MR. LINCOLN'S ASSASSIN.

West Coast Times, Issue 26, 29 July 1865, Page 3

MR. LINCOLN'S ASSASSIN.

Ju iu§-JJrutuß Booth, the father of John "Wildes Ifooth — for that, itgcems, tvas tho murderer's real name — was the rival of the greatest actor the English stage has ever seeiv-Edmund Kean. Tho two playod against \aoli. other for some time in London, and opinions were pretty much divided a* to their relative merits. At last, sony friends of the elder Kean induced Booth to; appear at the same theatre with him— -either Covent Garden or Drury Lane — ond, l>y a preconcerted scheme, suoeeeded ii crushing for a time the rival actor.^J'his affected him so much that it J^M^His final cmigation to America. flHj^^HMhme soon grew to bo looked oi inn country,' and he ia dtoi-uod to this day, in many parts of tho Stale.*, to havo been tho greatest actor that wi hv«:d, He married in America, and had issue four sdns, of whom John Wilkes was tho third. The two elder, Lucius and Edwin, are both at the present duy actors of noto in the States, aud tho latter has been tho lessee of a theatre in New York. He it was, too. who, (it the commencement of the first rush tp goldfields, visited Sydney and Melbourni in company with Miss Laura Keene. John Wilkes Booth was born in Baltimore, and frbni a very early ago he adopted tho stage ;as a profession. From tho comraencejnent of the dissensions between North, and South, ho showed a strong South srn proclivity. At the time of the outbrmk at Harper's Ferry, he was playing at Richmond, and cast for Cassio, in "Otlullo," Mr Barry Sullivan being tho Moorpf the night. When news came to the city of the disaffection of tho negroes, he abruptly left the theatre, and went out with h. company of volunteers to assist in quelhng the insurrection. Whether, ho .he. ever really bore arms against the North, wo have not been able to ascertain, but le always expressed himself in very strong terms as an enemy to Lincoln and his Government ; and so loudly had he expressid his disaffection, that his brother Edwii gave it as his opinion, some time ago, to a gentloman now in Mclbonrne, that ie would one day or other bring him into (rouble Of his personal attainments, we die told that he was a young man of good parts, and that he promised, one day, with] moderate perseverance, to hold as higlva position on tho stage as his brother. Ho i^ described by Mr Barry Sullivan, who |)laycd with him both in Richmond and ?fnlßeTpTiiraY*to'* have 'been Very good ookhig; ana, with the exception of his ;' lache" at thjO time of the Harper's Ferry outbreak, to (have always shown a strong desire to get on in his profession, and a great steadiness in -pursuit of that object. JHis nge is stated to be about six and twenty. The theatre in which ho committed the murder is in Pennsylvania Aveijue, Washington (not New York as ( slatejl in the telegrams), and he had been I playing there at intervals for some years. !Mr Ford, the proprietor of the tlieatro, has another establishment at Baltimore, and it is Bupposed that ho endeavored to escape there in ordei' to got amongst tho professionals, by whom ho was well known, and with, whom, posflibly, ho expected to be abloto conceal himself. — Melbourne "Age,"

Tho " ICelso Mail" obsorves that the parallel botwoon Julius Ccesar and Napoleon Bonaparte, drawn by tho Emporor of tho Fronoh, ib not so striking as tho difforonco botwoon thorn; for C«sar conquered Britain and Napoleon didn't. ■ .