Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1865-04-17

,s2sS.e>Y(as :, re Cd CaIlses
w Hustsr Apps!1asl y Gil Secretary
S,Varl's Pisee rsnseeaflly.
WASHINGTON, April ID 4; y.

WILMINGTON, AyIIt 9.
Last evening about hall past yen $3.50
/. nan dressed 10 dark SUIT anu nhs'
the private box in which Mr Llnc"" Ms
his party, consisting II NM Lincoln r.S
Harris, daughter Of Senator harlis, an s,s..
Raihbone, Of Albany, were ses'o .snced
sc-~th ~ Lincoln, witlIa six -bsrreEa Is
NV Il ia hight hand and bow'e-A"''e
~ T ~ President who was intent upon the
49, IA mot notice his interruption, ana 'he
HSs,~.r mo was seated beside him rose
Sa,d,r The reason or his entry Before
\. WI Vime 70 ask the assassIn what ne
vsnt..i he ored one charge from bis revolver,
whish fook eject In the back Of the Prest.
amy head. The ball passed through and
came out at the right temple; Capt. hath
home. who was In the box with Mr. Lincoln.
esserpuscd 70 arrest the murderer and on
doing so received shot in MS arm 'The
assassn then leaped from the box 70 the stage.
Rcfore he disappeared behind the curtain,
h. ,nrned and with tragic flourish and tone,
waved his knife and shouted, Sic Ssmlsr
TW0nnisr So sudden was the affair that,
for some moments after its occurrence, the
audience supposed that II was part Of the
plsy. and we're only undeceivcd by the man.
aver announcing from the stage that the
prssAlent Of the United States had been
shot. The shock fell upon the audience like
q thunderbot, and loud cries were made to
kill or capture the assassin. The murdcrOus
emissary Of the slave power escaped easily
and rapidly from tho thcatcr, and mounted
. home and rode of.
When the fatal shot was fred, Mrs. Lin
coin, who was alongside her husband, ex-
claimed. oh! why didn't they shoot me
why didn't they shoot me !"
As the assassin ran across the stage, Col
J. b. Stewart, of this city, who was occupy
Ing one Of the front seats in the orchestra,
on the same side 81 the house as the one &C.
cupicd BY Mr.. Lincoln, sprang to the stage
and followed him, hut he was OiBtructcd in
his passage across the stage by the fright Of
the actors, and reached the back door about
three seconds after the assassin had passed
out. Col. Stewart got to the street just in
time TO zee him mount his horse and ride
away. This operation shows that the whole
thing was precOncerted plan
The person who fired the pistol was
man about thirty years If age. about five
feet nine inches high, spare built, fair skin
dark hAir. apparently with large moustachc
Laura Kecne and the leader OF the orhestr n,
declare that they recognize him rs j. Wilkes
Booth. the actor, and rabid secessiOnist
Whoever he was, il Is plainly evident that
lac thoroughly understood the theatre and
Alec the approaches and modes Of escape to
the stage. A person not familiar with
The theatre could not possibly have made
his escape ss well and quickly.
The alarm was sounded IN every quarter
stanton was notified and Immediately len
his house. All the other members If the
Cabinet escaped attack. Cavalry men wer,.
sent out ia all directions, and dispatches sent
70 all Qualifications, and it is thought he will
be captured.
The moment that the astonished audience
could realize what had happened the Prcsi.
dent was taken ont and carried u Mrs. Pc
tersOn's house, in Tenth street. opposite the
theatre.
LArEA-Thc President il slowly dying:
the brain 10 OOzing through the ball hole in
his forehead. lie is. Of course. inscnsiblc
There Is an occasional lifting Of his hand,
and heavy, stentOrious brcathing-that's all.
Mrs Lincoln and her two sons are in n
room OF the house opposite to Fords thea
tire, where the President was taken, and ad
joining that where he is lying Mr.. Sumner
Is seated at the head Of the he'd, Secretaries
Stanton, Wcllcs, Dcnnison, Usher and Nc
Culloch and Mr.. Speed are in the room. A
hfee number Of surgeons generals and per
oonals and family friends Of Mr.. Lincoln fill
the house. All are in tears.
Andy johnson is here. lie was in bed
when the assassination was committed in
the Kirkwood He was Immediately ap.
prised Of the event and got up. The precau
ton WAS taken to provide guard Of sol
diers for him, and these were at his door be
fore the news was well through the avenue.
About the same time the fatal shot was
fired at President Lincoln, q well dressed
person appeared At the house of Secretary
Seward, and asked to see him. lie was in
formed that he could not, upon which he
said that he had prescription from Surgeon
General Barnes. which he was ordered to
deliver in person. The servant referred him
70 Fred. Seward. The latter told the stran-
ger that he was master of the house, and
would take charge Of the medicine, hut the
desperate refused 10 deliver 1t, and im,nesi-
aso&v rushed past Fred. Seward and struck
Mr.. Seward with dagger in the throat and
breast. but upon examination by the Sur
geon General he Is pronounced safe. the dag
ger mot having cut the jugular vein or pen
etrAted the breast deep enough to prove ia
tal. He is now pronounced safe.
Maj. Seward. son Of the Secretary, and
RNunster in the army, was also badly cut in
hls ed0rts TO defend his father. The assas-
- hAd horse at the door, and "a he was
06anting he pronounced the motto Of the
oeAto Of Virginia, Sic Se'nper 1traanis.'