Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-07-07
ASSASSINATION OF LINCOLN.
Interesting Statement by John T. Ford, Of
Baltimore.
From the Baltimore Gazette. |

LFrom the baltimore Gazette
Mr.. Ford said that in his opinion
1t was not until the noon of the day
Of the commission of the crime
that Booth decided upon it. AS is
we'll known he had for six months
been a party to a conspiracy to ab-
duct Mr.. Lincoln, but the surren-
der at Appomattox had ended all
chance of accomplishing this. On
the morning of April l4th, 1865,
says Mr.. Ford, Booth breakfasted
at the National Hotel, and saun-
tering out about IL o'clock, went
first to the Surratt House, where
he found Mrs. Surratt, who had just
returned from the Good Friday re.
ligious services, about to drive out
to the Calvert estate. He asked
her to get him some small articles
that he had left at the country tav.
srn, and went on down to the thea
ire. Mr.. Ford continues: "There
he heard for the first time that both
President Lincoln and Gen. Grant
were to visit the theatre that night.
The private box was in the process
of decoration. The White House
messenger had been there an hour
before to secure its use. 1 be-
lieve - and all reliable written
or oral testimony confirms the
belief-that then and there the
terrible thought of assassination
first suggested itself. 1t came like
this: If failed to serve the South
in my conspiracy to abduct, I can
now be her Brutus.' This thought
fastened on his brain-led him to
90 from the theatre to the Kirk
wood House to have a conference
with soma of his old conspirators.
John Surratt was away, O'Laugh-
lin was in Baltimore, and Arnold
was in q sutler's store at Fortress
Monroe. They knew the abduc-
tion conspiracy had been abandon
cd, but Payne, Atzerodt and Her
old were in Washington. These
latter he got together, and con-
spired with them to kill the Presi-
dent, the victorious General and
some of the Cabinet. He must
have written between the time
when he parted from his co con.
spirators and the hour he again
appeared at the theatre, a long
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 14th, a. pack
age to an actor, directing its deliv-
cry the next day to the National
Intelli0enoer. The actor cOnfesses
that he, frightened at the risk he
ran, broke the seal, read the in
closed matter, and at midnight
burned it. If that package had
been preserved it would have re-
vealed 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 hosts who were then shout
,, ing their p@ans of triumph. When
: dying-with his face lit up with
the blaze of the burning barn upon
the Garrett farm, just at the break
of day on the morning Of April
oath he muttered some. words; a
soldier bent over him and caught
. them from his fast ebbing breath
First, u message for his mother
TELL her did 1t, as thought fol
> the BEST and then he said: Tell
others that the communication ]
wIote, addressed TO the Nationa
, Intelligenccr, will explain why
} did what l did, During the con
spiracy trial ut the arsenal, Hon
Joseph Holt, the Judge Advocate
: called on John F. Coyle, then tn,
t publisher of the National Ltelli
! gencer, and asked II that commu
/, nication had ever been received
: His reply was NO. 1t was" con
. tinued Mr.. Ford, "burned in thu
CRATE of q chamber of boarding
/ house, and a Catholic priest, nov
i living In Washington, had the fac
confessed to him soon afterward.
had the occurrence revealed to M
3 with the added information o
/. the confession-by the party VIII
r. was the custodian Of the PACKAGE