The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1880-11-18

CT uel and murderou,. Surely Booth is de.
mented, The sudden crash of the Confei-
eracy and the wreck of every Southern
hope, must have turned his brain. God
known | can appreciate the man. motives !;
but how ~insanely to act NOW Now after
all Is over The general feeling among the
prisoners Is sincere regret. Lincoln, Of late,
seemed to be softening towards the South,
and it is possible he might, while full Of the
sense of utter triumph, have arisen to The sta
ture of real craftsmanship, and cut loose from
the fanatics. Whereas Andy johnson, if
the Tennessee officers can be correct, is more
OF a fanatic In the direction Of hating the
section which unhappily gave him birth,
than Wendell Philips himself.
Later. One of the officers from Division
10 has been taken out, and thrown up in a
blanket until his clothing were torn off, and
bis body covered with bruises And for
what? He was walking in the yard when a
comrade called out-'Have you heard ?
Old Abe Lincoln has been shot in a
theatre :" "IOODt Pom dou't san 50 f.,
HUhR4H FOR IHATr'-crIed the 9th
er, not aware of the circumstances. He was
instantly hailed by the Yankee on the para
pet, marched out, aud treated as aforesaid
How cOwardly to take revenge on helpless
prisoners for TRACE lies in which we neither
shared, approved, nor derive benefit from
Rumor says several OF the guards threaten
to Kill a Rebel In revenge for the killing of
their master.
May 2lst.-The furious crew at Washing
ton are 70 dish for allowing the testimony IN
the Examination OF the so-calied con
splrators" to be made public for whatever
be the outcome one thing Is clear, VIZ
Andy Johnson lied, wiltully, and wantonly,
in his shameless accusations against Press
1nnt na-, H. IL 49,, - u--
connecting Mr.. Davis with Booth was a
statement that Booth. after returning FROM
one of his frequent blockade running trio,
remarked that he had met Mr. Davis VINO hal
assured him Richmond would be held AT all
hazard, with other casual observations. 1t
IS now evident that when Johnson issued
MS malevoleut proclamation offering 500,
900 for Mr.. DAVIS capture, and falsely &C
cusing him OF the assault on Lincoln and
Seward, he imagined the Confederate chief
tain was safely out of reach, in which case
the money would not be paid, nor the col
uBlnieS RENTED; while the charges asserted
in the proclamation would af1ix a foul stigma
upon the defeated and crest fallen fugitive !!
Thus did the willy Tennesseean seek to re-
yenge the treatment he incurred by his
treason (which caused bis expulsion from
the Confedcracy IN 1861 10 the South. Ii
Johnson and his gang really believed what
they charged In the proclamation why do
they not now put Mr. Davis on trial? Why
not include him among the cons plrators ?
The reason is obvious they have no evl
ience against him. If they had, all the
other miserable creatures now being
Dadgered so inhumanly, might escape for
the leader becomes responsible for his subor
| dinates in a case like this, because nothing
could have been done without his consent it
ne were privy to any of it. No, they have
no evidence, and they fear to bring Mr.
Davis TO trial, because all the world would
see the blackness of the lies solemnly pro
claimed both 10y President johnson, and
his Congress.
Day 22ad.-Even In the one-sided Yam
kee newspaper reports, the NAL treatment
Of the poor creatures on trial at Washington
is scandalous. They will be hanged, no
doubt, and the murder will stand in history
as a far bIacker crime than the half-crazed
Booths pistol shot.
Poor Booth How wonderful an ~illustra-
ton Of the weakness which sometimes
arises from high-spirit. generous, and sym
pathetic character, joined with rare native
genius, and personal attractions, but unreg-
ulated by the curb of sound judgment and
.elf-control? Booth was noble hearted,
good, aud true, but he lacked the little
''balance-wheel' which in the c~ostliest ma
chinery is indispensable to correct running
Nevertheless, and with all the regret We
feel for the mpohsy, and useGesSness OF
Booth's mad act, ] shall never cast obloquy
upon his name. nor couple it with that OF
mUratcr! He wa young, proud, visionary,
high spirited, and impulsive, perhaps am
bilious, but his arm was nerved by the same
patriotic !ervor that inspired Davis, Lee.
Jackson, or William Tell! He was not a
murderer at heart. He could not have
hoped ID reap personal honor, reward, or
benefit from his act. He must nave known
the almost certainty of capture, and speedy
death, Or even if successful In escaping,
what possible recompense could he obtain
from the flying adherents of a ruined cause ?
No, he struck with a patriots arm, and a
patriots motive mistaken though 1t were.
He hoped by the sudden slaughter of the
Lincoln tie cabinet to create Il panic at the
North, stir the Responding hearts of the
South, and perchance to turn he current to
resumption OF resistance. 1t Is likely the
desperate measure was coDcocted III the des-
p~eration of repeated failures TO capture lin
coin. Alter Lee collapsed, the young en-
thu~.ast probably hastily resolved on the
deeper p,ut, ami with his tervId spirit easily
persuaded two of his former Co partners in
the abduction scheme 10 take a share III the
latter. Perhaps he felt that lite were value
less under the rule of our foes. and resolved
to die as lid Sampson with the triumphant
aud tauntiDg PhIllStlues going down In the
final crash. Be the truth as 1t may, it l.
not doubtful that the sic Semper ~ty,uants'
of John Wilkes Booth, amid the smoke oi
his pistol shot in Ford's theatre you'd be
| echoed from an hundred THOUSAND graves
scattered upon the Scared surface OF the
South, were the dead to speak.
Kau 23r3.-At length we have reached
Fins. The war IL over, the arms are
grounded, AMI the last aggravated Rebei
has relapsed into the Bad Boy corner IL
await the doom of the Defeated. What
Astonishing events have We but yesterday
witnessed. Less than a month ago there
we're two great nations within the old
boundaries OF the [. s.; within the month
one Of the nations has vanished forever !
It had four large armies, now not a soldier.
1t had a National government, Executive,
Legislative, Juiicih-now there is not one
man dare do it reverence 1t had eleven
strong and w~eil-Tagulated State governments