Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-12-07
ANOTHER ASSASSIN.

ANOTHER ASSASSIN.
wilkes Booths Letter Explaining Why
He Killed Lincoln.
The Philadelphia Press publishes very in.
teresting story Of the shooting of President
Lincoln, which includes acts of the assassin
just previous to shooting the president, with
his letter of justification, intrusted to John
Mathews, the actor, just before the deed, to
be delivered to John F. Coyle, editor of the
National Intelligemcer. The story is told by
John T. Ford, the theatre manager, and Mr.
Mathews. After stating that it is morally
certain that Booth never thought of the muir
der until the day it was committed, Mr.. Ford
said: "Until Booth came to the theatre that
morning he had no knowledge that the
President intended visiting the theatre in the
evening. That afternoon he wrote the letter
justfying the assassination. The 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 pub
lished in the National Intelligencer, and it was
well towards night when he gave it to Mat
thews. He was riding down Pennsylvania
avenue towards the National hotel, when he
met Matthews and handed him the letter.
Matthews destroyed the paper Immediately
after the shooting, and no one ever saw it but
him, but recently another copy has ben
found. It was as follows:
WASHINGTON, D. c., April IA, 1S65.-To
My Countrymen: For years I have devoted
possessed in the world for the furtherance of
an object. I have been baffled and disappOint-
ed. The hour has come when must change
my plan. Many, know-the vulgar herd
will blame me for what am about to do, but
posterity, am sure, will justify me. Right
or wrong, God judge me, not man. Be my
motive good or bad, of one thing / am sure
the lasting condemnation of the North. /
love peace more than life. have loved the
Union beyond expression. For four or five
years waited, hoped, and prayed for the dark
clouds to break, and for restoration of our
former sunshine. To wait longer would be a
crime. My prayers have proved as idle as my
hope. Gods will be done. I 60 to see and
share the bitter end. This war is war with
the Constitution and
THE RESERVED RIGHTS OF THE STATE.
1t is war upon Southern rights and institu-
ions. The nomination of Abraham Lincoln,
four years ago, bespoke war. His election
forced it. have held the South was right.
In foreign struggle I, too, would say. "My
country right or wrong" But in struggle
such as ours, where the brother tries to pierce
right! When a country like this spurns JUS
tice she forfeits the allegiance of honest free
men, and should leave him untrammled by any
fealty soever to act as his conscience may ap-
prove. People of the North, to ate tyranny,
to love liberty and justice.
TO STRIKE AT WRONG AND OPPRESSION
was the teaching of our father. The study of
our early history will not let me forget it, and
may it never.
do net want to forget the heroic patriot
ism of our fathers who rebelled against the
oppression of the mother country. This cOun-
try was formed by the white, not the black
man, and looking upon African slavery from
the same standpoint held by the
noble trainers of our constitution, l for one
have ever considered it
ONE OF THE GREATEST BLESSINGS,
both for themselves and for us, that God ever
bestowed upon favored nation. Witness
heretofore our wealth and power. Witness
their elevation and enllghtmcnt above their
condition elsewhere. have lived amoug it
most of my life, and have seen less harsh
treatment from master to man than l have be-
held in the North from father to son. YET
Heaven knows no one would be willing to do
more for the negro race than l, could but
see a way to still better their condition.
BUT L1NCoLN's POLICY
is only preparing the way for their annihila.
ton. The South are not, nor have they been.
fighting for the continuance of slavery. The
first battle Of Bull Run did away with that
MI -. r1sv. f<r how hnQ q q
noble and greater far than those that urged
our fathers on. Even should we allow they
were wrong at the beginning of this conflict,
cruelty and injustice have made the wrong be-
come the right, and they stand now the Won
der and admiration of the world as noble
band of patriotic heroes. Hereafter, reading
of their deeds,
THERMoPYLAE WILL BE FORGOTTEN.
When aided in the capture and execution
of John Brown (who was murderer on oul
western border, and who was fairly tried and
convicted before an impartial Judge and jury
of treason, and who, by the way, has since
been made god), was proud of my little
share in the transaction, for deemed it my
duty, and that was helping our common
country to perform an act of justice. But
what was crime in poor John Brown is no
considered (by themselves) as the greatest and
only virtue of the whole Republican party.
STRANGE TRANSPORTATION,
vice to become virtue, simply because more
indulge in it. I thought then, as now, that
the Abolitionists were only traitors in the
land, and that the entire party deserved the
fate as poor old John Brown. Not because
they wissed to abolish slavery, but on account
of the means they have ever endeavored to
use to effect that abolition. If Brown were
living I doubt whether he himself would set
slavery against the Union. Most, or nearly
all the North do openly curse the Union if the
South are to return and retain single right
guaranta ed to them by every tie which we
once revered as sacred. The South can make
no choice. 1t is
DETERMINATION OR SLAVERY
for themselves (worse than DEATH to draw
from. know nay choice and hasten to ac-
cept it. have studied hard to discover upon
what grounds the right of a state to secede
has been denied when our very name, United
States, and the Declaration of Independence
provide for secession. But there is now no
time for words. know how foolish l shall
be deemed for undertaking such step as
this, where, on the one side, l have many
friends and everything to make me happy,
where my profession alone has gained me an
income of
MORE THAN 800, 900 A YEAR,
and where my great personal ambition in my
profession has such great field for labor. On
the other hand, the South have never bestowed
upon me one kind word, a place now where I
have no friends, except beneath the sod, a
place where must either become q private
soldier or beggar. To give up all Of the for
mer for the latter, besides my mother and Sis
ter, whom love SO dearly although they so
widely differ from me in opinion-seems in
sane, but God is my Judge, love justice
MORE THAN I DO ACouNTRY THAT DIsowNs IT;
more than name and wealth; more-heaven
pardon me if wrong-more than happy
home. have never been upon battlefield;
but, oh! my countrymen, could you all see the
reality or effects of this horrid war, as have
seen them in every state save Virginia, know
you would think like me, and pray the AL
mighty to create in every Northern mind q
sense If right and Justice, even should it DOS