Telegram-herald., 1890-04-18
]. WILKES BOOTH
A strange story Told by al IrisA
Auctionser.
TIE lSSASSISS THEATRICAL OUTFIT
heseasd fr0D . Urseksa sesssi ana
,sia la . 1zssse Aaetisa store
Dia hs tatsaa ~ Tsk- hsf4xs
ia ths EAAAE.a LsIAaasz

Fran the Dstrolt J0grna
Al echo Ot the shJt nEed ~ J. Wilkes
Booth IA Ford's tneater, Washington,
- years ago lasI Monday, BY which
Abraham Lincoln received his mortal
wound, was heard yesterday IN Detroit.
Thomas Casey. a typical lrshman OF
% years Or more, with full, fiOud lace,
stoOd ia front OF the Detroit Opera
House, yesterday Afternoon, intently
tudyng the show ball that bore Edwin
b0Oth's name. lie asked a man stand
iag near ann IL Edwin Booth Was any
relatOn % j. Wilkes Booth.
Being assured that ne Was Mr..
casey repaired % the Russell House ~
Tell Mr.. Booth the following remark
able story, nov repeated for the first
time.
In June. 1915, while Mr.. Casey was an
auctIOneer ln Quebec, A schooner called
the Emma landed at Montreal with oil
TOR Nassau. Among the cargo MAS seven
large trunks marked -. ". b., Nassau,
so u callen for" The schooner passed
Queo@c safely. but a short distance be-
low Quebes storm struck her and she
Was wrecke The crew ana officers
we're never 5. but the derelet was
picked up by syme Quebec sailors who
claimed salvage.
The goods recovered were put into
the admiralty court 10 DC sold, and
Thomas Casey was the auctiOneer TO
whom the sale was Intrusted. He
opened the seven trunks and found
them filled with rich velvet suits,
leweled daggers, armOrs, helmets,
plumes and various other theatrical ac-
CesOries. Old letters bearing the ad-
dress -. Wilkes Booth" and nun
dreds Of tickets with the initials j. ".
B. were also found. The goods were
mucn damaged by water. For some OF
them there was no call, and Mr.. Casey
kept them. The sailors realized $500,
aud $500 was deposited 70 the credit of
j. Wilkes Booth or ms heirs. MIR. Casey
was not a theatrical man in any sense
Of the word, and mad never heard OF
Wilkes Booth. Away down IN Quebec
he took but little interest IN the affairs
that were then interesting the Amer
Ican mind. and ne made no endeavor TO
had the owner, who he then thought
drowned on the Emma, nor did ne IN
quire for any of Booths relatives. In
the lapse of time the affair escaped his
memory, and ne did not think of Il
again until yesterday when he stood in
front of the Detroit Opera House and
saw Mr.. Booth name on the poster.
When Mr.. Casey reached the Russell
House Mr.. Booth Was out, so he left a
note detailing briefly the facts here
given, and stating that he would wait
for Mr. Booth N the lobby.
Mr. Booth never recurs to the fate Of
his brother. nor will ne allow any of
his attendants 10 mention anything IN
connection With It. What he did or
SAID on the receipt of Mr.. Casey's letter,
can only be conJectured. He made no
reply.
Later IN the evening, application was
made 10 Arthur Chase, Mr.. Booth s
director, for an interview between Mr..
Booth and MS Casey, but Mr.. Chase
replied that he did not dare mention
the matter 20 his star.
The facts that the trunks were con-
signed To Nassau leads 10 the belief
that J. Wilkes Booth evidently hoped
20 escape TO the BIhama Islands, and
there resume ms profession, hoping, no
doubt, that his Otfense would be con-
sidCred a political one and that he
would be safe IN the foreign country.
One of the queer features of the
affair s that the story should reach
Mr. Booth for the first time within two
days of the 18th anniversary of the
murder. Mr.. Casey resides in Mon
trcal.