Evening star., 1917-05-27
FIFTY YEARS AGO
In THE STAR

When ]. Wilkes Booth was killed in
virginia at the end Of his flight from
Washington after the assas-
Booths sination OF Lincoln q small
n:. diary was found on him and
was brought to Washington
by the government. Some time later
the charge was made that portions of
1t had been torn out by government
agents. and that these portions would
have yielded a different reading from
that afforded by the part that was pre-
served. This charge was denied. and
by direction Of President Johnson the
diary was published. In Tho Star OF
May 81, 1867, is the following editorial
note:
Elsewhere will be found verbatim
the assassination. The evidence shows
quite conclusively that it now appears
precisely as it came into the hands Of
government oficials and that the 'mu-
tilation,' about which SO much has been
said. was evidently done by Booth. The
leaves torn out by him doubtless con-
tained memoranda made by him dur
ing the previous year in regard to his
own private affairs, not connected with
the assassination plot. The reader will
be struck by the wall OF despair ut
tered by the criminal even when at
tempting to persuade himself that he
ished to discover that the world. in
stead of hailing him as . hero. holds
him in utter loathing as q common
cutthroat.' Wet. cold. starving; with
he begins to feel already tho torments
of the damned. The dread conviction
forces itself upon him that there is no
pardon for him in heaven since man
Booth to have been quite illiterate. and
its competition is a patchwork Of dra-
matte phrases of ranting order"
Washington was approaching mu-
nicipal election at this time fifty years
ago and there was q row
Voting over the registration. the
judges of election being
1Aaces. criticised for the hours Of
their sessions and the lack Of sum-
cient number of registration places. An
effort was made to increase the ac-
commodations. The following item in
The Star OF May 90, 1867. Is Of interest
in connection with the fact that in
few days from now all the residents OF
Washington between the ages OF twen.
ty-one and thirty-one will be registered
houses:
I'VE understand that at an informal
interview yesterday between Mayor
Wallach and the Judges Of election
some suggestions Of the mayor in re-
gard to the mode of providing addi-
tional facilities for voters at the COM
ing election received the concurrence
of the judges. and there seems to be
no doubt that a satisfactory arrange
ment can be made to insure the polling
of every vote offered. In order to in
sure legality to the election it will be
requisite to modify the recent act OF
cincts. 1t will be necessary to restore
the old precinct lines and subdivide the
original precincts. Then by the desig-
nation of four polling places in each
appointment Of twelve commissioners
of election (three from each precinct).
due provision will be made for the re-
ception of every legal vote. The dim
can be met by dividing the alphabeti-
cal list of each old precinct and allot-
ing half to the neishborinG new pre-
cincts."
-
On the 12th OF April, 1867. gas ex-
pIosion occurred in the basement OF
the post Office building
Post Ofiee at the corner of 1th and
f streets. which result
E1ploslon. ed in the death of one
man and the serious injury of two
others An inquiry was ordered under
the direction Of Postmaster S. j. Bowen.
In The Star Of May 23. 1857. is an ac-
count of the report of this committee.
prepared by Mr. Bowen. in part, as fol-
lows:
"I beg leave to report that due re-
gard to the safety of the lives of those
employed in the city post office and
tents makes it my imperative duty to
state that the testimony taken shows
that the storage OF any quantity OF
gasoline or naphtha IN or il,nrns ao0n5 sa,d snd
dangerous; that. in view Of the fact
that the vapor Of such naphtha. mixed
with atmospheric air in the proportion
of one to twenty. forms a material
that it is impossible to prevent the ac-
emulation of such vapor at times
when changing the gasoline from bar
rels to the gas machines ana from Ieak-
bility of the materially ] trust that an
order will be given to remove both the
gasoline and machines from the build
ing. and that some other method be re-
sorted to to light both the post Office and
the department. II not removed, ep-
prehend that at no distant day another
explosion more disastrous in ITS con-
sequence will follow. I take this oc-
casion to suggest that. should It pc
determined to continue the use OF the
machines. there should be employed
competent, reliable persons to take
charge of them at night. Had there
been such officers in attendance on the
night of the explosion they would have
discovered that something was wrong
as soon as the light began to fail and
no doubt would have ascertained where
the gas was leaking. and thus the ex-
plosion might have been prevented"
~
In The Star OF May 81. 1867, is the
news of the capture Of Queretaro. Mex
leo. and the Emperor
Max;mil;an Maximilian by the lib
eral army. This is con-
Captured. tanned in a dispatch
from New Orleans giving the substance
Of q report from Maj. Gen. ]. J. Rey-
nolds to Maj. Gen. Griffin at Galveston.
In addition to this statement fs given
a dispatch from Matamoros including
the text of a message from Gen. Esco-
bedo to the liberal minister Of war:
"At 3 o'clock this morning Vera Cruz
was taken by our force, which sur
prised the enemy Shortly shortly, aateT snd the tine
troops occupied the place. Meanwhile
the enemy retreated toward the Cerro
de Ia Commona, where our artillery
caused them to surrender at 9 am
Macmillan and his generals. Mejia and
Costello. surrendered unconditionally.
on this triumph Of the
potInDal army"