National Republican., 1883-08-22
THE ABDUCTION OF LINCOLN.
An Old Man Who Says Paul VelnsqueL
Prevented it, But Was Not Allowed 20
Interfere with tho Assassination.

interfere with tho AasnssinatiOns
Last night about 1 o'clock q reporter of
THE REPUBLICAN was sitting in Farragut
square when he was approached by one of
the most woe begono individuals he ever had
the misfortune TO see This person was o
man apparently 20 years of age, but in reality
only fifty, as he afterward declared. After
few prolim mary remarks concerning the
beauty of the night, he said: " Young man,
did you ever hear of Paul Volasquez?"
The reporter answering in the negative,
the stranger continued " ] am man who If
my presence was known, or rather my resi-
dence, my life would not be worth that pencil
you now hold in your hand"
"Why so p interrogatcd the reporter
"You are old enough to recollect the assas-
sination of President Lincoln ~
" Yes l am"
"Well, l was mixed up in that affair in
this way: The scheme TO kidnap the presi-
dent was planned in this city and Richmond.
1t was the intention of the cOnspirators to
take him to lonely swamp in southern Vir-
gina and hold him until their terms were
complied with. / was working against them
all the time, and it was through mo that the
affair failed / sent this note to Secretary
Stanton:
CLEVELAND ONO. 1S65.-Guard the president
closely He is in danger. LIEUT., b.
"Shortly after this ! was suspected, and
from that timo until the present my foot
steps have been dogged by members of the
Golden circle. l would have frustrated the
conspiracy to murder the president but for a
slight mishap. / was sent to Buffalo to assist
| in the putting out of the way of a man named
Blake, who was playing into the hands of
| both parties, but while there was taken sick
and my friends drugged me, and was not
| ablo to get about for more than week.
1t was the tenth day of April, 1865, when l
was taking i'll, and on the eighteenth of the
same month | left Buffalo for this city. The
president was dead and Blake's body was
lying at the bottom of Lake Erie, and is there
still, presume" Tho man who related this
story appeared by his language and manners
| to be man of intelligence and breeding. lie
informed the reporter that ho was native of
the ancient city of Bayonne, France, just
over the border line of Spain; that his father
was u Spaniard and his mother French
woman that he was educated at the military
school at st. Cyr, France, and served three
| years in q French battalion of cavalry, when he
| deserted and sailed for America, leading the
life of wanderer until the breaking out of
the rebellion, when he entered the army at
| Chicago, and was slightly wounded in IA
skirmish somewhere in Virginia. Bcing
sent to q hospital, he escaped after being
there four months, and came to this city, and
has lived here every since under an assumed
name, earning enough money to keep soul
and body together by teaching French and
Spanish
Did you over do anything to put these
fellows of your trail mean the members
of the Golden circle?" asked the reporter.
"Yes l had the following advertisement
put in German newspaper, the PeSthe,
Ltoyd:
p. ", or Lieut. b, is living in Leipsic, en-
| gagged in teaching q. G.
"But it failed of it's purpose"
After thanking the unfortunate old man foI
his story, the reporter left him sitting in the
park, where no doubt he remained until the
morning sun began to gild the east