Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-06-24

duct meant, and before l had time |
to arrive at any satisfactory conclu-
sion as to his strange actions Mr.. |
Lincoln stepped upon the veranda, |
the crowd cheered, and my thoughts
were for the time being distracted
from the subject. l remarked to
Mr.. Booth, There is the great
and good man. and he reioined,
yes, l hope he will make us a good
speech Don't you think Mr..
Lincoln looks pale and haggard and
much worm? ! queried. Yes, he
does, replied Booth.
AN ALARMING MANIFESTATION.
"I noticed, after that remark,
that Booth looked at the President
with a fixed, intense gaze, and with
one Of the most demoniacal ex-
pressions / have ever seen on the
face of mortal on or off the stage.
Why, his face was the very embodi.
ment Of tragedy, every feature be-
ing distorted with dcvilish malig-
nifty. He stood there with that
fearful and horrible expression on
his countenance for some five min.
utes, the spectators near gazing
with wonder upon the man. /
thought he was merely trying to
impress upon the crowd the fact
he was an actor, and was merely
giving a free exhibition of the ease
with which he could transform his
beautiful face into that of demon.
Alarmed at this surprising mani
festation, l accosted him once or
twice, but he did not seem to hear
me and did not answer me. |
stepped aside for a short time and
on returning found him still lean
ing against the lamp-posti in a tragic
attitude and with the same tragic
expression on his face. Shortly af.
ter the flags were delivered, the
speeches ended and Mr.. Lincoln
came down to his carriage, the po-
lice again separating the crowd and
Booth trying to follow the carriage,
but failing in his attempt. ! Think
this was the day on which the ab-
duction Of the President was to
have been made; but the conspira-
tors plans were foiled. The next
day | met Booth and chatted with
him, as was the case every day up
to the time of the assassination. |
was then in the Pennsylvania Cen
trail railroad, under the National
Hotel, and Booth used to drop in
there every day. / also met him
outside Of the Office with Mr.. A.
R. Oazauran, an author, a journal.
ist and linguist, who was then at.
tached to Colonel Forney's paper,
afterward on the Brooklyn Eagle,
and now translator of the foreign
plays produced at the Union Square
Theater in New York. At that
time Mr.. Cazauran was trying to
get Booth to take part in a play
he had written, based on events in
the war; but Booth said he had
lgone into the oil business and did
not intend to go on the stage
again, as he expected to realize a
fortune in his new venture.
THE HISTORIC NIGHT.
"On the night of the assassina.
tiOn Mr.. Cazauran and myself were
standing in front of the Metropoli-
tan Hotel at about s O'Clock, when
Mr.. Booth came along, and Mr.
Cazauran again urged him to take
part in his play. 'Cazaurau, dear
boy said Mr.. Booth | wouldn't
touch theatricals again with a forty
foot pole. | am now in the oil
business He then asked Mr.. Ca.
zauran and myself to accompany
him to Ford's Theater to see Laura
Keene play. / told him l didn't
care to 60. 'Oh,' said he, you
had better go. President Lincoln
Secretary Seward, General Grant,
and, in fact, all Of the cabinet arr
to be there tonight | still re.
fused, and afterward learned that
Mr.. Cazauran went with him to the
theater. Mr.. Oazauran was the
first person in the theater who ex
claimed, John Wilkes Booth has
shot the PRESIDENT That is the
last time | ever saw Wilkes Booth
Had gone to the theater with him
it is very likely that would have
been arrested as one of the con.
; spirators, for | was with him every
day."
THE CoNsPIRAToRs.
edo you think" inquired the
t interviewer, that Wilkes Booth
ever gave the details of the plot tC
assasslnate the President to any
! person, or that any other persons
, were privy to his plans before he
[ had fully conceived the idea of as.
sassination%
"No, l don't believe he gave The
: details of his plans to any one but
: Payne, who seems to have been hii
right hand man. The idea that any
of the Booth family had anything
to do with the arrangements for thu
assassination is siEply preposterous
| knew Junius Brutus Booth, sr.
and | know Edwin Booth person
ally, and | must say that these two