Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-12-10
IINC0[N CONSPIRACY AND ITS CONSP|RATORS.
Copyrighted 1902
,risoned at the Dry Tortugas.

! nation could conjure up no Sweeter life
! than this quiet country solitude. and
for over month was truly happy. The
pleasures Of the past resumed their ior-
mer status in my nature; / lived over
again the halcyon DAYS passed there.
w,lcr peace reigned throughout the land,
Ger the rude tocsin of war marshalcd
foes 70 deluge this fair land in blood
and ruin and / was allurcd under the
false nope into the belief that it was
| happiness.
But seen / found it was not SO. 'Jne
heart's warnings could not be stiAed;
again restlcssness took possession OF my
being. and the heart bounded to life again
in the element of excitement. in witch
for three long years it had run riot
a HATEFUL JOURNEY.
1t vas during my sojourn there. upon
bright and beautiful morning, during
either the month of August or September,
1864. the morotouy Of a country life be-
coming very tedious and insipid, that l
concluded that q short visit to the city
of Baltimore would be beneficial in its
effects. which thought was forthwith &C
ceded to and carried Immediately into
execution, there being no plans or any
object governing my actions. other than
Scsr:ng country life.
The morning Of my arrival In the city
was principally occupied in the pursuit
OF pleasure. accompanied by a few select
cd acquaintance and friends. Toward
noon ] returned to the residence of my
ia Tier. WHO was residing at that period In
the city. when from younger brother,
who had also been schoclmate Of John
w Booth. ! learned that Booth desired
hi no .3 n o.
tel. AT which place he was stopping.
At this period l knew nothing OF John
Wilkes Booths political sentiments, nor
had l the remotest idea OF the result
which would follow the visit. I merely
called upon him as companion and
friend Of my boyhood. which was most
natural. had not seen Booth since 1881,
when we parted with one another at
school Separated from one another. our
vocations called us to different pur-
suits. and he, as an individual. like the
many that clustered around school-boy
days. vanished from the everyday scenes
OF my life. AS he became eminent in
his profession memory brought him back.
but we never met from 1851 until that
latter part of 1864.
MEETING WITH BOOTH
Tie visit was made according to his
request and for the first time III thirteen
that meeting to We. for through it the
iron vas entered deep into my soul and
caused me to lose confidence in the human
race ] found Booth possessed of wonder
fiji power in conversation and became
perfectly infatuated with his social man.
'lerS and bearing. Instead of gazing upon
the counteEance of the mild and tlmld
Schoolnlate of former years, | behe!d a
deep thinking man Of the world before
me. with highly distinguishing marks OF
beauty, intelligence and gentlemanly re-
finement different from the common or
der Of man. and one possessing an unin-
terrupted flow Of conversational power,
in which all the chara cteristics of differ
ent natures were combined
Booth invited me to his room. where the
current items Of the times were freely
talked over. intermingied with escapades
OF school-boy days. 1t was not until
Michael OLaushln. one of his earliest
friends and associates in youth. had ar
rived and was introduced that the sub
ject, which no doubt was uppermost In
his coursing thoughts. was disclosed. and
from all that / could then CLEAN, and
subsequently ii is my firm conviction and
belief that it was an Enterprise created,
or at least had its origin in Booths own
visionary mind. and totally disconnected
with any person or persons in the ser
vice of the Confederate States Govern
n1ent.
Booths object was to undertake the
abduction of Abraham Lincoln, convey
him TO Richmond. turn him over to the
Confederate States Government to be
held as hostage for the exchange of pris-
oners. as the United States had refused
to c%change them. BY SO doing it would
strengthen the force of the Confederate
army and be the means OF filling UP to
some extent their depleted ranks He pic
.urcd in nest glowing terms how easy it
could be accomplished.
THE PLANS OUTLINED
Often Abraham Lincoln attended by no
one except lis carriage driver, visited the
hospital over the Anacostia bridge. He
proposed - intercept him on one of these
visits take him, coachman. and all, drive
through the lower counties of Maryland,
place him in Il boat, cross the Potomac tc
Virginia and thence convey hin. to Rich
ntunG. Everything vas prepared for this
erd. boat purchased and ,noored, to be
moved al q moments notice 1nd Loaf
! mln III waiting constantly 81 his b!dGirg.
When the brain was to a great extent
clouded by drink. and reason, in meas
ure, had lost its power OF concentrating
thought. OLaugnlin and myself entered
irto the enterprise with Booth. after TAX
ing an oath to secrecy and good faith
The undertaking was for the sole purpose
of bringing about an exchange OF prlS-
orers. The contemplated design within
Itself was purely humane and patriotic
in its principles. void of all ambitions
aspirations. or ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, and iegi-
innate as an act of war.
There was no violence contemplated in
the execution of the design other than
the seizure of the body or person of
Abraham Lincoln. and his conveyance
to Richmond. Va, as has already been
set forth, as violence would have been
in fiat contradiction 10 his avowed pur-
pose and the object to be attained. When
| entered into the combination with him.
III; condition prevented me from giving
it its proper consideration. otherwise ]
never would have been mixed up in the
affair.
NO NIERCENARY INCENTIVE.
Men often do things upon the spur of
the moment which they never would have
done had they carefully looked and
weighed the subject under discussion.
OF course, had tie attempt been made,
and We should have proved successful,
or NC had been taken or captured during
its undertaking, the consequences attend
Ing il would have been Of very serious