The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-05-17

TEsrINoNY or PRTER FLATrERMRL.

taurant near Ford's theatre, where Booth was
on the l4th of April last, just about ten OF
little after; he came into the bar and cameo
for some Whiskey; handed him pottle o.
whiskey and tumbler; he put some money
on the counter and went right out; aiter ne
went out [ did not hear the report OF PTS
toll but think from eight to ten minutes al
terward heard that the President was assas-
sipated-. + was acquainted with the prisoner
Harold. 7 saw him either the night of the
mnrdar or the night previous to that; he came
;nto' INV place: was behind the bar; he ask
cd If John Booth had been there that after
noon.
TESTIMONY OF sERGT. JOSEPH NJ. DYE.
On the 14th of April last, was sitting in
front OF Ford's theatre about half past nine
o'clock at night, when l saw several persons,
whose appearance excited my suspicious con-
ferring together on the pavement in front of
the theatre; the first that attracted my no
tice was one elegantly dressed gentleman that
came out of the passage and commenced con-
versing with a rough looking party; then
there was another joined them, and the three
conversed together; after they had conversed
awhile, and it was drawing near the end OF
the second act, the well dressed one who APP
peared to be the leader, said, 81 think he will
come out now" referring, suppose to the
President; the Presidents carriage was stand
ing there :; the best dressed gentleman stepped
into the saloon and waited long enough to take
drink he came out in a style as though he
was becoming intoxicated; he stepped up aud
whispered to the toughest looking one of the
shree and went into the passage that leads from
the stage to the street; then the smallest one
stepped up Just as the well dressed one appear
ed again, and called out the time; he started
up the street and remained awhile and came
down again and called the time again louder
than before / think it was ten minutes after
ten; then he started at q fast walk up the
street; the best dressed one then went inside
the theatre; started for q saloon and had
Just time to get down to 1t and order oysters,
when a man came running in and said the
President was shot L recognize the well dress
ed gentleman from the photograph l now
have shown me; that is the man - his
moustache was heavier and his beard longer
though: recognize the features; that is the
man-these are his features exact; the well
dressed gentleman went into the restaurant,
Iust below the Theatre toward the avenue
alone; the rough looking man | speak Of was
not SO welldressed as the rest OF them-his
clothes were worn and shabby, and he was
rather stout; he remained at the passage,
while the other one started up the street; the
time was announced to these other two men
three times; he Immediately got into the
theatre after announcing the time the last Oc-
casion. being asked to identify any of the
prisoners as Of the party, witness said: I'll
that man (pointing to Spangler) had NOUS
tache, he has just the appearance, exactly, Of
| the rough-looking man standing at the end OF
| the passage; it was rather dark back there,
| and could not see him distinctly, but he had
| moustache."l the calls were all made be-
| tween half-past nine and ten minutes past ten
| do not recognize either of the other persons
here as among the three mentioned; the third
was avery neat gentleman, well dressed, and
| with a moustache; l do not see him here
was there from twenty five minutes or hal
after nine, until the time was called; the
slouchy man was there during the whole o
that time l cannot particularly describe biz
dress, it was so dark; / could not see hi,
countenance; / noticed the well-dressed mar
whispering to him. he stood right at the. enc
| of the passage, on the pavement, but not near
the Presidents carriage, which was near tbs
| curb-stone; he kept the same position during
the whole of this time-the man with ths
SLOUGH dress did; Booth entered the theatre
the last time by the front door; when Bootl
whispered to the man with the sfouched dres
and left him did not see him change his posi-
ton; was observing Booth; I don't know
whether the man with the slouched dres
stood there after Booth went into theatre, O
not; what first attracted my attention to tina
man was that L observed the well-dressed gen
tleman speaking to him..
TESTIMONY OF JOHN NJ. BUCKINGHAM.
was employed in April at night as door
keeper, and in the day in the IVY Yard;
knew Wilkes Booth through his coming t
the theatre; on the evening of April IA,
Judge about 10 o'clock in the evening, b
| came into the theatre, walked in and GU
| again; he returned in about three or fou
| minutes; he came to me and asked what time
4 --AA I told As..A - eteFiEta tho lobby lnadin
| into the street and he would see he stepped
out and walked in at the door leading to til
parquette; he came out Immediately an
walked up the stairway leading to the dres
circle; that was the last saw of him until
saw him leap on the stage and run across th
stage with knife in his hand.
TESTIMONY OF JAMES P. FERGUSON.
am in the restaurant business at 252 lot
street, adjoining Ford's theatre on the uppe
side, and knew J. Wilkes Booth, and say
him on the afternoon of the Presidents as
sassination. / do not know exactly wha
time it was, perhaps between 2 and A o'clock
be came up just below my door In the street
he was sitting on a horse; I walked out anC
saw Mr.. Maddox standing by the horse will
his hand on the name he looked around anC
said to me: Ferguson, see what nice hors'
/ have, and he will run just like a cat" Will
that he struck his spurs into the horse anc
ran of, and / saw no more of him till tina
i night at 10 o'clock. S
Along in the afternoon, about o'clock,
was told that Gen. Grant was going to be a
the theatre, and if wanted to see him hat
better go; got seat directly opposite tn,
Presidents box in the dress circle; 1 saw the
President and his family when they came ii
with some gentlemen in citizens clothes
whom did not recognize; somewhere abou
10 o'clock saw Booth pass around in that di
rection something attracted my attention to
ward the stage; / then saw him pass the open
door leading to the boxes; did not see any
thing more of him until saw him rush to the
front of the box and jump over; as he Jump
ed could see the knife glancing in his hand
at that time the President was leaning on his
hand toward the right, looking down on some
person ia the orchestra. He was not looking
| on the stage; as he jumped over saw it was
Booth; l saw the flash of the pistol right in
the box and heard him exclaim "Sic Sempe,
tyrGnnis;" he ran right across the stage to the
| door where the actors come in, and | saw nc
more of him; ran up 10th street for the pur
pose of seeing General Augur and Colonel
Welles; Colonel Welles was standing on the
steps; told him / had seen it all; he told
the guard to pass me in, and told him the
story; l went home and went to bed; the
next morning got up and Mr.. Clifford said
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made last night about seeing the fash OF the
pistol in the box when the pistol was fired
outside ofthe door. and afterward went round
to the theatre to examine the hole where the
ball was supposed to have gone through the
door; the hole was evidently bored with a
large gimlet and whitfield with knife; the
scratches of the knife could plainly be seen
! Clifford is the other carpenter; he had charge
OF the theatre altogether; he was chief car
| penter and had full charge there, as / always
understood; The Presidents box was on the
south side Of the theatre; he always had the
same box every time saw him there; besides
the expression "Sic semper tyrannis," |
heard some one halo out Of the box, "Re-
venge for the South;v just as he jumped, as
he went over on to the stage, I saw the Presi-
dent raise his head, and saw Mrs. Lincoln
catch him by the arm; then / understood Mr..
Lincoln had been shot and hurt; by that time
Booth was across the stage; Booths spur
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