The morning call., 1891-03-22

of his instruction, for being a thorough
scholar and master Of elocution his assist
ance was very valuable After a number
of im portunities he even consented to assume
the character of Richard Iii in local ex-
hibition in the Opera House, but uniOrtu-
nately the company never organized, and
the play was not presented.
These incidents furnish material for the
Booth hypothesis. That Dr. Armstrong was
an admirer of the legitimate is undeniably
true, but it proves nothing except that he
was man of appreciative intellect. That
he assisted and took interest in local
dramatic matters was from kindness OF
heart, for when in need of instruction young
and ambitious minds naturally turned to-
ward his superior judgment and knowledge,
knowing from his universal kindness that
assistance would be cheerfully given.
ANOTHER OF THE PROOFS.
Another thing in support OF the Booth
hypothesis is the inability of the believers
of this idea to locate the doctors places of
residence in the past years.
The only reason that they cannot locate
them is simply because they never inquired
or took the trouble to find out On this sub
ject DR.. Armstrong was never reticent; in
fact never retieent on any subject connected
with the past. We here subjoin brief
sketch, which was furnished by the doctor
himself:
j. G. Armstrong was born in Ballymena,
Ireland on July 81, 1887. He was educated
at Queens College, Belfast. and emigrated
to the United States In 1896. In 1856 he set
tied in Sydney, Ohio. as a Presbyterian
minister, and remained there for four years,
when he removed to st. Louis, which town
he made his home until 1870, when he re-
moved to Hannibal, Mo-, entering the ranks
of the Episcopal clergy. In 1878 he went to
Wheeling, W. Va, remaining there four
years; then he went to Richmond. Va. and
after staying there four years, went to At
lanta.
II seems to certain degree, unnecessary
to discuss this matter, opposing vague ru-
mors, thereby giving them a shadow and an
appearance Of fact; yet we will go one step
further, at present, not hypothesis, but an
historical fact.
On the 18th of April, 1866, J. Wilkes Booth
was found In the neighborhood of Bowling
Green, Va, and was shot by Sergeant Bos-
ton Corbett of Company |, Sixteenth New
York Cavalry, and died three hours after
receiving his wound. This fact is supported
by cumulative and convincing testimony.
Hence, regarding the rum0rs relative to DR..
Armstrong, there can be but one conclusion.
SOMEWHAT SIMILAR CASE.
1t might not be improper here to briefly
recite similar case of confused identity
which occurred in South Carolina. After
the NapOleonic wars there appeared in South
Carolina school-teacher named Peter Ney.
His antecedents were unknown, and people
curious TO learn OF his past life naturally
commenced to indulge in vague suspicious
OF various kinds, which in time assumed a
sort of tangibility. His name was Ney, and
from some unaccOuntable reason they
commenced to associate him with Ma
poeonS valorouS marshal of that name.
He was given to cohViviality, and in one of
his drunken spells he informed some per-
son that he was none other than the verita-
BILE marshal, Michael Ney. He told this to
others in drunken confidence, and their sus-
pclons, before only tangible, were now reared
upon solid basis of fact. OF course it was
necessary in the operation of making a
Michael out of the South Carolina Peter to
butcher and change French history. This
they did. With irrefutable hypothesis they
completely demolished established facts.
though illiterate man. He was sentenced
soldiers armed with loaded guns; they fired,
and Ney fell bleeding, dying to the ground;
he was buried. Napoleon mourned him as
dead; French painters and writers have
made his death, on French soil, subject for
the brush and pen. Yet with all this, some
people in SOUTH Carolina will believe unto
their dying day that their convivial Peter
was none other than the heroic Michael.
| even notice in recent publication that
a minister of the gospel has put forth a
volume demonstrating that Peter most GER
tainly was Michael, =" the right arm of
Napoleon"
These confusers Of identity bring to my
mind a sentence from johnson: HE that
can set up hypothetical possibilities against
ackno wledged certainty is not TO be admit
ted among reasonable beings. Hanson
CreSwell Jr. in Pittsburg Press.