, 1881-12-04
John Wilkes Booth Was tnfuriated by
the Defeat Of the Rebel
lion.
he Considered that Wrong Had Been
Made Right by the Cruelty
Of War.
fht Aorth Might Thus Have Been Right at
The Start, and in Tho End
Nrons.
A General Line Of Reasoning Entirely lmpuI-
" sive, ignorant. Fanatica1, and
Almost Juvenile.


sp,efar Dt,pateh to The Chtccoo Tyfbune-
pr,,, .nr, PHI. noc "A hitherto unn,,1,.
tshaa and xe,,. intcrest,n,, storrof 1;,co,r,s as
.,snation will apuear in the Press tomorrow
and fnc,udes arts of the ossas;n inst previous
~ sboo,;np tha President with his ie.1er Of
tusttncatton. intrustcd to John Matthews. the
sror t,sr be1ure the dce,1. tn he delivered tc
1ohn = cor,e- a,;tor of 1hn S,,,;nu1, jufcr,;-
aruccr. The story is told by .John r. Ford. the
rhestra manager and MIR. Matthews After
s,st,no thai II IA morally certain TINT noott,
never thought of tho murder until
@he dov~ II was committed. Mr.. For.1
said. ..t,nt;1 I,ooth came IN tho theatre
rtor rnor,1,, hc had m kno,rIcd,,e that ,ho
President intended visiting the: theatre in the
evening Thar aftarnnon he wro,e rhe 1e,tor
5,,s,,fr;no .ha ossasuot;or trb;. lc,,cr be ara
~ 1ohn vo,Ihowa who no,x is cnrared in Now,
yor,- 10 u.s ,bo, n,o,,n1 AZ n,v r,aatro 1ha
1etfor v,s intended n i,a nun1ishe,, in rho M
t;ona1 1nteuio~,cev or - ,rae aa +o,ror,s ,,;,ht
.ha. ~. ~ uo...,a,,.s IL .-ae ,a1,.s.
tor,, panrsr,v,,,a oron,,o 1oarar,1 tho vationa :
H., ..ha. =. 49,. ,se,.ho,rr ,,,a ho.ao>, hs.,
.h.. ,o,+or
:. sr.,r,,.,-, ,,x,e,rr,o.,~,.:.>
t,,,aa,a,a,r afto. 10 shoo+ino a1d -, aan o,,o.
~a,1 >. ...% .,.., r;.,;a.. .,a,as ~, 49, ~ 80
90" =. W. n4!a -. az 10 p1.1", ., ~
-ras .~rn,.,,,o 49, ~ ha y, 49,
49, .e Ia.a-s.'a 49, 49, .s,.a ~ - ae.s,n.s o .s.5
havoc ~ .ssas;na.;o1 noa,. .,..s - ,.n~,
.-;ftoa 1-o,,,r. ..o., 49,, .x,. ,--... r...:s:
so.,;a,r T., Es.h,,.~,a1, d. s.s. e.,s, :. ..-. s
80 :. - ''@@
1.or,-o ..-
cusn,rTpn AMI
r c,dars+s,5 ,>,.- .,,a -.
49,. ,hs arsa.:-s.s W Iu"4n ooo'n
I "e ASSASSINATION te'41ne u11u tnat she WAS
eren at rho f,,t - tha .anFo's .x..c.,,, '.'
God, haro m Ioncor a co,,n,,-, 49, :. ~
and NJ .o,rr,t,,.o-,aI ,;,,s-.., r..
These vere rho words e,o.-,,, ,,-..h e.,r,,,,,.
>,nas,s IN rho a.ort,c ~ tho ,,th ~ .,-1, ,c.=
by .,os,n wittca noo,b Eo ,ros ,,.ss;,,,~ 5,,,-,
penn.y,van,, avenue !, w.shr,,to. a,s, 49, :
ths corner of Thlrtoenth s,r,.e1 had ,1af 1n1,n
Ma,tbous q fa,,o,.-sr,o- ,,,a - ho,.haoa e.;as,
whom he inns addressed.
mn v.c 80, -. c1o-
when be 1ttercti 1hoso wsrxls: sa;d H. na++howz
to me day or two since. There wcr1. ot,fro :,
lumber Of Confederate prisoners along the
avenue as he spoke. and when he suid. ..This
IS an end 10 constitutional liberty In America"
be pointed teeliurly toward them. J{o lookcd
It them a moment, after they had passed. md
Was thoughtful he then turned to me ouick1v
and said; 81 want yot1 tn do me n fuyor"
Anything in nv mower. John.'' renI,od. Ha
thrust h,s hand to,o h;s ,,aa,o+ asa .,,,....s
out letter said: .tDcljycr this to Mr.. CoyIc. Of
the National Intcuigenccr, tonight by IL o'clock.
unless Isee you before that Ii I do. can at
tend I'd it myself" took the letter. saw that it
vas sealed, put it into NV pocket. and walked on.
Booth, who was On horseback. rode rsnfdly down
the Street, and never saw him again unit, he
Jumped from the box in Ford's Theatre 10 the
ztage.
AFTER SHOOTING, TIT. prrs1nrxr
Twas then playing at Ford's the piece being
@Our American Cnus;n.- Iaura koe,c .,.s +n..
Btar. Booth a1nosr ran avoins, mo .,s bf. ,c,ncd
ACROSS the stage on his way to the door. There
Was. Of course. a srcat communion. and at
ones ,rant - .s,x s"s .on."ouoa' auu ~
my wardrobe. nassed nnder ,no SINCE o,f
through the orchestra and the auditorium to
the street With the audicnce Nv roo,n was ,li-
rectly ofposit Mt Mr. paterson's tho honsc .t
which Nr. Lincoln died walked or3cklv
across to,,,o1, 49, ,
cha.ss AoeAeo tAe ooor anu oeeau III once 10
~ "ee 'uS ciotncs- In picking up my coat,
me letter Booth had given me upon tho
Erect before ,ha +ho..ro ononod dronnnd
on, of w. .s.1,-'- W opfea
1orgo,,a ms pocket upon the noor' ma almost
.ossouen 1t In my excitement 1quick1y picked
Nup tore it open. and read It yery carefully.
"Ny God." thourht + s.This sc,f-conr,emn,,.
sa :" ms friend SHALL not be found in my pos.
sees'oa! and
1TnREw IT INTO THE FIRE,
r,,.. IL until IT burned to cindcrs. and then
e,aeo .he atoms with the coal ashes In the
steltement and horror which followed the
Enooting the archAnrol coufd never haro ox-
pIained the possession of that letter. l did not
uaen realize, however, by what slender
thread rny life hnnp Nv fmnu1se when T
hnrned ~ 49,. e. -. A"PI''e e'