Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-08
OLD STORY REToLD.
Temperance Of Romance That Wilkes
Booth Was Not Shot in 1865.
From the Boston Transcript.

From the Boston Transcript.
The story which comes from the west
that ]. Wilkes Booth. the assassin of Pres
ident Lincoln. died so lately as January
last, self-slain. in little town in Oklaho
ma, Is interesting only as showing that a
historical myth, familiar to all readers of
the history of older nations. is making its
appearance in this new land Otherwise it
might be dismissed as simply the advance
story of the silly season. If ever a man
was killed in the manner described by his
tory that man was ]. Wilkes Booth. Not
only his identity proved by the Incl
dents of the pursuit, by the papers taken
from his body at the time of his death. but
the government took every precaution
against any possibility of mistake When
Booths body was brought to Washington
1t was identified by many who had known
him well, among them his physician. who
found the scar of peculiar surgical opera
ton he had performed in the removal of a
tumor. Again, when some years later the
body was disinterred and given to the
Booth family for final interment. Edwin
Booth took measures which placed its iden-
tity beyond all possible question. ]. Wilkes
Booths body was deposited in the family
lot in Green Mount Cemetery. Baltimore
more than thirty-four years ago. and
its interment there has been officially GER
titled. Yet such is the force of myth and
the popular love for the mysterious that
there are persons in Washington itself who
seriously MAINTAIN tnat Booth body was
sunk In the Potomac by order of the gov
eminent. and that President Johnson when
he armed Edwin Booth with authority to
make the transfer to the Baltimore ceme-
terry, was either the victim of an i'm
position himself. or knowingly participated
in deception.
Myths of this nature almost naturally
spring up out of the graves of men who have
played tragic part In a striking historic
drama. Thus, although the Duke OF Mon
mouth was publicly executed In the pres
ence of thousands. though among those
who accompanied him to the scaffold were
some who had been in happier days his in
innate friends there was large element
with whom he had been idol who in
sisted that another than Monmouth was
decapitated. 1t was gravely maintained by
these deniers of all probability. that fol-
lower of Monmouth who greatly resembled
him had died in his place. Still another
theory was that James III must at the
last moment have arranged a plot by which
Monmouth escaped the axe and became the
Man in the Iron Mask''-which mask by
the way, was not iron-Louis XIV kindly
consenting to take upon himself the charge
and care of the duke. Long years after
ward historians took the trouble to demon
strate that, whoever the Iron Mask was,
he could not have been Monmouth. So
strong was the popular belief that Mon
mouth escaped the axe at least two men
appeared in England. claiming to be Mon
mouth. and for time ran course of sue
cessful imposture.
The belief that Marshal Ney was not shot
In the Luxembourg Garden. but escaped
either by collision with those appointed to
be his executioners by the devotion of
one who resembled him and died for him.
still has strength enough to survive to this
day. Only few years ago a bulky volume
in support of the theory that Marshal
Ney escaped and came to this country was
published. Yet If any historical fact has
been established beyond peradventure il
is that Marshal Ney was executed In pur-
suance of his sentence.