The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-06-30

iuB Uub oUOus oiONOh " CiOChS Wohb ~ ~
the Surratt House, where he found Mrs.
Surratt, who had just returned from the
Good Friday religious services, about to
drive out to the Calvert estate. He asked
her to get him some email articles that
he had left at the country tavern, and
went on down to the theatre. Mr.. Ford
continues "There he heard for the fret
time that both President Lincoln and
General Grant were to visit the theatre
that night. The private box was in the
process of decoration. The White House
messenger had been there an hour before
to secure its use. I believe--and all relia-
BILE written or oral testimony confirms the
beiief-that there and then the terrible
thought of assassination fret suggested
itselk 1t came like this: elf I failed to
sezge the South in my conspiracy to abduct,
can now be her Brutus." This thought
fastened on his brain-led him to go from
the theatre towards the Kirkwood House
conepirators. John Surratt was away,
O'Loughlin was in Baltimore, and Arnold
was In q suffers store at Fortress Monroe
They knew the abduction conspiracy bad
been abandoned. but Payne, Atzerodt and
Harold were in Washington. These latter
he got together, and cOnspired with them
to kill the President, the victorious GeDer-
have written, between the time he parted
with his CO oonspirators and the hour he
again appeared ct the theatre, q long state
meDt for pu blication, excusing his intended
crime by Roman precedent. When dying
he referred TO 1t for his juetifcation. He
gave on the evening of the 14th package
to an actor, directing its delivery the next
day to the National Inteligencer. The
actor confesses that he, frightened at the
rick he ran, broke the seal, read the in
closed matter, and at midnight burned it.
If that package had been preserved it
would have revealed the declaration that
until noon that day it's writer had not
premeditated murder; bat 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 pc ans
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 soldier bent over
him and caught them from his fast ebbing
breath. First, message for his mother
"Tell her did it, as l thought, for the
best" and then he said, "Tell others that
the communication wrote, addressed to
why I did what did" Daring the con-
spiracy trial at the Arsenal, Hon. Joseph
Holt, the Judge Advocate, called John F.
Coyle, then the publisher of the National
Inteliigencer, and asked if that commune
cation had ever been receiXed-ais reply
was No. It was," continued Mr.. Ford,
"burned in the CRATE of a chamber OF a
boarding house, and q Catholic priest now
living in Washington had the fact confess
ed to him soon afterward. had the oc.
currence revealed to me-with the added
information of the confession-by the party
who was the custodian of the package"
Washington, June 23.-The Post to NOR
uuill pnhliah infa Nth Mr.
John F. Coyle, formerly publisher of the
National InteHigencer.
"When did you first hear Of the Booth
statement, Mr. Coylei" inquired the re
porter.
81 never heard of that statement until
after the execution, although rumoIs were
prevalent that such statement had been
prepared. On my examination as wit
mesa before the commission that tried the
cuuspirHtgrs, t there stated that no SUCH
document had ever reached me, though
Booths diary stated that he had prepared
such q statement. Months after the execu-
tion Mr.. John Mathews, the gentleman to
whom the abatement had been given to be
delivered to me, told me he bad rec ived
it, and on the night of the assassin alton
had opened it, read it, and destroyed it,"
"Did te say how he received it from
Booth -
"His statement was that he had met Mr..
DoObu on tuo dNeuue OpposlIo Iho Nn'AoAS>,
Theatre, Booth being on that historical
mare on which he esc Aped-which, by the
way, has never been heard of-when be
handed him an envelope addressed to me,
requesting him If it was not recalled by 10
o'clock next day to hand it to me for pub
lication. Mr.. Mathews was in the cast OF
the play that night, and after the assassin
alton in taking down his coat to change
his costume, the package dropped ont OF
the pocket. He had forgotten that be had
it. He Immediately went to his room in
the neighborhood of the theatre, opened it,
and burned it after reading it,"
"Did he give any account Of the con-
tents Z"
"As he related it, the statement was an
eloquent defence by Booth of his act.
agree with the statement made by MT
Ford that the assassination was suddenly
conceived. / met Booth the morning oi
the assassination, and no one could have
been more surprised, more shocked, than
was, as nothing in his manner struck me
as unusual"
ST. VINcENTis BOARDING SCHOOL, DONALD
WILLIE in advertising columns will be found th'
NJ inati fntio