The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1878-06-25
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
The True Story Of the Assas-
sination,

|
The T,r,e Story of the A ssas-
w
SlnaClOn,
...........-. .,..
As Told for the First Time by the
Manager of the Theater.
-------.-
me Deed Not Long Con0emplaIeo,
ou' lone Upon a ou'''eh '.i iinp"i'o'
,s.., ~. p...-r
'op'0i". A'p''0n " 'A' -1-'NA
BALTIMORE, June 15.-The impression
has long. prevailed that Mr.. John t.
Ford, who was Manager of Ford's Thea I
ter at the time the Booth Lincoln assas-
sipatien occurred, was familiar with facts
in connection With the matter that had
never appeared in print, and he was ap-
preached by a Gazette reporter and ask
ed If such was the case. Mr Ford re-
marked that he had frequently been re.
quested to give expression to his views
on the subject, but had declined. "A
general conversation on the subject,
however, ensued, the substance Of which,
with Mr. Ford's permission, We print y
Il throws some light on the great TRACE
dy. Mr.. Ford said: ~-.'4 ....'La-l
!. John Wilkes Booth was trained from
earliest infancy to consider the almost
deifed assassin Brutus just as Shakspere
immortalized him, His father was named
"Junius Brutus,'' His brother is now
the bearer of that surname. The great
Booth frequently appeared in the play
OF Jutsus Caesar, and not later than 1854
three OF bis sons acted the three Leading
characters OF the play 70 an audience
tnat applaudea the sentiments OF "bru-
tus TO the ecno.
NOW trace the ASSASSINATION OF LIN
coin: On the morning OF April Ia, 1867,
months previous to ahduct President
Lincoln aud convey him prisoner to
the South, was the last guest at break.
fast at the National Hotel in Washing
ton. The surrender at Appomattox had
ended all chance for hlm to carry out
his original conspiracy. He lett tue no.
tel after eleven O'Clock that morning,
and walked up Sixth street to II. and
stopped at the Surratt House, where ne
met the widow who kept il returning
from the religious services of Good Fri
day, and then in the act OF going to her
former country .place-the vehicle to
convey her already at the 'door-to col
lect some money due her, so as to pay
what was due bysher to the Calvert es
tate Booth, when informed of her in
tended visit, requested her to get some
articles belonging to him that he had left
at the country tavern, and then, bidding
her adieu, he walked up Fl street to
Tenth and down Tenth to the theater.
When he reached there it was about.
or probably little later than twelve
O'clock, midday. There he heard for
the first time that both President Lin
coin and General Grant were to visit
the theater that night. The private box
was in process OF decoration. The
White House messenger had been there
an hour before to secure its use. l be-
lieve, and all reliable written or oral
testimony confirms that belief, that then
and there the terrible thought of the as
sassination first suggested itself. 1t
came like this: "If failed to serve the
South in my conspiracy to abduct, can
now be her Brutus"
This thought fastened on his brain,
and led him to 60 from the theater to.
ward the Kirkwood House to have q
conference with some of his old conspi.
rators. John Surratt was away, 0 Laugh.
: lin was in Baltimore, and Arnold was in
a suffers store at Fortress Monroe
: They knew the abduction conspiracy had
been abandoned, but Payne, Atzerod'
J and Herold were in Washington. These
latter he got together, and conspired
with them to kill the President, the vic.
J torious General, and some Of the Cabi
net He must have written, between the
time when he parted with his co conspi
rators, and the hour he again appeared
at the theater, lengthy statement fol
!, publication, excusing bis intended crime
by Roman precedent. When dying he
referred to it for his justification. HI
gave on the evening of the I4th pack
age to an actor, directing its delivery th,
= next day to the National Intelligencer
The actor confesses that he, frightened
, at the risk he ran, broke the seal, read
the enclosed matter, and at midnigh
burnt it If that package had beer
. preserved it would have revealed thu
! declaration that until noon that day it,
writer had not premeditated murder
but, feeling deeply the humiliation of th,
South, to the people of which he Dor,
all the love that Brutus ever felt fo
l Rome, he would strike down that nigh
the leading men of the victorious hosts
!. Who we're then shouting their pRaus o
t triumph. When dying, with his face Ii
a up with the blaze of the burning barr
!, upon the Garrett farm just at the breal
r of day on the morning of April 24th
i he muttered some words. A soldie
e bent over him and caught them from hi
+ fast-ebbing breath. First, message 70
s his mother: "Tell her | did it, as
g thought for the best. And then h
c said: "Tell others that the communica
r ton ] wrote addressed to the Nationa
Intelligencer will explain why did wha
l did, 49,.
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