The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-10-04
BODIES OF The CONsP!RATORs pIsINIERRED.
asnaOval Of Booths BOdy-Ths Secret
History OF Its Burial.

namOvRl of Booths HodY-Tho gacret
History Of Its Burial.
On Tuesday last in accordance with orders
received at the Washington Arsenal by General
ramsey. Commandant OF the post, from Gene
raj Grant Secretary of War, the bodies of the
aeeasRination cOnsirators, as also the body OF
Henry Wirz, the Andersonville jailor, were re-
moved from their graves and reinterred in an
oiher portion of the grounds. This removal
,vaa rendered necessary in consequence of the
Croiected improvement of the Arsenal Grounds;
ne Contractor for the removal of the old peni-
tentiary building, Mr.. j. T. Stockbrdge, being
ap0uG I,n M be Iemembered that after the execu-
,inn Of Mrs surratt. Lewis Payne, David 70.
Harold and George A. AtZerott, when TOOK
HaSgered and placed in white pine boxes, and
Svere Immediately inferred IN graves Just south
Of the scafold near nIng se noced in the north
crave and the others in the order IN Whlch they
stood on the scafiold subsequently plain
,wnraves on which the names OF the parties were
66ainied in black letters Afterwards some posts
were planted, and n slight fence was erected
aronnd the graves. The body OF Henry Wirz
the AndersOnville jailOr, who was convicted by
of Claims Rooms at the Capitol, and who was
hung at the old Capitol Prison, November 10,
1856 was also taken and buried just south of the
grTTbSe Tbe body Of j. wilkes Booth, the principal
of the conspiratoTs, who was killed In the at
tempt TO capture him at Garretps farm, near
Port Roval on the Rappahannock river on
the 28th of April, 1865, was buried in what was
known as the wareroom of the Penitentiary
huilding Uhat portion between the part used
as a dwelling by the Warden, and the prison
proper) and in this connection 1t seems to be
the proper time now to give the following par
tIcuiarB, heretofore unpublished, concerning the
secret interment Of the remains:-The body OF
Booth, with Harold and the captors-Lieute-
nant-Colonel Copger, Lieutenant L. b. Baker,
Lieutenant X. p. Dougherty, and q detachment
OF the 10th New York Cavalry-arrived at the
Navy Yard at half-past o'clock on the morn
ing Of the 9th of April, when the body of j.
Wilkes Booth was placed on the monitor Mon
tauk, on which others charged with being
NaA In afNi NftRnns
and Harold was assigned to quarters
on board. No visitors were allowed on board
the monitors but during the day large num-
bers OF persons visited the yard and saw tie
body from the wharf, 1T being laid on a car
penters bench on board the monitor placed
near the tuTret of the vessel. Surgeon-GeneraI
Barnes, with Surgeon Todd, of the monitor,
and one or two army surgeons, made post
mortem examination of the body and removed
two of the VertebrGP, between which the ball
which caused his death had passed. We can
positively assert that this was the only portion
OF the body removed, and that the various re-
ports put In circulation at the time, that his
head was taken off, his heart taken out, etc,
made previously, in which to bury the remains
but this was not used, and about two o'clock
on the day Of its arrival mp river, the body was
wrapped in grey army blanket, placed in
= boat, in which was an officer of the moni-
tor with four sailors, General Baker, and two
detectives. The boat proceeded down stream,
and finally stopped at The lower Arsenal wharf
on which the body was placed; after which the
boat returned co the monitor leaving General
Baker and his assistants in the Arsenal
,-yOunds. Some few persons employed at the
Arsenal saw the body lying there during the
even ing, but report beiDg put out that it was
the body of a soldier who had been drowned
INT little attention was paid to it. Two men,
Who had occasion to remove the body, having
cot some blood on their hands, came ,,oou
spreading the report that 1t was ,1oo,h,s hoAv
but being admoniS i..uod to Quietly wash the
blood on, and Keep their mouths Shut they did
30, and hut few persons became aware that the
body was other than that OF b drowned soldier,
as mad been reported. The body remained on
the wharf until after nighfall, when prepara-
lions were made for the interment. Secretary
stanton, General Dyer, Chief of Ordnance, and
COLONEL Benton, commandant OF the post
were on the ground, az well as General BAKER
and his detectives. Three men of the laborers,
gang were sent for, and they were first directed
to dig q grave in one of the Penitentiary cells;
but after taking up the brick flooring they
came to the granite foundation laid in cement,
and they pronounced the work impractcable.
A SPOT was then selected in the warerOOm, hVe
or six feet south of the iron door opening into
She prison from the Warden's Department, and
they were directed to dig the grave to the depth
of about ten feet. The grave being ready, the
body, enclosed in an ammunition box (armS
case), was brought in by four of the ordnance
men in charge of a sergeant lowered into the
grave, and it was filled, the brick flooring being
mostly replaced, and the surplus earth re-
moved to another portion of the room, The
burial having been accomplished, the windows
were boarded up and the door made secure
Secretary Stanton taking the key with him
This key was kept at the War Department
until few weeks ago, when it was returned to
the Arsenal officers
On luoIGCelpb VI INC OIucI lOI bllS Va
the bodies Qncluding Booth's) on Tuesday, la
bOrers were at once set to work and soon ac-
complished the work, taking them from the
graves before mentioned and carrying them
to No warehouse, where trench was dug
few feet from the north wall In this trench the
bodies were placed, and as secresy had beer
enjoined, but few persons were aware that th'
removal had been made. Notwithstanding
the length OF time that the bodies have beef
buried, the boxes containing them were 81
heavy and the odor from them so offensive a
20 indicate that decomposition had take
place very slowly, fact due, probably, t
the nature of the soil. IL would seem froI
this action that the Government does nc
intend to give up the bodies to the relatives.
The bodies of Booth, Payne, Herold. AtzC
rott Wirz, and Mrs. Surratt now rest in a con
mon grave, where their ashes will be mingled
--WdSh. Star, last evening.