The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1865-04-26
The Great Tragedy.
Correspondence of the World,1
WASHINGTON. April II


WASHINGTON, April II.
Some very deliberate, but not at all
extraordinary, movements were made by
a handsome and extremely well-dressed
young man in the city of Washington
last Friday. At about IL J o'clock AM,
this person, whose name is j.. Wilkes
Booth. by professions AN actor, and re-
Gently engaged in oil speculations, saun-
tered into Ford's Thcater, on Tenth, be-
tween Il and + streets, and exchanged
greetings with the man at the box-ofice
In the conversation which ensued, the
ticket agent informed Booth that ~ bes
gwie taken for Mr.. Liacoln and General
Grant, who were expected TO visit the
theater, ard coT'ribate to the benefit of
Miss Laura Keene and, satisfy the curl
osity of large audience. Mm Booth
went away with jest, and lightly
spoken " Good afternoon" Sirolling
down to Pumpiffeys' stable, on G street,
in the rear of the National Hotel, he en-
gagged saddle horse, high-strung, fast,
beautiful bay mare, telling Mr.. Pum-
phreys that lac should call icr her in the
lniddlc Of the af5crBeoa.
VISITS MIR. JOHNSON.
From here he went to the Kirkwood
Hotel, ON the corner of Pennsylvania
avenue and Twelfth street, where, calling
for a card and Il sheet OF notc-paper, he
sat down and wrote upon the first as fol-
lows:
For .U,, AndJpr JoInson"
don't wish 10 disturb YOU are you
at home j. w. BooTH.
To this message, which was sent up
hy the Ubiging clerk, Mr.. johnson re-
sRondod that he was very buslly engaged.
Mn. Booth smiled, and, turning TO his
sheet of note-pnper, wrote on it, the fact,
ii fact it is, that he had been disappoin-
ted ia not obtaining an examination OF
the Nice-P Presidents apartment and IA
knowledge OF the ice-Pre-ident's prob
able whereabouts the ensuing evening in
no way affected his composure The
note, the coDtents OF which aue unknown.
was signed aHd sealed within. ~ few mo-
menis- Booth arose, bowed to an ac-
quaintance, and passed into the street. -
His elegant person was seen on the avenue
a few minutes, and was Withdrawn into
the Metropolitan Hotel
HE VISITS IiIS s'g.aBhE.
At 4 T. NJ. he again appeared at Pun
phreys' livery static, mounted the mare
he hal engaged, rode leisurely up f street,
turned into an alley between Ninth and
Tenth streets. and thence into an alley
leading to the rear of Fords Theater,
which fronts On 1eEthr ssgect, between /,
and y streets. Here he alighted and de-
posted t4is mare in small stable off the
alley, which he had. hired some time be
fore for the accommodation of a saddle
horse which ne had recently sold. Mr..
Booth soon aftcrward retired from the
stable, and is supposed to have refreshed
himself at neighboring bar-room.
TIE SEEM: AT TIE THEATEK:
AT s o'clock the same evening, Presi-
dent Lincoln and Speaker Colfax sat to-
getber in a priHats room at the White
House, pleasantly conversing General
Grant, with whom the President had en-
gagged to attend Ford's Theater that eve
ming, had left with his wife for Buring-
ton, New jersey, in the o'clock train
After this departure Mr.. Lincoln rather
reluctantly determined 10. keep his part of
the engagement, rather than to disappoint
his friends and the audience. Mrs. Lin
coin, entering the room and turning to
Mr.. Colfax, said, in a half laughing. half
serious way, swell, Mr. Lincoln, are
you gong to the theater with me or notg
81 suppose | shah have TO 90, Colfax,"
said the President, and the Speaker took
his leave, ia comPany with Major Rath-
bone, of the Provost Marshal General S
office, who escorted Miss Harris, dauyh-
ter of Senator Harris, of New York. Mr..
and MIS-, Lincoln reached Ford's Theatcr
at twenty minutes before 0 o'clock.
The house was filled IN every part
with large and brilliantly altired audi
enee. As. the presidential party assembled
the stairs, and passed behind the dress
circle to the entrance of the private box
reserved for them, the whole assemblage,
having in mind the recent Union victories,
arose, cheered, waving hats and hand
kerchiefs, and manifesting every other
accustomed sign of enthusiasm The
PRESIDENT, last TO enter the box, turned
before doing so, and bowedu courteous
acknowledgement of his reception At
the moment of the Presidents arrival,
Mr.. Hawks, one Of the actors, perform
ing tke wellknown part of DWidreayy,
had exclaimed: "This reminds NE of u
story. as Mr.. Lincoln says" The audi
ence forced him, after the interru ption, to
tell the story over again. 1t evidently
pleased Mr.. Liacoln, who turned laugh.
ingly to his wife and made a.remark
which was not overheard
TIE BOX.
The box in which the President sat
consisted s0f two boxes turned into one,
the middle partition being removed, as
on all occasions when. a state party visited
the theater. The box was on,a- level
with the dress circle, about twelve feet
above the stage. There were two en-