John Wilkes Booth

[Tuberale]

While researching horse thiefs, found a small clipping in one of the 350 or so newspaper clipping at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon several years ago. I have it around somewhere ...

As I recall, it was less than an inch in length, and went something like this:

"Wanted, Horse Thief

Actor, John Wilkes Booth, late of Jacksonville (OR), last seen hightailing it toward Susanville (CA)."

There was a date of about October, 1864 on the newspaper clipping, or about 6 months, more or less, from Lincoln's assassination in April of 1865. Susanville was the nearest rail station then. Jacksonville, not surprisingly, was a hotbed of southern sympathizers at the time. (Jeez, think the name might be a clue?) The Knights of the Golden Circle were active in Jacksonville at this time. This was a group dedicated to amassing enough gold to allow the South to rise again. Is it possible that Booth received his marching orders in Southern Oregon rather than from Canada?

I know of no cache associated with JW Booth, but the newspaper clipping was fascinating reading.

 

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[spartacus53]

God only what happened back then. I would still love to see the 20 + pages that were ripped out of his diary. Those pages are reportedly in the "Stanton" family collection. You have to love the mysteries still hidden in history.

 

[truckinbutch]

God only what happened back then. I would still love to see the 20 + pages that were ripped out of his diary. Those pages are reportedly in the "Stanton" family collection. You have to love the mysteries still hidden in history.

Ya got that right

 

[allen_idaho]

I always found it funny how he was the only one in the entire group of conspirators who managed to do what he was supposed to do. So rather than several assassinations that night, there was just the one.

 

[spartacus53]

I always found it funny how he was the only one in the entire group of conspirators who managed to do what he was supposed to do. So rather than several assassinations that night, there was just the one.

Look what he was working with, they weren't the brightest or the best.

 

[Tuberale]

On the contrary, the Knights of the Golden Circle, at least through the Henry Plummer Gang, had their own language and secret message system. They covered Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, and Arizona _at least_. They had no telegraph or telephone, no long-distance communication other than their own code.

I'd say that was pretty creative. And it worked for a loooong time.

 

[Texas Jay]

You all might find these two sites interesting. The first is the online version of John Wilkes Booth's co-conspirator and fellow Knight John H. Surratt. The second is an article that gives the history of the Knights of the Golden Circle that I co-wrote with a good friend after researching for about 5 years.

http://www.archive.org/details/privatejournaldi00surr

http://knightsofthegoldencircle.webs.com

~Texas Jay

 

[deepsky48]

Hey Tuberale, Just a side note ...When I was in basic training at Ft. Gordon, Ga. in 1966, I had a bunk mate above me...John W. Booth (the W was not Wilkes!!), and I was Clint Lincoln. The other guys thought it was amusing...Booth and Lincoln in the same Bunk!!

Clint