The Holly chieftain., 1897-09-24

the social and official ranks Of the OLE,
dominion, lost their lives, and the cifv
WAS in mourning; yes, the entire state
was shodDVsed and dlrkened with woe.
! When intelligence Of the disaster be
came general, the congress passed r,.so-
buttons Of coincidence. memorial sery-
.cCs were held in churches everywhere.
and the fiEe was generally regarded a.
a national disaster.
| Early IN the spring Of 1912 it was sug-
/ gested that a great memorial should b4
erected by public subscription, and
. Chief Justice Marshall. of the United
I States supreme court. assumed charge
/ Of the movement. \ building fund was
| raised Then the remains of the lost
s.cr. gathered together and placed in a
vault beneath the center of the ruins,
/ and around this tomb the people built
/ the Monumental church.
/ Having said that there is history, mys-
terry and romance connected with this
I og.idiug. and having viewed the history
! ot ats wonderful and pathetic origin, let
| us look into the mystery and romance
OF Monumental church. Let US 20 into
I the Eestry room. There, in that dark
corner. hangs upon the wal! picture Of
John Wilkes Booth, in long clerical
: garments. The sexton says that it is 4
PirtureOf Eey-JohH 6, Armstrong. who
was pastor Of Monumental church from
ISIS 10 ISsi.
The photograph plainly shows. in
every line aud curve. the broad high
forehead and long straight hair. the
handsome chin aud exquisite profile Of
John Wilkes Booth The man Is in the
prime OF life. standing beside a table.
with q serious mieu lie is undoubiet-
ly a clergy man. but that is the face OF
John Niikcs Booth. Every picture ex-
tan, shows the semblance. and people
who saw Booth on the stage. when he
wa weii-knOHu actor. say that the
photograph of Rev. John C. Armstrong
IS perfect picture Of Booth.
There l. the mystery. but there j. ro-
nance also connected with the story.
for nobody ever knew where the reycr-
end gentleman came from. 1t was said
that he had been ordained 10 ireland.
An Investigation Of his past did not
produce satisfactory results. lie came
TO Richmond a comparative stranger.
Everybody wondered at the likeness Of
the man to Johu Wilkes Booth. and
some accused him Of being that man.
Finally the Clergyman was accused OF
Irregularities in his habits, aud this
started afresh the story that he wa not
what he claimed to be At last. in de.
sPuir, he left the ministry. lived in
private and died in obscurity. The
doubt Of his identity hung over him
like pail. On his deathbed. his last
words were denial. an earnest. tear.
ful denial. that he was John Wilkes
Booth.
There were many men in Richmond
who had heard Booth on the stage. and
who heard DIR. Armstrong in the pulpit.
who declared that two men could not be
- much alike; in face. form, voice.
gesture. every thing; for the preacher
was a man Of such dramatic manners,
that it would have been almost i'm
possible for any man TO have acquired
them anywhere except upon the stage.
Moreover. it was remarked that he was
slightly lame. as Wilkes Booth would
undoubtedly have been. after sustain
ing the injury which befell him as be
| jumped from the box to the stage of the
I theater on the night Of the commission
Of his awful crime
/ II is well known that there were
doubts expressed by many people in