The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-06-27
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
The rae story OF the Assassination. ~ |
Told for the First Time by the Man
ager Of the Theater.
Baltimore Special to Cincinnati EnquiIerI

Il
Ford's Theater at the time the Booth
Lincoln Assassination occurred, was fa>
miliar with facts in connection with the
matter that had never appeared in print,
and he was approached by Gazette re-
porter and asked if such was the case.
Mr.. Ford remarked that he had frequent
ly been requested to give expression to
his views on the subject, bit had de-
clined. A general conversation on the
subject, however, ensued, the substance
of which, with Mr.. FoTd's permission,
we print. 1t thrsws seme light on the
great tragedy. Mr.. Ford said:
John Wilkes Booth was trained from
earliest infancy to consider the almost
deifed 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 latter than
l Ga three of his sons acted the three
leading characters of the play to an
audience that applauded the sentiments
of " Brutus" to the echo.
Now trace the assassination of Lincoln :
On the morning of April II, 1865, Booth,
who had conspiTed for six months pre-
vious to abduct President Lincoln and
convey him a prisoner to the south, was
the last guest at breakfast at the Ma
tional Hotel in Washington. The SUR
render at Appomatox had ended all
chance for him to carry out his original
conspiracy. He left the hotel after IL
o'clock that morning, and walked up
Sixth street to FL, and stopped at the
Surratt House, where he met the widow
who kept it returning from the religious
services of Coed 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 informed 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 theater.
When he reached there it was about,
| or probably little later than twelve
O'Clock, midday. There heheard for the
| first me that both President Lincoln
and General Grant were to visit the the.
ather that night. The private box was
| in process of decoration. The White
| House messenger had been there an hour
before to secure its use. / believe, and
! all reliable written or oral testimony
! confirms that belief, that then and there
| the terrible thought of the assassination
| first suggested itself. 1t came like this
| aft failed to serve the South in my
conspiracy to abduct, 1 can now be heI
| Brutus"
This thought fastened on his brain
and led him TO go from the theater to
ward the KirkwOod House to have 8
conference with some of his old conspira'
tors. John Surratt was away, O'Laugh-
! lin was in Baltimore, and Arnold was in
a suffers store at Fortress Monroe. They
knew the abduction conspiracy had beer
abandoned, but Payne, AlzerOdt and
Herold were in Washington. These lat
ter he got together, and conspired with
them to kill the President, the victorious
general, and some of the cabinet. Hs
must have written between the time
when he parted With his CO. conspirators
and the hour he again appeared at The
theater. a lengthy statement for publica
ton, excusing his intended crime by
Roman precedent. When dying ne re
ferred to it for Justification. He gave
on the evening OF the 18th package t.
an actor, directing its delivery the mex
day to the National Intelligencer.
The actor cOnfesses that he, frightened
at the risk he ran, broke the seal, reaC
the enclosed matter, and at midDigh
burnt it. II that package had beer
preserved, it would reveal the declala,
lion that until noon that day its writer
had not premeditated murder, but, feel
ing deeply the humiliation of the south
to the people of which he bore all the
love that Bruins ever bore for Rome, ht
would strike down that night the leading
men of the victorious hosts, who were
then shouting their pBans of triumph
When dying, with his face lit up will
the blaze of the burning barn on the
Garrett farm, just at the break of day
on the MOI ming of the oath he muttereC
some words A soldier bent over hin
and caught them from his fast ebbinl
breath. First message for his mother
" Tell her did it as l thought for the
best" And then he said " Tell other!
that the communication l wrote ad
dressed to the National Intelligencer viii
explain why did what / did.
During the conspiracy trial at the
arsenal, Hon. Joseph Holt, the judge
advocate, called John F. Coyle. then the
publisher OF the National InteIligencer
and asked if that communication had
ever been received? His reply was
"No." It was. continued Mr.. Ford,
burnt in the CRATE of a boarding house
and a Catholic priest, now living in
| Washington. had the fact confessed to
him soon afterward. / had the occur
renee revealed to me, with the added
information of the confession by the
party who was the custodian OF the
package. This fully sustains my theory
that John Wilkes Booth had not con,
templated the assassination of President
Lincoln when he met Mrs. Surratt al
midday, and he never met her again.
In order to demonstrate that his braiI
was turned by the poetic and dramatic
glamour which transmitted the story o
the Roman assassination, said Mr.. Ford
it is but lust to describe him at thi
time: In person he was remarkably
handsome, with a face of singular
manly beauty, in perfect health
less than twenty six years Of age
and almost idolized by his friends a
an actor he could earn at least $1,000
per annum. He was so popular IL
Boston that during an engagement a
the museum hundreds of ladies havt
waited to see him leave the stage to g
to his hotel The facts and opinion
will, think, show the great danger o
gloryifying assassination under any cir
cumstances. "Julius Caesar" was t
Rome the union of the scholar, soldie
and gentleman Mighty Cesar !" Al
Rome did love him once, not withOu
cause. Yet " Cassius" did say, "HOv
many ages hence shall this our loft.
scene be acted over in states unborn anC
accents unknown ?'' "Was this" addet
Mr.. Ford, in closing the interview, " tn
incarnation of dramatic prophecy, sug
costing the crime that occurred l go
years after, Sin states unborn and accent
vet unkneWn' when Cesar died p