The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1907-08-02

f. George, Of ri Reno, committed
suicide, says tho Commercial Ap-
peal. This man a several occas-
ions, when apparently on the verge
Of desth, confessed that he was John
Wilkes Booth, the assassin Of Abra-
ham Lincoln. The evidence in sup
port OF his claim has been collected
by FINS L. Bates. OF the Memphis
bar, who knew George q good many
years ago, and the testimony is pub
lished in a book as startling as it 10
absorbing. George moved from
place to place, taking different
names, and always seeming to have
resources ample for his needs. This
mysterious individual was in appear
ance, the exact double OF John
Wilkes Booth. as the picture Of the
latter taken when he was twenty
seven and that Of George taken at
the age Of t~hirty-eight will show.
Hair, forehead, eyes, ears, mustache,
dress and bodily defects seem to
have been the same in both men.
George was theatrical in his man
ner, a finished elocutionist, he quot
ed Shakespeare on nearly every oc-
casion, and he was always a vivid
contrast to the people Of the primi-
tive West. OF course the first ques-
ton in the way Of doubt that arises
is, how would it be possible for the
assassin Of Abraham Lincoln to live
unmolested from 1863 to 1903? At
first blush it seems almost incredi-
BILE; but the thing that made it pos
sihle was the fact the United States
government lad declared Booth
dead, and to all intents and pur-
poses the assassin was dead. I'm
questionably a man supposed to be
Booth was shot and his body. was
disposed Of without submitting it to
any Identification. There are three
different stories as TO its disposal.
Gen. Lew Wallace states that to his
own personal knowledge Booth was
buried under a-room of the old pen
itentiary prison Of Washington city,
Gen. Dana, a brother of Editor
Charles A. Dana, who was in charge
Of the pursuit Of Booth, says the
body was buried out in the old navy
yard and a battery Of artillery run
over the grave to oblitelat any trace
Of 1t, Col. Wood, Of the secret ser
vice in Washington at the time Of
tbs assassination, speaking of the
burial, says: 1.-THE body Of Booth
was taken of the Steamer Ide, April
81, 1865, down the Potomac river;
from the steamer it was placed on a
boat by Capt. Baker and his nephew,
a lieutenant in the New York Seven
ty-irst volunteers, and carried to an
island twenty-seven miles from
Washington and secretly buried
there. That story was given out
that Booth had been buried under
the fagstone in the district jail was
only told to keep the public mind at
ease and satisfy public curiosity
Now II this was Booth that was
buried in three differentaplaces I'M
der such mysterious circumstances
it would be interesting to know how
it wa hat to this day the reward Of
500, 100 offered by the government
for the apprehension of Booth has
never been claimed. According to
the confession made by George to
Mr.. Bates, the man killed in the
- .4 1
barn was named Ruddy. Georges
statement is that there we're three in
his party e%ndeavoring to escape,
namely, himself booth Herold
and Ruddy. In the fight George
says his papers were lost and his
companions undertook TO search for
them and he was separated from
them. His pursuers getting pretty
warm on his trail, he had to make
his escape alone. II is supposed
that Rudy and Herold found his
papers, and so when they were cap
tured and the papers we're found on
.Ruddy's body, this was considered
sufficient Identification. We can
readily understand how the pursuers
we're glad to accept this as sufic-
lent, and thus get credit for having
succeeded in their task; and the
North was furiously demanding the
can,,ra nj tha aasaasin Accord;no |