St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-11-15
Theatri, j Trunks and Ward
robe Of j. Wilkes Booth
in Canada.
Plausible Story OF Finding
the Effects in a Wrecked
Schooner.
Happy Sequel to a Romance
That Is Stranger Than
Fiction.
An American Girl Installed as
a Baroness by a German
Count.

MONTREAL, Que, Nov. IA. - Ant
quarian w. W. Snaith has obtained
conclusive evidence that trunks found
on the schooner Marc Victoria. which
was wrecked at Bic, about $50 miles
below Quebec, in the autumn of 1864,
were the property of J. Wilkes Booth,
the assassin of President Lincoln.
During that autumn several trunks
marked -. w. B., New Providence"
were shipped on board the schooner
Marc Victoria at Quebec. How they
reached Quebec, or by whom they were
shipped, or where the vessel was bound
for, or Oh what mission, Is envelOped in
mystery, but the Marc Victoria sailed
from the port of Quebec without going
through the usual fOrmalities of clear
ing at the custom house. for her anne
does not appear among the shipping
records at that port, thereby giving
good grounds for the su spicion that the
service she was engaged in demanded
secrecy.
After events gave proof of this and
led to the belief that she intended to
run the blockade of the South or make
wrecked at Bic. From these precau-
tons it would appear that Booth Gn
anticipation of the murder of Lin
COIN, had secretly sent his theatrical
wardrobe through Canada, and had
shipped through Canadian port in eX-
pectatiOn of finding it 10 hand in one of
the Southern states when he succeeded
in the object which he had in view. and
that the conspiracy to assassinate Pres
ldent Lincoln was calculated months
before.
Selling the Effects.
During the following summer QS65)
there appeared in the Quebec Morning
Chronicle of July II an advertisement
stating thatOn the following day there
would be sold at auction various effects
landed from the schooner Marc
Victoria, consisting of dry goods,
theatrical costumes, swords and
various Other articles. Smith
was engaged in business in Quebec at
the time, and, having a penchant for
the collection of relics and other cur
los, attended the sale and purchased
part of the wardrobe. George Rankin
also purchased variety of things from
the stock of articles offered for sale, it
was thought AT the time for his brother,
Mckee Rankin, the actor. The follow
ing notice of sale appeared in the
Chronicle of July 10, 1865:
1.-The theatrical wardrobe of the late
JohI<Wilkes Booth. recovered about
month ago from the wreck of the
schooner Mare Victoria at Bic last
autumn, was disposed of by decree of
the vice admiralty court by public auc-
tiOn yesterday forenoon. Amongst the
wardrobe, which, unfortunately has
been injured by salt water, there was a
splendid collection of theatrical clothes
in fine silk velTets, silks, sat
ins, ermine and crimson, and
also hats, caps, plumes, boots, shoes.
etc. III swords and pistols there was a
case or trunk packed with a large vari-
ETY. and there were some very beauti-
fully mounted ones among them. Com
petition on the whole was very spirited
and several articles were sold at high
prices. The amount realized for the
wardrobe iii its damaged state was about
$500. The original cost cannot have
been less than Sl5,000.