Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-11-18
WHY BOOTH KILLED LINCOLN.
His Motives Were Not Political But
Personal.

| I'm this country the assassination
Of Abraham Lincoln, one Of the purest,
the most generous, and the ablest rul-
ers that ever lived, was the result OF
American slavery. 1t was slavery's at
tempt, in its death struggle, to deal
stunning blow to the head Of the
nation that was crushing out its life
a blow dealt in a desperate revenge
for its having been compelled to sub
NIT to the triumph of liberty. 1t was
slavery, in its dying throes, admins
tering to itself its own scorpion sting,
thereby rendering its own character
doubly despicable, and its own death
more certain and everlasting. Hence,
the cause (slavery) Of Lincoln's assas-
sination being forever annihilated no
such despicable crime can again spring
from that source"
Such paragraphs as the above, which
is taken from the Religious Telescope,
of Dayton, Ohio, have repeatedly ap-
peared in northern religious papers.
They do the southern people great in
L
| Confederacy had anything to do with
the assassination Of Mr.. Lincoln; nor
was slavery In any way responsible FOR
| 1t, except in so far as slavery was an
occasion Of the civil war. These writ
ers have evidently forgotten the &C
tual facts which led to the commission
of this crime-facts which are not
stated in many histories.
John Wilkes Booth, who assassinat-
ed Mr.. Lincoln, was a citizen OF the
United States-not Of the Confederate
States. He was at no time restd.nf
of any Of the seeded states. His
southern sympathies did not lead him
to come to the south and make COM
mon cause with the south. 1t was not
an ardent love of the south or Of the
southern cause that prompted Mr..
Booths crime, but rather spirit OF
revenge for the personal wrong that
Mr.. Lincoln had done in having Capt.
Young Beall, one Of Booths friends,
executed unjustly.
The editor of the Christian Observer
was acquainted with Capt. Beall. He
was a native Of Virginia, member OF
a good family, a college graduate, a
brave young man of attractive person.
ality. In Richmond, Va, we boarded
at the same house, ate at the same ta-
BILE, and we learned to appreciate his
sterling worth. He possessed traits
similar to those which during the
lSpanish-American war made Rich
mond Pearson Hobson the idol Of the
American people. And when, in the
| fall Of 1864, a man was wanted to lead
a hazardous enterprise and make a
diversion on Lake Erie he promptly
responded to the call Of the govern
ment. With a handful Of brave sea-
/ hn ofno
Erie, made its crew prisoners, convert
ed 1t into war vessel, captured or
sank one or more other boats, terror
| lied the commerce Of the Great Lakes,
produced a panic In Buffalo and the
cities on the lakes, and thoroughly
alarmed the northern people. In due
time he was captured. He was tried
by a court martial and sentenced to
death as a pirate.
| John Wilkes Booth interested him.
self in his behalf, obtained from the
Confederate government at Richmond,
Va, the evidence that he was COM
missioned officer in the Confederate
navy; he obtained also evidence that
his acts were only those Of legitimate
warfare, and that he was acting under
specific instructions from the Confed-
crate government. Booth went to
Washington armed with these docu-
ments and secured from President
Lincoln the promise that Capt. Beall
should not be put to death, but should
be treated as a prisoner Of war. This
promise Of Mr.. Lincoln gave offence
to Secretary Seward, who persuaded
him. in the face Of 1t. to sanction
Bealps execution. And Capt. Beall was
hanged at Governors Island, New
York, on February "a, 1866.
John Wilkes Booth was not well
balanced man at his best. Doubtless
he inherited a streak of the insanity
with which his father, though great
actor, was from time to time affiict-
ed. Be that as 1t may, he was fear
fully wrought up by the death Of his
friend. in such circumstances. He de-
nounced the killing in cold blood Of
prisoner Of war; after he had surren-
dered, as murder" and the doing 1t
after the president had given his word
that it should not be done as false
hood" and "treachery" and vowed ven-
geance against the authors Of this
wrong.
At once he organized a conspiracy
for the assassination Of President Lin
coin and Secretary Seward; and on
the night of the 14th Of April, 1855.
only seven weeks after Capt. Beall
was hanged, the plot was executed.
Booth shot Mr.. Lincoln at Ford's thea
tre, Washington, exclaiming, sic
semper tyrannis," and on the same
night, Paine, one Of his fellow con-
spirators, inflicted serious, but not
mortal wounds, on William H. Sew
ard, secretary of state.
The United States was fearfully
aroused by the assassination OF the
president. At first it was suspected
that the crime had been instigated by
Confederates. Many prominent citi-
zens Of the Confederacy were arrested.
The most thorough searching exam
ination was made. And 1t was conclu-
sively proved that no representative Of
the Confederate government and no
one in the Southern Confederacy had
any part in 1t. It was as sincerely re-
gretted and as severely condemned
through the south as in the north.
Mr.. Lincoln was killed, not by citi-
zen Of the Confederate States, but by
citizen Of the United States-a par
TALLY deranged man, to avenge the
wrong he claimed had been suffered by
his friend at Mr. Lincoln's hand.
During the nineteenth century slav-
cry was abolished by Great Britain,
Sweden, France, Holland, Brazil,
Spain, Germany and Egypt, Even
Russia abolished serfdom. By all
these countries it was peacefully eff
fected. Mr.. Lincoln's craftsmanship
was exhibited in that in this country
alone the emancipation Of the slaves
was made the occasion Of the most
terrible civil war Of the century. HIS
campaign speeches threatened meal
culable evil to the slave-holding
states. in case he should be elected;
and his election was the OCCASION OF the
secession of the six cotton states; his
demand upon the border states that
they should furnish troops to engage
in war under him against the cotton
states drove the five border states, IN
which until that moment the Union
sentiment had been overwhelmingly
strong, out Of the Union. Then fol-
lowed the long war to drive them back
into the Union. Gods hand was In these