The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-06-08
MORE BOOTH STORIES.

THE STORY to the effect that the
L man who killed himself in Enid,
Okla, last January, under the name Of
David Z. George, was John Wilkes
Booth. assassin Of President Lincoln,
viii hardly find many believers. At
the time George killed himself the re-
port that he was Booth gained wide
circulation. Since then men have come
forward with what purport to be veri-
dcations of the report, but in spite Of
the wealth of detail with which they
clOthe their stories. the public win be
10th to believe that John Wilkes Booth
did not die as he was said TO have died
nearly forty years ago:
Basil Moxley Of Baltimore, Nd, who
was dOOrkeeper at FOrd's theatre in
Washington on the night President
Lincoln was assassinated by Booth,
and for years before and after that
unhappy event. is one of the believers
In the possibility Of the Enid story.
Mr.. AIoxIey is quoted as saying:
Certainly the body buried in Green
mount was not that of Booth, for I
was one Of the paubearers and I can
safely say to you that there never
were any two things in this world
which resembled each other less than
that body did John Wilkes Booth. I
had known Booth all my life, and was
very close to the family, which I think
IS shown by the fact that they asked
me to act as palIbearer at the funeral
Of some dead man whom they had
been led TO believe was that of their
relative: I saw the body several times
and examined it and L don't hesitate to
say that the hair on the dead body
was Of a reddish brown color. while
Booths was as black as a ravens
wing
IT am now the only one of the hve
left. all of the others having died.
never VIII believe that Booth was
killed. and am confident that he es-
capped. but how I have never been able
to make up my mind, nor have I any
positive knowledge that he did. Yet
the one point that has always caused
me to doubt the various stories of his
death is that if he was killed, why did
not someone receive the immense re-
ward offered for his capture, dead or
alive2 You can search all records in
Washington or interview any officials
then in Office VINO are now alive and 7
viii wager YOU will be unable to learn
of any reward being paid for the de
livery Of John Wilkes Booths body to
The government.
I'm addition to that, I remember dis
tinctly being third party at meet
ing between Edwin Booth and another
man who was a private detective. The
meeting occurred upon the occasion of
the great actors last engagement in
this city. This detective was a man
OF about my own age. and lived for
many years on Pratt street between
Howard and Eutaw streets. He was Of
German extraction and thoroughly re
liable. FOR I knew him for years. He
IS dead now and cant just remember
his name. At any rate, he called at
fhe theatre one night during Mr..
Booths enga cement and showed the
actor four letters, all of which were
from reliable persons living in Mary
land and Virginia, assuring the actor
that his brother was not dead"
This looks like at least fairly good
evidence. but the manifest impOssi-
bility OF a man with a broken leg es-
gaping from the thousands Of pursuers
who were searching Cor John Wilkes
Booth VIII always put a quietus on any
Efforts to disprove the original report
of his death and burial