrate that his brain was
turned by the poetic and dramatic glamour
which transmitted the story of the Roman as
sassination, said Mr. Ford, it is but just to
describe him at this time. In person he was
remarkably handsome, with face of singu.
lar manly beauty, in perfect health, less than
twenty.six years of age, and almost idolizsd
by his friends. AS an actor he could earn at
least $4,000 per annum. He was so popular
in Boston that during an engagement at the
Museum hundreds Of ladies have waited to
see him leave the stage to 60 to his hotel.
The facts and opinions will, think, show the
great danger of clarifying assassination under
any circumstances. Julius Caesar was to
Rome "the union of the scholar, soldier and