Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-04-17
Assassination of the President
He is Shot i'm The Theater-A
National Calamity. o .4t

a Assassination of the President
He is Shot in The Theater-A
# National Calamity. a. I4t
4 ESPECIAL Dispatches to The Cincinnati GazetteJ
"a FIRST DISPATCH.
~ WASHINGTON, April 14-The President.
l9Secretary Seward and Major Seward have
EEbeen assailed by some desperadoes tonight,
.SeVldently under some preconceTted ar
u About half past ten this evening a well
@dressed person appeared at the house of
g4Secretary Seward, and asked to see him.
AHe was informed that he could not, upon
(which he said he had prescription from
%Surgeon-G General Barnes, which he was or
gdered to deliver in person. The servant re-
gferred him to Fred Seward. The latter
Mtold the stranger that he was master OF the
shouse, and would take charge of the medi-
icine but the desperate refused to deliver
kit, and Immediately rushed past Fred.
5lSeward, and struck Seward with dagger
gin the throat and breast; but upon examina-
f9tion by the Surgeon General, he is pro-
:inounced safe, not having cut the jugular
,dvein or penetrated the breast deep enough
sjto prove fatal. He is now pronounced
saSafe. Major Seward, son of the Secre-
a3tary, and paymaster in the army, was
aalso badly cut in his efforts to defend his
i5tatRer. The assassin had horse at the door,
aand as he was mounting, he pronounced the
S3mOtto of the State Of Virginia, sic sea,per
sSsttTanniS, (perish all tyrants.) Simultaneous
lily with this, another desperate appeared at
SEord's Theater and obtained admittance to
Athe box occupied by Mr. Lincoln, and shot
Athe President in the back of the head then
Bumped from the box to the stage, and re-
tod In 70 Of .;,.., I
<tydnntS. In moment more he disappeared.
j 1870 A. M-Secretaries Stanton, Welles,
1McCulloch, Dennison, Speed and Usher have
sjust arrived at the place where the Presi-
.ident is lying. There is no hope of his re-
scovery. The attending physicians pronounce
ahis case hopeless. His brains are oozing
sfrom his wound, and he is now rapidly
Sinking. His wife and children are at his
kbedside.
Il SECOND DISPATCH.
d WASHINGTON, April 14.-The President
sand Mrs. Lincoln were at Ford's The
Sater, listening to the performance Of
S''The American Cousin,' occupying 4
4boX in the second tier. At the close of
lthe third act, a person entered the box oc-
3cupied by the President, and shot Mr.. Lin
ycoln in the head, the shot entering the back
apart of his head and coming out above the
stemple. The assassin then jumped from the
aboX upon the stage and ran across to the
5other side, exhibiting dagger in his hand,
Afourishing it in tragical manner, and
shouting the same words repeated by the
sdesperado at Mr.. Stewards house, adding
sto it, 1.-The South is avenged" and then es-
scaped from the back entrance to the stage,
abut in his passing dropped his pistol and
3his hat. Mr.. Lincoln fell forward in his
aseat, and Mrs. Lincoln tainted. The mo-
1ment that the astonished audience could re-
dalize what had happened, the President was
taken out and carried to Mrs. Peterson's
ahouse, in Tenth street, opposite to the The
Eater. Medical aid was Immediately sent
stor, and the wound was at first supposed to
1be fatal, and it was announced that he could
3not live; but at half past II he is still alive,
Though in a precarious condition.
4 AS the assassin ran across the stage, Col.
~. b. Stewart, of this city, who was occu-
spying one of the front seats in the orchestra,
ion the same side of the house as the one oc-
icupied by Mr.. Lincoln, sprang to the stage
land followed him, but he was obstructed in
shis passage across the stage by the fright o.
the actors, and reached the back door about
three seconds after the assassin had passed
lout. Col. Stewart got to the street just in
time to see him mount his horse and ride
away. This operation shows that the whole
thing was pre-concerted plan. The per-
son who fired the pistol was a man about 30 +
years of age, about feet in height, spare /
built, with fair skin and dark hair, and ap-
|parently with large moustache. Laura
Eieene and the leader of the orchestra de-
clare that they recognized him as j. Wilkes
Booth, the actor, and rabid secessionist.
Whoever he was it is plainly evident that s
he thoroughly understood the theater, and &
also the approaches and modes of escape to Z
the stage. A person not familiar with the n
theater could not have possibly made his q
escape so well and quickly. The alarm was B
sounded in every quarter. Secretary Stan
ton was notified, and Immediately left his 4
house. All the other members of the Cab
met escaped attack. Cavalry men were
sent out in all directions and dispatches {.
sent to all the Notifications. 1t is thought n
they will be captured.
o'clock A. M.-The President is per- z
fectly senseless, and there is not the slight D
est hope of his recovery. The physicians B.
believe that he will die before morning. All ks
Of his Cabinet except Secretary Seward are &
with him. Speaker Colfax, Senator Far n
well, of Maine, and many other gentlemen E
are also at the house awaiting the termina-
Jon. Is
}1sf q THIRD DISPATCH. IS
1:15 A. M-The President is slowly dy- 81
ng. The brain is oozing through the ball n
lole in his forehead. He is, of course, in E
sensible. There is an occasional lifting of &
his hand, and heavy steItoros breathing, b
hats all. Mrs. Lincoln and her two sons E
Ire in room of the house oppositeto Ford's E
Theater, where the President was taken. rs
Ind adjoining that where he is lying. Mr.. 81
Sumner is seated at the head of the bed. Is
Secretaries Stanton, Welles, Dennison, E
Usher and McCulloch, and Mr.. Speed are 81
n the room. A large number of Secreta- IS
les. Generals, and personal family friends M
# Mr.. Lincoln fill the house. All are In E
ears. Andy johnson is here. He was i'm #
,ed when the assassination was committed, Ia
n his room at the Kirkwood. He was i'm W
nediately apprised of the event, and got ia
Ip. The precaution was taken to provide I#
guard of soldiers for him, and these were |&
{ his. door before the news was well E
through the avenue. A F NV 81
Captain Rathbone, of Albany, was in the Is
OK with the President. He was slightly RI
81
ANOTHER DISPATCH. m
President Lincoln and his wife, with IL
ther friends, this evening visited Ford's III
heater, for the purpose of witnessing the
erformance of "The American Cousin. H
{ was announced in the papers that Gen. E
Irant would also be present, but that gem 81
leman Cook the late train of cars for New ~
erscy. *