Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-10-06
TIE DEAD CONsPTRATORs.
Trophies of CiyiIizatiOn in the wash
ingtOn Arsenal YRrd-HOw Booth
was Buried

Trophies of Civilization in the wash
ingtOn Arsenal Yard-HOw Booth
was Buried.
WAsHINaToN, Oct. 3.-On Thursday, in
accordance with orders received st the
Washington Arsenal by General Ramsey,
commandant of the post, from Gen. Grant,
Secretary of War, the bodies ofthe assassi-
nation conspirators, and Of Henry Wirz,
the Andersouyille Tailor, were removed
from the graves and reinterred in another
portion of the grounds. This removal was
rendered necessary by the projected inn
provement of the arsenal grounds
On receipt of orders for the. removal of
the bodies, including Booth, laborers were
at once set to work, which was soon accom-
plished, taking them from the graves be-
fore mentioned, and carrying them to No.
l warehouse, where trench was dug few
feet from the north wall.
In this trench the bodies were placed and
secrecy enjoined, but few persons are
aware that the removals have been made.
1t would seem from this that the govern
ment does not intend to give up the body Of
Booth to his relatives. The bodies of
Booth, Payne, Harold, Atzerodt, Wirz and
Mrs Surratt we're placed in a common
grave. sri
With this occurrence the story of Booths
burial has come to light 1t is thus given
by the Washington Star:
The body arrived off the navy yard, and
was placed on monitor. The Surgeon
General, during the post morton examina-
ton, removed the fractured vertebrae of the
neck only. About two o'clock on the day
of its arrival the body was wrapped in a
gray army blanket, placed in a boat, in
which was an officer of the monitor, with
four sailors, General Baker and two de-
tectives. The boat proceeded down the
stream, and finally stopped at the lower
arsenal wharf on which the body was
placed, after which the boat returned to
the monitor, leaving Gen. Baker and his
assistants in the arsenal grounds. Some
few persons employed at the arsenal saw
the body lying there during the evening,
but reports being put out that it was the
| body of soldier who had heed drowned,
| but little attention was paid to it. Two
men who had occasion TO remove the body
having got some blood on their hands,
came near spreading the report that it was
Booths body, but being admonished to
wash the blood off and keep their mouths
shut, did 50, and but few persons became
aware that the body was other than that of
a drowned soldier. The body remained
on the wharf until after nightfall, when
preparations were made for its interment
Secretary Stanton, General Dyer, Chief of
Ordnance, and Col. Benton, commandant
| of the post were on the ground, as well as
| Gen. Baker and his detectives. A spot
| was then selected in the wareroom The
grave being ready, the body was inclosed
in an ammunition box, lowered into the
grave and it was filled. The brick flooring
being mostly replaced and the surplus earth
removed to another portion of the room.
The burial having been accomplished, the
windows we're boarded up and the door
made secure, Secretary Stanton taking the
key with him. This key was kept at the
War Department until a few weeks ago,
when it was returned to the arsenal officers