Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-07-07
LENCOLN'S ASSASSINATION
Facts that go to Show that the Fearful
Crime was PremedItated and that
the Plans for ft were Care
fully Prepared.

Moline Qll.J ReUie,o: l have seen many
articles of late from persons who pretend to
know that J. Wilkes Booth conceived the
idea of assassiDating President Lincoln on
the fourteenth of April, 1865, about noon,
having been informed that the President and
General Grant were to appear at Laura
Keene's benefit at Ford's theater that even
ing. | oppose any such idea gaining Gre
dence, unless Booth had an army of assistants,
and will briefly, with your permission, state
my reasons for thinking so. | reached
Washington, with prize captured by the
United States steamer Mercury, under my
command, on the twelfth Of April, 1866, and
was busily engaged with the prize officers
arranging for the condemnation of the prize.
Walking down Pennsylvania avenue, and
when near Ford's theater, on the night of the
fourteenth, l saw squad OF soldiers on the
double-quick, and learning from the non
commissioned officers in charge that Presi-
dent Lincoln had been shot, / fastened to
the theater, and found that the President had
been removed TO the house OF Mr.. Peterson.
across the street from the theater. When |
reached the theater, there were only half
dozen lights burning, and, seeing ID. Is. Phil
lips, an actor OF my acquaintance and one OF
the company. standing upon the stage, |
walked down the center aisle and got upon
the stage. He related the whole story to me,
and paced the distance from where Booth
landed upon the stage to his place of exit,
where his horse stood in charge of boy, and
found the distance to be thirty-nine PAGES. |
also observed that the route selected by him
to escape was clear of all obstructions, which
first impressed me with the idea that he had
assistance from the members of the company
or stage-hands; which proved to be the fact,
for SpangleI, the stage carpenter, was con-
victed and imprisoned as an accomplce in
the murder. Returning to the stage,
wi
engaged searching the box. IN
formed US upon the stage that he had found
the pistol with which the bloody deed was
done. The actors requested him to surren-
er 1t to my keeping, which he agreed to do IT
! would come up into the box. | jumped off
thu stage and hurried up the center aisle, and,
as came out 10y the ticket office, | saw Miss
Laura Keene held by Mr.. Ford's brother,
with IAN arm around her waist. She was
gesticulatlng and calling on the crowd to
search for Booth, the murderer. As pas sed
her to go up stairs she caught hold of me
and endeavored to detain me, and it was with
some difficulty succeeded in getting away
FROM her. Reaching the dress-circle, In a
few minutes | was IN the Presidents box,
where the bloody tragedy had been enacted
Upon reaching the box | found Mr.. Kent
1.-THE gentleman who had found the pistol, in
the right-hand corner of the box; Mr.. Co
bright, the agent of the Associated Press, and
an actor named Spear-lt my memory serves
ENTHUSIASTICALLY under the influence of
liquor. \ few moments later the chief of
the Washington police reached the box,
and he requested me to aid him in
searching the box to see what could be
found. The pistol, a single barreled der
niger, was placed in his hands, and after
Spear had procured US candle, the search
began. The chief held the candle; | was
upon my knees, and Mr.. Gobright making
notes of our discoveries. The first thing
found was a button torn off of Booths coat
in his struggle with Major Rathburn, a shirt
button, an empty opera-glass case, and the
Presidents silk hat heavily dressed in mourn
ing. While upon the floor. in looking up,
noticed hole through the panel of the first
box-door--as the gas was lit In the passage
leading from the dress circle to the stage
boxes. / at once expressed the opinion that
the bullet must have passed out there. The
microscope Of the chief of police was at once
brought into requisition, and it was discov-
cred that it was spy-hole cut from the out
side, to cover the position of the occupants of
the box. We then went outside In the pas
sage-way and found that the door leading from
the dress-circle had been barricaded from the
inside, by removing the plastering, so that a