The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-08-12
LlHCOLNS ASSASSINATION.
A Review of John Wilkes Booths
Conspiracy.

streak OF insanity remaining IN his fam
lily, set on fire by dramatic ambition and
romance, led him to contemplate the
greatest personal act of the war, if he
could find the proper tools to help him.
Probably, if he could have obtained
some of the reckless Missourians with
Quantrell, or even some of Morgan's
men detailed to him from the Confed-
crate army, he might have succeeded in
taking off Lincoln either alive or dead.
He might have.gagged the President, to
render him, to all intents, helpless
piece Of freight, though yet alive, and,
by tearing up bridge somewhere, or
giving false scent, have got a. start of
half an hour to an hour, and let the
shades of night shut in himself and his
prisoner, and then they would have ten
or twelve hours of work.
AS long as there was Confederacy in
tact and offensive the problem of capt
Nring Lincoln would stop at the Potomac
river. There was but one obstacle on
the road, and that was the eastern
branch of the Potomac, in the fork of
which lies Washington city. This
stream, Immediately opposite Washing
ton, has two bridges, both guarded !;
but Ave miles above Washington the
eastern branch was fordable. On the
night of the murder Booth had no
trouble In passing the most important Of
these bridges as late as II o'clock.
Both he and Harold were allowed to 90
over and neither gave q pass, but the
hyery-stable keeper, hunting for the
horse on which Harold rode, was stopped
end told he could go over, but could not
come back. Booth had to fall back on
the Maryland element around hiun, as
the Confederate Government did not
entertain such an irregular proposition
Is his. About the last of October, 1864.
Booth went to the house of DIR. Queen,
several miles from Bryanstown, with a
lstter of instruction from Martin in Can
ada, Martin had been a blockade-run-
ner in conjunction with Keith of Thorn
sssen, who, years afterward, blew up a
steamer at Bremen, Germany, with an
Internal machine. Booth told DR.. Queen
and DIR. Queens neighbors that he was
going to buy land in Lower Maryland.
lie was referred to Henry Mudd, father
Of DIR. Mudd. This was Saturday, and
the next day, Sunday, DR.. Queen and
his son-in-law, John @. Thompson, took
Booth to the Catholic Church at Bryans-
town. DR.. Samuel A. Mudd was stand
ing In front of the church with others,
and Booth was introduced to him by
Thompson. Thus began the conspiracy.
nearly six months before its finale.
Booth went back to DIR. Queens that
Right, and stayed there till the next
day, Monday. About the middle of De-
cember following he returned and STAYED
one night with DR.. Queen, and went
away the next morning. How often he
went to DR.. Mudd's only that person
knows. Bryanstown, where DIR. Mudd
cesided, is about twenty-seven miles
from Washington on the regular stage
road leading to Leonardstown and Point
Lookout, Mudd's was four miles north
OF Bryanstown. From Bryanstown to
the nearest crossing on the Potomac, at
Matthias point, is about sixteen miles.
In the early part of the war around
Bryanstown was portion of a rebel State
guard, which, being run down by the
Union forces, hid in the vicinity of DR.
Mudd's house. Mudd was stakeholder
He, Booth and Surratt were intimate at
She National Hotel in Washington as
early as January. 1867.
David Ct. Harold was vagrant drug
gists clerk in Washington, who was
fond of cunning through Lower Mary
land, and knew Surratt. Surratt
had employed Atzerodt to cross to Vir-
yinla In a row-boat from below Port To
bscco.
Late in 1864, somewhat after Booth
had met DIR. Mudd, Mrs. Surratt rented
her tavern at Surrattsville and moved
70 Washington and opened boarding
house. She had AN interesting daugh-
ter, and was herself rather cemely
widow about 40 years old. The ladies
never had such an elegant acquaintance
as Booth, and he soon got power over
them and over their country friends.
John Surratt was Kept in Lower Mary
land running the blockade, carrying the
rebel mail and picking up a little money,
and lndulging in some visions of wealth
to be got through Booths genius. Sur
ratt made one or two visits to Rich
mond, and the rebel Secretary OF
State intrusted him with packages to
Canada.
Booth was native of Hartford coun-
ty, Maryland, and had its local patriot
ism. He was an actor in Richmond at
the time John Brown was hung, and
went up to see the execution. There he
met John 7. Beall, who was afterward
hung on Governors islaEd, and their
acquaintance was very confidential.
Booth labored hard to have Beall par,
doned by Lincoln, but Intellectually.
Beall had been pirate about the mouth
oil the Potomac at the beginning of the
war, and afterward on the lakes, and
was one of the set of young desperadoes
IN Canada, and he was hung on the oath
Of February, 1865, on Governors island
About eight weeks after that Booth shot
Lincoln, and some say that his original
ambition, to make him prisoner, had
given way to revenge on Beall's account
Booth, whose boyhood was mainly spent
in Baltimore, had two schoolmates
named Arnold and O'Laughlin. over
whom ne had marked influence. and
who were both impecunious and dissi-
pated. He tempted them into his or
iginal scheme to capture Lincoln, but
when they found it was to be a murder
their ideas were confirmed that Booth
was a crazy man, and they left him. A
poor, vulgar, whisky-ridden scene
shifter at Ford's Theater, named Span.
Gler, was ultimately used for the assas.
sinatlon scheme by Booth. He tried to
tempt several actors into the plot, no
doubt desiring some intellectual associ-
ates, or men at least above the vulgar
grade OF his Marylanders. The man
Powell WIZ rs tried under the name of
Payne VIZ .-0ung rebel desperate from
Georgia or Florida, who haS probably
been sent to Booth from among the
guerrillas. He was the only one who
did his part with the stolidness and obe-
dience of q "Quantrell, a James or a
Younger At Mrs. Surratt's house in
all this iunto were in the
habit Of meeting. They also met at
house on Louisiana avenue, on
the second floor, Individual members