The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-07-19
BOOTH SU|C|OED
IN OKL AHOMA
lie Lived Many Years After He
Assassinated Abraham
Lincoln.
ATTORNEY HAS NEW STORY.
BOOTH MADE A CONFESSION ~
WHICH HE IMPLICATED AN
DREW JOHNSON AS BEING AN
AccOMPLlCE IN THE DEED.

Detroit. July 15.-Finis L. Bates, OF
Memphis, attorney, has published a
book entitled the Escape and Suicide
of John Wilkes Booth" Mr.. Bates
claims to have positive proof that
Booth, the assassin of President Lin
eoIn. not only escaped after killing the
president in Washington in April, 1860
but lived until 1908, committing sui
eide in Oklahoma.
The author further alleges that
Booth made a confession to him some
eight years ago in which he implicat-
ed Andrew Johnson. vice president OF
the United States, as being an accom-
plice in the murder
Here is the main part OF the con-
fession as related by Bates in his
book:
ct had never entered my head to
Kill President Lincoln until the after
noon of the day committed the deed.
| and others had tried for year and
a half to kidnap Lincoln and take him
to Richmond as a hostage of war. we
came to Washington that day to make
u final effort but when we arrived In
the city We learned for the first time
that Gen Lee had surrendered.
I'VE went Immediately to the klnk-
wood hotel to meet Vice-President An
drew Johnson and told him further ef-
forts to kidnap. the president We're
now useless, when Johnson remarked:
VIII you falter at this supreme mo-
ment?'
Then he added: Are you too faint
hearted to kill him?'
The book quotes contradictory state
ments by Gen. Lew Wallace, Gen.
Dana and others regarding the dispo-
sition of the body supposed to be that
OF John Wilkes Booth, one account
stating that it was buried in a prison
yard. another that 1t was buried on
an island and a third that it was sunk
in the Potomac river.
According to Bates Dry, Booth, in
stead of being shot by Goston Cor
bett in Virginia. April &c, 1865, escaped
while another of the conspirators met
death. Under the name Of John St.
Helen. Booth is declared to have lived
and to have finally killed himself in
Enid Okla. His confession eXoner'
ates Mrs. Surratt. who was hanged
for completely in the crime.
Says Booth Confessed to Him.
Bates is now practicing law in Mem
pills. Tenn. He claims to have met
Booth in 1872 in Glenrose Mills, Tex,
and to have represented him in a case.
Booth, or. ST. Helen as he was called.
became i'll and made a confession,
swearing Bates to secrecy until after
his death.
He stated that he had gone to Ford S
theater to kill Lincoln on Johnson's
promise that Gen. Y. s. Grant would
not be present with the president in
his private box in the theater. After
firing the fatal shot he left the theater
and rode away on horse held by
David A. Herold. BY means of the
password given him by Johnson he
was able to leave the city that night
and made his way to farmhouse
where a man named Rudy met him to
convey him to party of confederate
troops still uncaptured in Northern
Virginia
In getting into a wagon to hide
Booth claimed that he lost his papers
and that these were taken by Rudy
who was later killed by Boston Cor
bett. This cleared the way for his
escape and he got away in disguise
after lying in hiding with southern
sympathizers until a fractured ankle
had healed. BY slow stages he made
his way to Mexico, living there until
he considered it safe to return to the
United States. He was disguised as
wounded confederate soldier.