Daily Honolulu press. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1886, 1885-11-20
John Wtike's Lost Lovs

StOry oil the woman wnOm JOnn
Wilkes Booth Loyed-She believes
that he still lives--Her talk to a
Birmingham Reporter---Some inter
esting "reminiscences concerning his
last trip South-Other general notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala, October 23.---
Special. Tile Age, of this city, prints
the following interesting story concern
ing John Wilkes Booth.
The story printed in TIE atlanta
Consfiiuf on about John Wilkes
Booth, has evoked much criticism here
and the statement of the Alabamian
that he was alive has been denounced
as long drawn imagination There
is in Birmingham, lady who knew
Booth intimately, and reporter called
on her. She said:
II have feared you would call. do
a8a aSt caIs s1 1e r,'n snls als,s ea
promise TO keep my identity sacred"
On being assured that her request
would be acceded to, she began an
interesting story, during the recital Of
which she displayed some emotion.
During the course ofthe story, she said
II first met Mr.. Booth at the Planters
hotel, St. Louis, in 1859, and was with
him enough to know him well. His
first star engagement was begun at
Columbus, Georgia, under the manage
ment Of Mat Canning. The play !
have forgotten. 1t was in 1860 and
1861 1t was in Columbus that Booth
was wounded bya pistol shot, and the
papers made great sensation Of it.
1t was said that he was badly cut by
the woman with whom he was in love.
All that story was not true. 1t wa,
the woman he loved and this truth has
never been printed before. He and
Mr.. Canning, his manager, were ex-
smining small pistol. 1t exploded
and slightly wounded Mr. Booth"
She was shown the Mo,xing Ags
with the authors story in it and was
asked if she thought the story was true
as related by him. She said in a my
sterious manner:
"Some of it may be true, some Of it
may not be, but ] have never enter
tanned the first idea that he is dead,
and have never seen single person
who ever saw him dead, nor ever heard
one say positively until Mr.. ]. r. Ford
said to The atlanta Constitution
reporter, and do not believe now he
ever saw Mr.. Booth dead, as he says
he did. | have never seen a person
who ever saw him dead that could
swear to his statement Twas in the
headquarters of General Banks in New
Orleans during the excitement of the
killing, and leaned over the generals
shoulders when he received telegram
from Washington announcing the death
Of Mr.. Booth. When he read the tele-
gram he called number OF staff officers
to him and read it. The telegram was
discredited. Charles Barton Hill and
Mr. Booth made their debut together,
and knew each other intimately. In
1867 ] was visiting friends in Mobile
and met Mr.. Hill, who was with Edwin
Forrest at the time. Mr. Hill showed
me letter worn and travelled without
date or signature, that he had received
that day and he said it was from John
Wilkes Booth. He knew the handwritt-
ing, and there was no question but what
it came from Mr., Booth Do you re-
member the story of steam tug sailing
by New Orleans once, about five
months after the shooting of President
Lincoln ? Well, l will always believe
the story was true that Mr.. Booth was
on board"
Don't you know positively that he
was on that tug ?" was asked her. She
evaded the question, and said 81 never
believed he was killed he was too
smart man TO be caught like that Do
you know that Mr.. Booth was victim
OF circumstances in the shooting of
Lincoln ? Well, he was. The original
plan was to capture Lincoln and bring
him to the South and then exchange