The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1886-08-28
LAKE CHARLES CALCASEU PARISH SATURDAY
WHY BOOTH KILLED LHN-
coin.
''Brick'' POmeroy Says It Was
Because of the Hanging of n
Man Named BeaII.

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Man Named Beal.
New York Star.
AT private dinner given not long
ago at an uptown club "Brick" Pom,
eroy, who was one of the guests, star
tied the little company by observing
Gentlemen, am positively sure
that l am one of the three men in the
world who knows why Wilkes Booth
killed President Lincoln"
Amid some expressions of surprise
and incredibility Mr.. Pomeroy told
the following story, prefacing it by
the statement that it had never been
published:
81 don't know but it is only right
that / should correct a popular impress
sion on the subject" he said. II am in
possession of proof that Booth did not
kill Lincoln through any hatred of the
cause the President represented or
through any devotion to the cause
of the South. 1t is a clear case of
revenge, and this is how it came about:
In 1865, just about the close of the
war, n man named Beall, Confederate,
who had been a prisoner on Johnson's
Island, made his escape. This man
was Wilkes Booths bosom friend, and
they were devoted to each other to a
degree seldom in friendships of men.
Booth was very impassioned man,
as we all know, and he never did
anything by half therefore it is safe
to assume that Beall was really as
dear to him as he always said the
man was. After Beall escaped be
seems to have entertained visionary
ideas of rescuing his fellow-prisoners
at Johnson's Island. At least this
was the construction put upon his
plot by the authorities when they
found that Beall had organized a
gang of men to capture the United
States man-of-war Michigan. The
evidence tended to show that Beall
and his followers intended to capture
the vessel, run her to Johnson's Is
land, and after resculng the prisoners,
fly to Canada.
"Beall was tried in New York as
the ring leader, convicted of treason,
and sentenced to death. When
Wilkes Booth heard that his beloved
friend, his Fidus 'Achates, was to be
hanged, he became wild with excite
ment. He implored me and Senator
Hale, to whose daughter he was en-.
gagged, to back him up in a plea to
Lincoln for pardon. Well, both
Senator Hale and myself agreed that
we would 60 to Washington with
Booth and friend and see the Presi,
dent. When the four of US arrived
at the White House we saw Mr.. Lin
coin, and Mr.. Booth made an impas-
sloned appeal for bis friends life.
His oratoFy seemed to be inspired.
He spoke with a duency that was al
most startling, and advanced fact
after fact until the President seemed
impressed with his logic.
"When we had concluded the Pres
ident said that he would pardon Beall
and then Booths sombre face lighted
up with gratitude that was eloquent.
He shook the President by the hand,
told him that Beall and his family
would come to thank him for his
clemeney, and we departed. Ibelieve
that was the last time Booth ever
addressed the President until that
fateful night in April when he burst
into the procenium box at Ford's |
Opera house in Washington aud shot
him.
"The reason | draw a connection
between the two incidents is this: At
ter our little delegation withdrew
from Mr., Llncoln's Office with Bealrs
safety assured, Booth went at once to
the Pennsylvania depot and took the
first train for New York. He carried
the news to Beall who was confined
at Governors Island, and the two men
had a jollifcation. Beall accepted
the Presidents promise of pardon as
final, and watched the approach of
the day appointed for his execution
with easy indifference. Booth was
frequent visitor to his imprisoned
friend and although they soon COM
menced to think that there was unnec-
essary delay in the transmission of
the pardon they did not take the
alarm until before the appointed day,
when the preparations being made for
lhe execution aroused them from
heir false security, II
Booth was frantic with terror and
'age and .BealPs condition was even
more pitable, The respite did not
,ome and the next day Beall was
hanged, Booth never would forgive
lincoln for his failure to keep his prom
Sc. He became almost wild for re- {
.enge, and in my opinion, that is the
eason he went to Washington and en-
cred the historic conspiracy of assas-
II
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They have no laundering execu-