Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1869-02-25

Washington [Fcb. i5l Correspondent of
the New York World.

the New York World.
|. On last Friday Jno. II. Weaver present
ed letter from Edwin Booth to Presi-
dent Johnson, simply requesting bis
brothers body, and it was granted.
/ was present this afternoon at the Ar
senal, with Messrs. Weaver, Mari and
Clark and the events which occurred
were SO brief and purely official that il re-
quired the associations Of the time and
place, and the memories Of the tragedies
therein eliminating, to inforce the sug>
gestiveness if not the historical impor
tance of the scene, even on the most im>
pressive mind.
AS said, the gentlemen entrusted with
the reception of the remains arrived al
the Arsenal yard at p. m. Mr.. Weaver
bearing the order to Gen. Ramsey, deliv>
cred il to Captain Philips, of the Ordi>
nance Corps, Officer ofthe Day in charge
Mr. Weayers interview with Cept. Phil
lips lasted some fifteen minutes in the lat>
tcr's Office. AT the end ef that time the
Captain and Mr.. Weaver reappeared, the
rest of the party, including your CORE
spondent, followed them to two ponder
Gus iron doors, which dove.ailed on one
another, and which were opened by Mr..
TapsO, the civilian superintendent of the
ware house. The doors were exactly as
those of a vault. Entering into the ware
house, we found that before the varied
contents of the long room stretching
ahead could be scanned, a short turn TO
the left brought Us to the side room, un>
der the floor Of which was first buried
Booth and subsequently, The rest Of the
csnspirators, as they arc called, and yet
more subsequently Captain Wirz, the
Andersonville jsiler. The room was
rectangle, about forty by twenty feet. and
about twenty feet high also. II is lined
with shelves running up and across so as
to form very many square pigeor holes,
which are filed with boxes, bottles, tools
and other odds and ends. Right in the
center or the room the ordinary flagstonc
flooring, had been taken up, and the gaps
left by the DISAGREEMENT of Mrs. Suratt;
on Monday last, of Herald on Sunday
night, had not been flied up.
Tie popularity OF The graves, is that they
arc no graves. A single trench five feet
high fifteen feet long and six feet wide,
has held the boxes which containd the
bodies of Mrs, Suratt, Captain Wirz, L.
Payne alias Powell, George Atzerdorf, ID.
E. Herald, aud John Wilkes Booth. Mrs.
Suratt,s disin,erment left the boxes hold
Ing wirz, Payne and Atzerdorf visible
Heralds cxhumatiou las night would
have exposed the box holding Booth had
not the latter been covered up immediat-
ly afterwards.
The party once in the room, Captain
Phillips curtersously aud Quietly inform
ed US oil the relative position of the re-
mains OF each of the dead. The spccta.
tors were only three undertakers, a mill,
tay Officer ard journalist, but dispite
the hardness which the familiarity with
catasirophes and death may be supposed
10 work upon such minds, there was
something oI solemnity u sadness At these
graveswhich toned the voice 70 low utter
ance, induced each man 10 remove his hat
ana made conversation begin with and
end Qn, The merest necessities OF the case.
La five minutes q file Of soldiers came
in, and, in response 10 and order of Phil
lips, fell 10 work al the uuburial. Booth
lay last oil the series Of victims. To get
at him it was ncccs. AIRY. if the trench be
pursued at its existing opening, to take up
Atzerodt and Payn. This Was tried, but
th. work it WAS soon found would ex.
haust the daylight, and the soldiers were
ordered to come out the grave, throw
back the right hand pile OF the earth up
on the cofiins OF Atzerodt and Wlrz, just
visible, and to open the trench from the
other end SO as TO reach Booth directly.
The work thus far had been useless and
consumed an hour of very precious time.
The soldiers, however, with style Of
digging which betokencd them as Of the
old Army of the Potomac, in fifteen min
utes threw in about five tons OF earth, and
in forty minutes mere had dug all around
the Booth box 80 that 1t was pulled up by
box hooks inserted under its two ends
1t came to the surface-the box-in .
sound state Of Preservation the rich dry
soil having even hardened the wood, the
soil largely persisted In clinging to the
box a. If 10th to depart from the body
which had 50 long been enfolded by it,
The box was carefully lifted to where the
stone flooring had net been disturbed.-|
The soldiers with shovels, and with
: brofen sword which lgy near b. ear.