Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-09-14
WHY BOOTH KILLED LINCOLN.


WHY BOOTH KILLED LINCOLN.
Confederate Veteran, January, 1901.
The Veteran of February, 1899, con-
tained an interesting history Of the
life Of Captain John Yeates Beall (pro-
nounced BelD and his execution.
Perusal of that article will increase in
terest in the paper here printed. 1t is
said that j. Wilkes Booth pleaded with
President Lincoln until late at night,
when the president promised to save
Bealrs life, to commute the death SEN
tence; and that Secretary Stanton, on
learning Of Mr.. Lincoln's promise, said
If that was done he would leave the
cabinet; also that Mr.. Seward persist
emily opposed it, and that when Beall
was executed Booth went about taking
revenge, his plan being that two selec-
ted assistants should kill Stanton and
Seward at the time he shot the presi-
dent.
Comrade +. B. Massey. Of Hemming.
Tex, made the Introductory report
whereby DR.. ]. s. Riley, Of Bloomfield.
Tex, wrote the following account of
the particulars as he recalls them:
In answer to your inquiries as to what
I know Of the circumstances leading to
the execution Of John Y. Beall and his
companion on Governors Island, N. Y,
and the assassination of President Abe
Lincoln, 1 will say was prisoner Of
war at Alton, ILL.,, in the year 1864, and
escaped in June Of that year to Canada.
I there became acquainted with Beall.
understood that he and Booth were
college mates at the University Of Vir-
ginia, and that they were sworn friends.
Beall had undertaken to release the
Confederate prisoners commissioned
Confederate offlcers,) Of which there
were seven hundred on the island in
Lake Erie, near Sandusky. We Joined
a company Of eighteen men (secretly)
in Canada; went to Sandusky, and ar
ranged for the capture Of the war
steamer Michigan (the only war ship
the United States was allowed on the
lakes as per treaty with Great Brittany
Preliminaries now being fully arranged,
we dressed as first-class gentlemen,
armed ourselves with six-shooters and
bowies, concealed in an old trunk. On
q beautiful Sunday morning we boarded
the steamer Philo-Parsons at Sarney,
Canada, and sailed for Sandusky as
passengers. After dinner we went into
our room and put on our arms. Beall,
commanding, assigned his lientenants
to their duties. I had been assigned to
surgeons duty; but was ordered to
capture the engineer. Beall himself
went toward our destination (Johnson's 8
Island;) but we had a Judas aboard,
and where we stopped after dark to
take on fuel, he escaped in the dark
ness, gave information which defeated
our enterprise, and we were compelled
to return to Canada after having been
compelled to take and sink another
steamer, the Island Queen.
We talked the matter over on our re-
treat to Canada. We landed at the
place Of our embarkation and scuttled
our ship. Myself and fourteen Of our
crew went to Halifax, and Beall and his
chief lieutenant returned to New York,
where they were subsequently arrested
and tried for treason, convicted and
hanged. Pending their imprisonment,
J. Wilkes Booth, as the special friend
Of Beall, went before President Lincoln
and implored and besought him to
spare his friend, and that he be spared
his life. Lincoln promised him that he
would spare Bealrs life If convicted.
This satisfied Booth, and he conveyed
the fact to Beall in his prison. Hence
Beall was not alarmed for his life. lie
believed it was safe, and Booth remain
ed easy; otherwise he would have used
all his great powers to have released his
friend from his prison and death.
When Stanton and Seward found that
Lincoln had promised to pardon Beall
in the event Of his conviction, they be-
sought him to let the law do its worst,
and with the promise to Booth, Lincoln
yielded to Stanton and Seward, and did
not inform Booth of his change Of
heart, and Booth rested easy until after
the execution at Governors Island.
Then. overwhelmed with grief and dis
appointment, he swore in his wrath that
he would take the life Of Lincoln II
it cost him his own, and engaged two
others, one to assassinate Stanton, and
the other to assassinate Seward. They
all three boarded at Mrs. Suratt's house,
although she was in ignorance Of the
plot. She was hanged for being acces-
sorry to it before the fact. The night Of
the assassinat ton 1t was planned that at
the same hour and minute Lincoln,
Stanton and Seward should suffer
sassin made no attempt, and Seward
escaped with light wound on the neck,
These are the facts as told to me, not
as a party to the plot; but owing to my
connection with the raid on Lake Erie.
The following manifold sheet, ad-
dressed to Colonel A. K. Mcclure, Of
the Philadelphia Times, was sent to the
Veteran. place and name omitted, June
q, 1893:
The recent accident to Ford's Old
Theater at Washington has caused the
public journals to recall the circum-
stances of that lamentable event, the