The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-01-25
EVIDENCE
CONGO RNING
D. {. GEORGE
Said He Escaped to Europe
With Friends Assistance.
UNDER FEAR OF DEATH
Remarkable Story Told to the
Wife of Minister.


flooding the authorities here with inqui-
ries regarding the identification of D. E.
George as that OF j. Wilkes Booth. From
every quarter of the United States inqui-
| RES are being received, showing Il uni
versal interest, as well as doubt. regard
ing his death, as history records. Every
train into the city brings individuals anX
icus to gaze upon the face of one, who is
cow supposed. by q large and respectful
number, to be Zone other than the fam
Gus ]. Wilkes Booth.
| Upon every street corner, in every place
| of business. the controversy and conten-
| ticn is Being waged respecting the COM
| plete identification of the deceased, ID.
George, who during the past week has
been on exhibition a the undertaker's es-
adjustment Thousands Upon thousands
have visited the place and personally re-
viewed the remains, and it seems to be
the concensus of public opinion generally
that the deceased from all appearances,
his intellectual countenance and other
similar indications, might be the noted
parsonage.
Desiring to obtain reliable Information
concerning his life from one who was in
tmatey acquainted with him during the
past three years, a reporter visited the
hcme of Rev. Harper, minister of the
First Methodist church of this city, and
there interviewed Mrs. Harper his wife,
whose personal knowledge and acquaint
ance all tends strongly to support the
VisW that seems to be strengthening itself
in the minds of the public. that it is J.
Wilkes Booth who is now on exhibition at
the undertakers establishment instead of
D. E. George.
She said that when he was sick at her
home. he called her and said: Il have
something of value to tell you. 1 am
going to die in a few minutes. and / must
tell some one. I believe you are a friend
and l don't believe you would do ANYTHING
to injure me; you viii keep my secret
until after | am dead?' He said: Did *
ever occur to you that / was anything but
an ordinary painter; l told you once be-
fore and you laughed at me. Now l am
going to tell you'll killed one of the best
men that ever lived / asked him who
it was and ne said Abraham Lincoln
He said men in high official life hated
Lincoln and promised him a great reward
if he and another man would kill Lin
coin Seward and several others. He
said they occupied high official offices at
the time; and there were half dozen
or more they had picked out 10 assassi-
nate; that when he killed Lincoln he
jumped down off the stage and broke his
right leg: that there were people right
there that helped him get away, southern
friends. that took him TO a place of hid
ing. They disguised him and took him
in a boat to the Potomac river, then to
Chesepeak Bay. There they got in a large
vessel and they went to Europe"
He said the terrible suspense and fear
OF being detected all the time was some
thing awful; that they had to disguise
Kim a number of different times; said one
time they threw sacks over him and
wrapped him up in a bundle. i don't
remember Just exactly how ii was. in
Sc GREETING him on the ship. Then he trav- |
eled all over Europe and Africa and other |
countries. He said his life was miser-
able: that this Mrs. Suratt. where he and |
his comrade boarded, was perfectly in |
recent but that she was hung and he |
vas responsible lot her ueath' anu sew
eral others He said he whs devoted TO |
his profession, but had to give it up be- |
cause he didn't dare to act on the stage |
for fear of being detected: that was all |
he cared for and wanted so much TO do it |
and the fact that he couldn't made him |
very restless. He was abroad a number |
of years, until he was an old man and |
then he came back. going from place TO |
place. painting. carpentering. acting on |
the stage occasionally. bookkeeping and !
things. He said he had money |
and didn't have TO work for the money |
there was in it. but had to do something /
to keep his mind occupied He would |
work a little while. then rest until he .
would get so restless that ne would go /
TO work again.