Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1876-02-24

murderer, dressed ID In black broad.
cloth, bare-headed. - full head Of
glossy, raven hair. Ar ~ eyes like
some mad animals. n<<kinx With liaht
and resolution, vet viii <6rtaiu strange
calmness, holds aloft = one hand !
large knife-walks alo< noemuch back
from the footlights-1 11ns fully toward
the audience, his facS q statuesoue
beauty, Lit by those h<sslisk eyes, fash.
ing with desperation. fhaps insanity
launches out in : flHeteady voics
the words. Sc - nSeti>--6nd
thep III y7 6eit6r slow nor very
I'D pace eonally across to the back
Of the stage. and disappears. fHsd
not all this terrible scene-makiug the
mimic ones preposterous--had it not all
been rebearsed, in blank, by Booth, be-
forehandi)
A moments hush, incredulous-
scream-the cry of murder-Mrs. Lin
coin leaning out of the boz, with ashy
cheeks and lips, with involuntary cry,
pointing to the retreating figure, "He
has killed the President And still a
moments strange, incredulous suspense
and then the deluge then that mix
ture of horror, noises, uncertainty
(the sound, somewhere back, of a
horses hoofs Gathering with speedy
the people burst through chairs and
ratings, and break them up-that noise
adds to the qleerness of the scene
there is inextricahle confusion and ter
ror-women faint-feeble persons fall,
and are trampled on-many cries of
agony are heard-the broad stage sud-
and motley crowd, like some horrible
carnival-tbe audience rush generally
upon tat least the strong men do
the actors and actresses are all there in
their play costumes and painted faces,
with mortal fright showing through the
rouge, some trembling-some in tears
the screams and calls, confused talk
-redoubled, trebled-twoorth or three man.
age to pass up water from the stage to
the Presidents box-others try to clam
ber up-etc., etc, etc.
In the midst of all this the soldiers
Of the Presidents Guard, with others,
suddenly draw to the scene, burst in
some 200 altogether-thev storm the
house, through all the tiers, especially
the upper ones, infiamed with fury. lit
erally charging the audience with fixed
muskets and pistols. shout
ing "clear out clear out you sons of
b. Such the wild scene, or sugges.
tion Of it rather, inside the play house
that night.
Outside, too, in the atmosphere of
shock and craze, crowds of people filled
with frenzy, ready to seize any outlet
for it, came near committing murder
several times on innocent individuals
One such case was especially exciting.
The infuriated crowd, through some
chance, got started against one man,
either for words he uttered, or perhaps
without any cause at all, and were pro.
ceeding at once TO hang him on neigh
boring lamp-post, when he was rescued
hy few heroic policemen, who placed
him in their midst and fought their
way slowly and amid great peril toward
the station house. 1t was fitting ep-
isode Of the who'e affair. The crowd
rushing and edd wing to and fro-the
night, the yells. the pale faces. many
frightened people trying in vain TO ex-
,ricate themselves-the attacked man
not yet freed from the jaws Of death,
looking like a corpse-the silent, reso-
lutte half-dozen policemen, with no wea-
pom but their little clubs. vet stern and
steady through all those eddying swarms
indeed fitting side scene to
the grand tragedy of the murder. They
gained the station house with the un-
protected man, whom they placed in Sc
curity for the night, and discharged him
in the morning.
And in the midst of that night pam
of senseless hate, infuriatei
soldiers, the audience, and the crowd
the stage, and all its actors and actres-
ses, its paint pots, spangles, aud gas
lights-the life blood from those veins,
the best and sweetest of the land, drips
slowly down, and deaths ooze already
begins its little bubbles on the lips.
Such, hurriedly sketched, were the
Of the death Of Presi-
dent Lincoln. So suddenly, and in
murder and horror unsurpassed, he was
taken from US. But his death was