Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-07-02

l
ITATED.
Shakespeare's tragedy of Julius C3-
sar" is about to be acted in Baltimore.
The striking similarity between two of
the greatest tragedies that history re-
cords prompted a representative of the
Baltimore Gazette to revive the story of
the Presidential assassination, and en-
deavor to ascertain the real motive of
Booth in taking Mr.. Lincoln's life, and
the following is the result The i'm
preston has generally prevailed that
Mr.. John T. Ford, who was manager of
the theatre at the time the tragedy oc-
Cured, was familiar with facts in con
nection with the matter that had never
appeared in print, and he was asked if
such was the case. Mr.. Ford replied
that he had frequently been requested
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. 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
earliest infancy to consider the al
most deified assassin Brutus just as
Shakespeare 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 "Julius Caesar"
and not later than 1864 three of his sons
acted the three leading characters of the
play to an audience that applauded the
,fc of r11f,1 fN N
| trace the assassination of Lincoln. On
the morning of April IA, 1865, Booth,
who had conspired for six months pre-
vious to abduct President Lincoln and
convey him prisoner to the South,
was the last guest at break fast at the
National Hotel in Washington. The
surrender at Appomattox had ended all
chance for him to carry out his original
conspiracy. Heleft the hotel after eley
en- o'clock that morning and walked up
Sixth street to II, and stopped at the
Surratt house, where he met the widow
who keptit, returning from the religious
services of Good Friday, and then In
the act of going to her former country
place (the vehicle 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 in
formed of her intended 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 II street to Tenth, and down Tenth
to the theatre. When he reached there
it was about or probably a little later
than twelve o'clock midday. There he
heard for the first time that both Pres
ident Lincoln and General Grant were
to visit the theatre that night. The pri-
yate box was in the process of decora-
ton. The White House messenger had
been there an hour before to secure its
use. 1 believe-and all reliable written
or oral testimony confirms that belief
that then and there the terrible thought
of assassination first suggested ITSELF
1t came like this IF l failed to serve
the South in my conspiracy to abduct L
can now be her Brutus."
BOOTHS DECLARATIONS BURNED.
This thought fastened on his brain
led him to go from the theatre toward
the Kirkwood House to have a confer
ence with some of his old cOnspirators.
John Surratt was away. O'Loughlin
was in Baltimore and Arnold was in
suffer 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 together and cCnspired with
them to kill the President, the vie:ori
Gus general and some of the Cabinet
He must have written between the time
when he parted with his CO. conspirators
and the hour he again appeared at the
/ theatre a lengthy statement for publica
| ton, eXcusing his intended crime by
Roman precedent When dying he re-
ferred to it for justification, He gave,
on the evening of the 14th, a package
to an actor, directing its delivery the
next day to the National IltelIigencer;
The actor confesses that he, frightened
at the risk he run. broke the seal, read
the incIosed 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 pfemeditated 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 shouting their
pens 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 "a, he muttered some words, a
|
from his fast ebbing breath. First, q
message for his mother. ''Tell her [
did it, as I thought, for the best" and
then he said, ''Tell others that the com
munication I wrote addressed to the
National IuteZLigencer, will explain why
did what did, During the conspir-
acy trial at the arsenal the Hon. Joseph
Holt, the judge advocate, called on John
E. COyle, then the publisher Of the NQ
tio,sal Lateliigencer, and asked if that
communication had ever been received.
His reply was, mo" "It was" con-
tinued Mr.. Ford, burnt in the CRATE OF
chamber of boarding house. and a
Catholic priest now living in Washing
ton had the same confessed to him soon
afterward. had the occurrence re
yealed to me-with the added inf)rma-
| ton of the confession-by the party who
was the custodian of the package. This
| fully sustains my theory that John
| Wilkes Booth had not contem plated the
assassination of President Lincoln 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 assassination, said Mr.. Ford,
it is but just to describe him at this time.
In person he was remarkably hand
some, with face of singular manly
beauty, in perfect health, less than
twenty six years of age, and almost
idoIized by his friends. AS an actor he
could earn at least $4,000 per annum.
He was so popular in Boston that dur
ing an engagement at the Museum hun
dreds Of ladies have waited to see him
leave the stage to go to bis hotel. The
facts and opinions will think show the
great danger of clarifying assassination
under any circumstances. Julius Ce
sar was to Rome the union of the |
scholar, soldier and the gentIeman."- |
"Mighty Caesar! All Rome did love
him once not without cause" Yet Cas-
sius did say
How many ages hence
Shall this our lofty scene be acted over,
In states unborn, and accents yet unknown?
Was this, added Mr.. Ford, in closing