Excerpt from John Wilkes Booth, Oilman

This work started when only incomplete information could be found concerning John Wilkes Booth's interest in the Pennsylvania oil fields. The search for facts that could be verified soon led to Mr. Louis J. Mackey.

In 1894, Mackey was a twenty-three year old boy who was the manager of the Postal telegraph-cable Company at Franklin, Pa. He augmented his income by acting as the regional correspondent for several news papers. Mrs. Sarah Webber, his grandmother, was post mistress of the town, and Booth had lived in her home during most of his Franklin sojourn as had his business associate, Joseph H. Simonds.

As a young man, Mackey lived with his grandmother and occupied the same room Booth had used. Because he was interested in the history of the assassin, he lis tened eagerly to the stories of his relatives, and inter viewed many others who had known Booth personally, or had business dealings with him. The results he re corded in Phillips' code, a shorthand method designed by Walter P. Phillips for the use of court and news paper reporters.

Mr. Mackey filed his extensive completed notes away and spent busy years as a telegraph supervisor and newspaper editor. He retired in 1941 at Pittsburgh and three years later returned to his boyhood town of Franklin. He allowed me to transcribe his original notes and gave me exclusive use of his material; in addition, he furnished more information in three lengthy interviews during 1942 and 1943.

The writer acknowledges a heavy debt to Mr. Mackey. It had been arranged that he would read the finished manuscript but his sudden death late in 1945 prevented this.

All the notes, consisting of sources used, explana tions of aid in understanding parts of the text, and com ments by the author, have been placed in the back of the volume because it is recognized many readers will not wish to either refer to them casually or use as a basis for their own additional research.

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