The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1865-04-19
The Assassination of President Lin.
coin.

Y the assassination of President Lincoll
snnd the desperate attempt upon the lif;
Gof Sec. Seward and his son. We hav,
Enot space for the volumnous dcspatchc
(which have filled the daily papers, bu
Evil give enough for complete recital o
athc horrid transaction:
Il WASHINGTON, April Is.
Il President Lincoln and wife with Other
ghicnls this evening visited Fords theatre
i for the purpose of witnessing the perfjr-
FINANCE Of the "Amcrican Cousin" The
Ntheatrc was dcnscly crowded, and every.
&bohy seemed delighted with the scene
kbefore them. During the third act, and
.while there was temporary pause for one
Eot the actors to enter, a sharp report of a
Fpistol was heard, which merely attracted
s,attcntion, but suggesting nothing serious,
runtl a man rushed to the front of the
@Presldents box, waving a long dagger in
sbis right hand, evclaiming, ".Sjc scmpoI
StyrGaais,' aud Immediately leapcd from
h he box, which was in Tie second tier To-
4 the stage beneath and ran across TO the
soppositc side, making his escape amid
5the bewildermcni of the audience from
Ethc rear Of the theatre, and mounting al
HORSE fed. The screams Of Mrs. LincolnI
slirst disclosed the fact TO the audienccI
Sthat the President had been shot, when
FALL present rose to their feet, rushing to-
swards the sta &c, many cxclaming :" Hang
yhim Hang him !" The excitement wasl
kof the widest possible description, and,
sof course, there was an abrupt terminal
1tion OF the theatrical performance. Therel
twas rush toward the Presidents box.
when cries were heard "Stand back andl
give him air." "lIas any one stimu-!
Llants y On hasty examination it wasj
found that the President had been shot
Through the head above and back of ihel
temporal bore, and that some of tie branI
[ was oozing out. lie was removed to a !
Fprvatc residence opposite the theatre, and
the Surgcon-General of the army an 9TH
! or surgeons sent for to attend to his con-!
Iditon.
4 The assassin is said to have gained en-
trance to the Presidents box by senjings
I'm his card requesting an interview. Thct
The box was occupied by Mrs Lincons
land Col. Parker of Gen. Grants staff
5The villain drew lis pistol across Mrs
slincoln's shoulder and fired. Col Par-E
/ ler sprang up and seized the assassin, but
4 he wrcsed himself from his grip and.
sprang down upon the stage as described |
lis spur caught in the American flag al
The descended; and threw him at length.
He unloosened the spur and dashed toll
lrcar brandishing his knife and revolver
The President fingered in state of
,insensibility till twenty minutes past sevenl
o'clock on Saturday morning, when hey
breathcd his last, closing his eyes as i'll
failing to sleep, and his countcnancc as |
Stunning an expression of perfect serenity. 4!
There were no indications Of pain and i'll
was not known that he was dead until
the gradually decreasing respiration
ceased altogether, Rev. DR.. Gurley,
Immediately, ON IFS being asccrtained that
fife was extinct, knelt at the bedside andI
Differed an impressive prayer which was
responded to by all present. DR.. GurlcyI
then proceeded to the front parlor whcreE
Mrs. Lincoln, Capt. Robt. Lincoln, w
John Hay, the private Secretary andI
Others were waiting, where he again Of
fered prayer for the consolation of the!
family.
The circumstances of Secretary Sew
ards attempted assassination ore thus
narrated by member of his household i
A man on horseback road 20 the Secrc-
\ tary's house, rang the bell and Told the SER
want attending upon the door that he had
II prescription from DIR. Verdi, Mr.. Sew
ards attending physician for the suffering
Secretary, which he must deliver in per-
I son. The servant took him upstairs, and
sushere him into Mr.. frederick Stewards
sroom, where he delivered the same mes
! sage, but was assured by young Mr..
tScward that he could not see his father
lie then started to retire, when he turned
with an inaudiblc muttcr and leveled a
blow at Frederick with ii slung shot. A
ssculle then ensued, in which the assassin
used his knife and very seriously wounded
the Assistant Secretary, then rushing by
3him he passed through the door into the
fathers room. lie found the Secretary
in charge of his male nurse, and with an
: instantaneous rush he drew his knife audi
cut the Secretary's throat from ear to ear |
then, lunGing his knife into :he nurse, he
Started ont, when he encountered young
Major Seward, who seized him and en-
zdeavored TO detain him, without knowing
the horrid tragedy he had enacted. IIe
again used his knife and billy, but was
: most eager TO escape, and as soon as he
had cut himself lose fled to the outer door,
amounting his horse and was off before the
inmates could give anything of an alarm.
y In fact the wonderful suddenness with
(which both acts ofbrutality were enacted,
lis perhaps the most surprising feature of
&this dire National calamity.
4 The President and Mrs. Lincoln did
5not st,rt for the theater until O'clock
5Speaker Colfax was at the White House
Hat the time, and the President stated to
khim that he was going.
! Although Mrs Lincoln had net been
Swell, because the papers had announced
Sthat Gen Grant and they were to be pre-
%sent, and, as Gen. Grant had gone North,
lie did not wish the audience IN hn dison.