The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1878-06-26
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
The True Story Of the Assassina-
tiOn.
Manager Ford Tells Some Inter.
esting Facts Hitherto I'm
known.
known.
Special to the Cincinnati Enquirer.


Lincoln assassination occurred, was
familiar with facts in connection
with the matter that had never ap-
reared in print, and he was approach
ed by a Gozette reporter and asked
if such was the case. sMr. Ford re-
marked that be had frequently been
10 give expression to his
views on the subject, but had declin-
ed. A general conversation on the
subject, however, ensued, the sub
stance of which, with Mr.. Ford's
permission, we print. 1t throws
some light on the great tragedy
Mr.. Ford said:
John Wilkes Booth was trained
from earliest infancy to consider the
almost 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 frequent
" 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 audi
ence that applauded the sentiment
Of ..Brutus'' to the echo.
Now trace the assassination OF
Lincoln: On the morning of April
IA, 1865, Booth. who had conspired
for six month previous to abduct
President Lincoln and convey him
prisoner TO the South, was the last
guest at breakfast at the National
Hotel in Washington. The surren-
der at AppOmattox had ended all
chance for him to carry out his origi-
nal conspiracy. He left the hotel
after eleven o'clock that morning.
and walked up Sixth street to H.,
and stopped at the Surratt House.
where he met the widow who kept
it returning from the religious SER
vices of Good Friday, and then in
the act of going to her former coun'
try place-the vehicle to convey her
at the door 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, bid
ding her adieu, he walked up ii
street to Tenth to the theatre.
When he reached there it was
about, or probably little later than.
u o'clock, midday. Then he heard
for the first time that both President
Lincoln and General Grant were to
visit the theater that night. The
private box was in process Of decor
alton. The White House messen-
Ger 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 the as
sassination first suggested itself. II
came like this: iii failed to serve
the South in my conspiracy to alb
duct, can now be her Brutus."
This thought fastened on his brain
and led him to go from the theatel
toward the Kirkwood House to have
q conference with some of his ole
conspirators. John Surratt was
away, O'Laughlin was in Baltimore
and Arnold was in suffers store a
Fortress Monroe. They knew thu
abducted conspiracy had been abon
dOned. but Payne, Atzerodt anC
Herold were in Washington. Thes'
latter he got together, and conspiret
with them to kill the President, th,
victorious General, and some of thu
Cabinet. He must have written, be
tween the time when he parted witt
his co-conspirators, and the hour hC
again appeared at the theater,
lengthy statement for publication
excusing his intended crime by Ro
man precedent. When dying he re
ferred to it for his Justification. He
gave on the evening Of the 18th :
package to an actor, directing it.
delivery the next day to the Nation
al HateZligeneer. The aeter confesse!
that he, frightened at the risk h'
run, broke the seal, read the inclos
ed matter, and at midnight burned
it. If that package had been pre-
served it would have revealed the
declaration that until noon that day
its waiter had not premeditated muir
der; but, feeling deeply the humilia
ton Of the South, TO the people o.
which he bore all the love that Bru
tus ever felt for Rome, he would
strike down that night the leading
men of the victorious hosts, who
were then shouting their p@ans o.
triumph. When dying. with his
face lit up with the blaze of the burn
ing barn upon the Garrett farm just
at the break Of day on the morning
of April oath. he muttered some
words. A soldier bent over him and
caught them from the fast ebbing
breath. First. a message for his
mother: Tell her 1 did it, as ]
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