Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-04-07

lOr. DOOtn stTctCHtu nlmstil Out Ou tuht
sofa there and Harold stopped down to
whisper something to him."
How did Booth look ?"
"Very bad. he seemed as though he
had been drinking very hard his eyes
we're red and swollen, and his hair in dis
order"
"Did he appear to suffer much p
"Not after he laid down on the sofa.
In fact, it seemed as if hardly anything
was wrong with him then"
"What kind of fracture did Booth
sustain ?" we inquired, addressing the
Doctor.
"Well," said he "after be was laid
down on the sofa, and having told me his
leg was fractured by his horse falling on
him during the journey up from Rich.
mond, took knife and split the leg of
his boot down to the instep, slipping it off
and the sock with it; then felt care
fully with both hands down along his leg,
but at first could discover nothing like
crepitation, till, after second investiga-
tion, / found on the outside, near the
ankle, something that felt like indurated
flesh, and then for the first time con-
cluded that it was direct and clean
fracture of the bone. l then improvised
out of pasteboard sort of bex that ad-
hered close enough to the leg to keep it
rigidly straight below the knee, without
at all interfering with the fexure of the
leg. A low cut shoe was substituted for
the leather boot, and between five and
six o'clock in the morning Booth and his
companions started of for point on the
river below.
"How did Booths horse look after his
long ride ?" we inquired.
"Tbe boy, after putting him up in the
STABLE" the Doctor replied, reported
that his back underneath the forward part
of the saddle was raw and bloody. This
circumstance tailed with Booths &C.
count that he had been riding all day
previous from Richmond, and no suspi-
cion arose in my mind for one instant
that the man whose leg l was attending
to was anything more than what he rep
resented himself"
"You knew Booth before, Doctor ?"
"Yes," replied the Doctor. " was
first introduced to Booth in November,
1864, at the church yonder; spoke few
words to him and never saw him after
ward until little while before Christ
mas, when happened to be in Washing
ton making few purchases, and waiting
for some friends from Baltimore who
promised to meet me at the Pennsylvania
House and come out here to spend the
holidays. / was walking past the Ma
tienal Hotel at the time, when person
tapped me on the shoulder, and turning
round, discovered it was the gentleman
was introduced to at the church about
six weeks previously. He asked me aside
fer a moment and said he desired an in
PRODUCTION to John 81. Surratt, with
whom he presumed was acquainted. /
said that was.
"Surratt and became almost neces-
sarily acquainted from the fact of his
living on the road travelled so often on
my way to Washington, and having the
only tavern on the way that | cared to
visit Booth and / walked along the
avenue three or four blocks, when we
suddenly came across Surratt and WEIGH
man, and all four having become ac-
quainted, we adjourned to the National
Hotel and had a round OF drinks. The
witnesses in my case swore that Booth
and | moved to a corner of the room and
were engaged for an hour or so in secret
consultation. That was barefaced lie.
The whole four of us we're in loud and
open conversation all the time we were.
together, and when we separated we four
never met again"
"You told the soldiers, Doctor, the
course the fugitives pursued after leaving
your house p
"I did. I told them the route that
Booth told me he intended to take; but
Booth, it seems, changed his mind after
quitting here, and went another way.
This was natural enough; yet l was
straightway accused of seeking to set the |
soldiers astray, and it was urged against
me ss proof positive of implication in |
the conspiracy"
"Yoa must have felt seriously agita-
ted on being arrested in connection with |
this matter 2
mo, sir. was just as self-possessed
as l am now. They might have hanged
me at the time, and should have faced |
death just as cemposedly as / smoke this
pipe"
"what did you think of the military
commission ?"
"Well, it would take me too long to
tell you. Suffice it to say that OF man
Of them sat on my trial with an unbiased
snd uuprejudicsd mind. Before q word
of evidence was heard my case was pre-
judged, and / was already condemned on
the strength Of wild rumor and misrep-
The witnesses perjured
aud while ! was sitting
there in that dock listening to their mon
strous falsehoods, felt ashamed of my
species aud lost faith forever in all man
kind. That men could stand up in that
court and take sn oath before heaven to
tell the truth and the next moment set
themselves to swear away by downright
perjury the life Of felloW-msB, was n
thisg that l in my innocence Of the
world never thought possible. After
was convicted and sent away to the Dry
Tortugss 9 confession was got up BY
Secretary Stanton, pnrporting to have
been made by me to Captain Dutton on
board the steamer, and was afterwards
appended to the Official report Of my
trial This was one Of the most infa-