Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-05-09
Nnion aud 1ispatth.
Largest CircuIation in City and State
JOHN WILKES BOOTH.

lloyd, alias }. Wilkes BO0tn- IL ls from
the pen Of Mr.. Richard II. Garrett, of
Caroline county, Va, at whose house Booth
was captured and killed:
On or about the 10th day of April, 1865,
a report was brought TO Richmond, that
President Lincoln had been shot and
killed, in a theater in Washington city,
by an actor, whose name was supposed TO
be Booth, but no circumstances attending
the murder were stated. On the 23d of
April, heard the report confirmed by
gentleman from our section who had been
to Richmond, and he stated that il was re-
ported in Richmond that Mr.. Seward and
Vice President johnson had also been
killed. On the Oath day Of April, about
4 o'clock 2. NJ, three men rode up 10 the
edge Of my yard. / went ont to them and
they we're all strangers TO me. The one
that was in front introduced himself to me
as Capt Jet. He then introduced the two
men to me, the one as Lieutenant Rnggles,
and the other as his friend Mr.. Boyd. He
stated that Mr.. Boyd was a Confederate
soldier who belonged to General A. p.
Hills corps, that he was badly wounded
in the leg below Petersburg, few days
before the surrender of our army, that he
and Lieutenant Ruggles were going on a
little scout toward Richmond to see how
matters we're getting on, and that his friend
Boyd was suffering 30 much from his
wound that he could not accompany them
on horseback, and that he would thank
me to take care Of bim till Wednesday
morning, at which time they would cali
for him. As it had always been one ofthe
principles Of my religion to entertain
strangers, especially any in Distress | at
once consented and promised / would do
the best ! could for him. found when he
alighted from the horse he was on crutches,
and could not put one of bis legs TO the
ground. He went with me to my house,
and Jet and Ruggles rode Off leading the
horse on which Boyd had ridden when he
came. They went toward Bowling Green,
and saw no more of them. Boyd took
supper with my family and slept that
night in an upper room in which my two
sons John NJ. aud Willie H., and two of
my children slept
My sou John NJ. was in the house, up
stairs, when the three men were at my
yard he came TO the window and saw
them, but was not near enough to hear any
of the conversation that transpired between
Jeii and me, nor did he know either of the
men, never having seen them before. Some
time after breakfast, on Tuesday, my son
John NJ. rode TO a shoemaker's, Mr.. AcOrs,
about one and a half miles from nay house,
to get his shoes mended, and remained
away about two hours; while there, Mr.. +.
Gravatt, the owner of the place on which
Mr.. Acors resided, came in, and he had by
some means obtained a Richmond news
paper, and in this paper it was stated that
reward of $4,000 had been offered for
the arrest of the murderer of President
Lincoln. At dinner after his return, he
stated that he had seen this paper and the
statement about the reward. The man
BOYD looked at him, and said he should
not have been surprised If a reward of
$4,000 had been Offered, but that he had
heard day or so before that the murderer
had been arrested between Baltimore and
| Philadelphia. ] asked him if he had ever
seen Booth the reputed murderer and il
| he was an elderly man? He said he had
seen him once in Richmond, about the
time Of the John Brown raid, and that he
thought he was rather a young man. l
thought at the time the murde, er was Mr..
Edwin Booth, never having heard of any
| other Booth, as an actor. | was not much
with the mat during the day, as ] was al
tending TO my laborers; he seemed to be
restless, and my family informed me that
he spent the greater part of the day in re.
clining on the grass in the front yard
After ! got my dinner, | went TO where
my laborers were at work, aud some time
. / b,,r,,l,.,l- 81, -
man riding behind one of them, rode &c
my gate on the main road, and the man
that was riding behind one of the others
got down and came to the house. The
other two rode of toward Port ROYAL
When this man came to the house, the mar
that was here introduced this one to my sor
John NJ, as WISCONSIN Boyd The man tina
came asked my son to let him spend tn,
night. Ny son told him his father was no
at the house, and he was not in the habit O
granting permission TO persons to remain a
night, and rather objected. The man seemed
TO be anxious TO remain, and said he woulC
wait until his father came to the house
These two men then walked together som,
$50 yards in front of the house, and seemed
TO be in earnest conversation for some fifteeT
minutes, when they returned TO the yard
About thistime the two men that had ridder
to Port Royal came back, riding very fast
and said to the two men that were here, Yam
kee cavalry are crossing at Port Royal, ant
you must take care of yourselves the best wa,
you can and then rode off again rapid,
toward Port ROYAL. NV son recognize,
one Of these men az being one Of the mel
that came TO my house the evening befor
4 nHrnaN Al
seemed 10 be very much excited as | wa
informed by my family, and Boyd de
manded Of my son John NJ, 20 90 to ia
room in which he had slept and bring hir
his pistols, which he did; the other ha
brought with him carbine. My son sal
to them, that he thought it very probabl
that this cavalry were in pursuit of then
| and ii they had done anything TO caus
| pursuit, they must leave here at once, q
,, they would not only endanger themselye
but us also they said they had done M
! thing 10 cause pursuit, hut would leave til
yard. About this time one Of my chi
drea came 10 where was at work, an
told me that Yankee cavalry were crossjn
at Port Royal. ! Immediately started I
4 the house. aud when getting near to it,
saw two men going from the house towar
the woods. The foremost one | recognize
az Boyd he was one hundred yards in a,
vance of the other. Soon after got to IL
g house, the latter man returned 10 the var,
Il | told him | did not wish him 60 renal
T. there; that he weuld endanger US "a we
n ~ himself Il the cavalry were in pu5su
/, of them. lie said he had heard that SCI
eral horses belonging 10 the Federal SO
diers had been stolen the night before
The Trap, place between this and Boz
ling Green, aud he expected these cavaI
were sent from Fredericksburg to endeav,
=, 70 get the horses aud arrest the thieye
, tie started again toward the vcode, b
=, about this lime the cavalry passed n
7, house on the road 10 Bowling Green, al
i then this man went to the woods al
= brought Boyd back 10 the house. TIL,
I seemed to be restless aud uneasy, aud {
!. presscd great desire TO get a conveyan
/. % Orange C. H., As they said that Ga
! heard there were a good many Marylan
: ers there, going 20 ,lohnson's army in 4
South, and they wished TO get with the
They asked my son il he knew Of any &C
yeyanoe they could get lie told tbs
there vas = golored man that lived she
distance from here that had conyeyar
he sometimes hired ont They request
W him to 90 and see him. and try to get h
"a 10 carry them 10 Guiney's Depot that mig