The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-12-29

Booth. whose grave you see to the right,
were also brought from Baltimore GENE.
terry. The elder Booth, that is Junius
Brutus, moved into Hartford county, a
| short distance below Baltimore, in the
early part of the present century, and near
~ all the family were born there. The
whole family has had queer and eventful
| history. The elder Booth when at home.
| was in almost constant trouble with his
neighbors. He was a most vindictive OPP
ponent of slavery. He was often accused
OF assisting runaway slaves and with adj
visinR the negroes to seek their freedom.
He named the son who killed Lincoln, and
who, by the wav, was the only member of
the family who sympathized with the
southern cause, after John Wilkes the great
English agitator. Indeed the whole family
from Richard down, might be called man
worshipers. The tragic characters of Shake
speare were their idols. Their study, their
habits Of thought and their ambitions
all surprising, considering the passion en-
gendered by the war, that this young man
took upon himself to enact tho character of
Brutus, whom he had been taught to re-
| we're"
The superintendent Of the cemetery,
Rev. Mr.. Heffner, coming up at this mo-
ment, inquired:
DO many people visit Booths grave?"
Not many. Now and then some actors
or theatrical people come"
DO many ask for the grave of John
Wilkes BOOTH"
Nov and then people ask to sse it out
Of mere curiosity. Edwin Booth comes
Observation-Disclosures he plays in this city,
l suppose. He was here with his wife
once, as nice little lady as you would
want to see. Isee she died recently.
I piled tho old clergyman superintendent
with questions ebout Booth. but he had ex-
hausted his information in the few lines
given. then turned from the grave, end
soon left Greenmount behind, and was
again in the heart of the busy city. The
visit to Booths grave excited in me great
and renewed interest in the history OF the
great crime which fell like pail upon the
people of the north, as they were preparing
to celebrate in joyous festivities the coming
of peace, and it determined me to go over
the old ground and rewrito the story.
Not far from the graveyard where the
Booth family are buried, lives John T.
Ford, the veteran theatrical manager. who
for many years had close relations with all
the Booths who were actors. Under his
management Junius Brutus. Edwin and
John Wilkes Booth played some of their
most successful engagements. It was Mr..
Ford who attended to the removal Of the
remains Of John Wilkes from Washington
to where they now lie, Notwithstanding that
the crime he committed in Mr.. Fords thea
fro hot ,1oo md
q vast amount of money. l met him the
other day at his opera house in Baltimore,
and the assassination of Mr.. Lincoln be-
came the subject Of conversation as in con-
trast with the assassination of Gen. Gar
field, and the difference in the chara ctar Of
the men who committed those two great
crimes.
Il was not ip1 Washington when Mr.. Lin
coin was killed, said Mr.. Ford. II had
lived in Richmond some years before the
war, and had friends and relatives there.
Fearing that they might be suffering for the
necessities of life, Immediately after the
surrender started for that city. Col. For
ney also went down at the same time. I ar
rived the morning of the day the president
was killed, and on the next morning started
home. When on the way first learned Of
tie crime. When reached home I was
arrested and kept in prison for 80 days"
when do you think Booth first conceived
the idea Of killing the PRESIDENT"
1T is morally certain that he never had
such thought until late in the day upon
which he committed the assault
The facts in the case are that he never
knew the President was to attend the thea
ter until nearly noon Of that cay. He was
always late riser. He came down to
breakfast about 10 O'Clock on that morning
and his fanoee, who also boarded % the
National Hotel with her parents, met him.
They had short conversation, and after
breakfast he walked up to the Sur-at man
| sion, on Sixth street, as is supposed from
the direction in which he was first seen
coming by the attaches Of the theater that
street from that direction. He was fault
lessly dressed in full suit of dark clothes,
! and tall silk hat. BE wore a pair of kid
gloves Of subducd color upon his hands,
had light overcoat siung over his arm, and
carried cane. Ny brother Harry, who was
standing in front Of the theater With some
other gentlemen, first saw him. and, turn
ing to his companions, said:
Here comes the handsomeIt man in the
United States"
He came directly to the theatre, went
to the box Office, got his mail, went out
and sat down upon the front steps of the
theatre to read it. One Of his letters was
a very long one, so lengthy as to attract my
brothers attention. When he had finished
reading it he arose. and. approaching Har-
~, said:
whats on to night2"
"'Our American Cousin and We are
going to have big night replied Harry.
The President and Gen. Grant are going
to occupy the Presidents box, and Gen
Lee is going to have the adjoining one,
said he, to chaff Booth.
I hope they are not going to do like
the Romans-parade their prisoner before
the public to humiliate him.
Harry replied that l. was testing about
Lee, but that Mr.. Lincoln and Gen. Grant
| would certainly attend the evening per-
Torrance; that a note had been sont from
the White House engaging the box. AS
Harry said this, Booth ives thoughtful q
moment, and then turned and walked down
the street toward Pennsylvania avenue
just as he reached the avenue he met Mr..
John F. Coyle, then one of the editors of
the National 1ntelligencer, and Booths very
warm friend. He shook hands with him
and said:
John, what would be the result if some
one would put Lincoln and the cabinet cut
Of the way3"
"Coyle laughed and said:
We don't have any Bruises in these
days."
Booth turned and walked down the
street, and after that time, which certainly
must have been nearly noon, the arrange
ments for the assassination we're hurriadiy
made. I do not believe that any reasoning
| man longer doubts that there wes thought
OF killing Mr.. Lincoln until the DAY upon
which the crime was committed Until
Booth came to the theatre that morning be
had no knowledge that the president in
tended visiting the theatre in the evening.
That afternoon he wrote the letter Justify
ing the assassination. This letter he gave
to John Matthews, who is now engaged in
New York. He was then playing at my
theatre. The letter was intended to be