The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-03-07

Enghsh ladies' are informed by the unprece.
deDted ana impossible Yankee that he is not of
fortune, and therefore undesirable for mar
rage caIcnlng purposes; after which, the com
ments being finished, the dramatic trio make
exit, leaving the stage clear for moment
Ihere was pause, hush as it were Az
this period came the murder of Abraham Lin.
coin. Great as that was, with all his mani.
Ioid train circliDg round it, and stretchIpg in
70 70 the future for many century, in the poll
tics, history. art, etc., of the New World, In
point OF fact the main thing, the actual MUIR
uer, transDlred with the quiet and simplicity
Oh any commonest occurence-the bursting of
Duu OF ped In the growth of vegetation. for In
Through the genial hum following the stage
pause, with the change of positions etc.
came the muffied sound of a pistol shot. which
not one hundredth part of the audience heard
at the tlme-and yet moments hush-some-
how, surely vague, startled thrill-and then,
through the ornamental, draperled, starred and
striped spaceway of the Presidents box, a sud-
Den figure, man raises himself with hands
ana ieet, stands a moment on the railing, leaps
oelow 70 the stage Ia distance of perhaps four
!een OF ntteen feet) falls out of position, CATCH
ing MS boot-heel in the copious drapary 1.-THE
american dsgl falls ON one knee quickly re-
covers himself, rises as if nothing had hap
pened lne really sprains his ankle, but unfelt
tnen) and so the figure, Booth, the murderer.
dressed in plain black broadcloth, bareheaded'
Witn iuil head OF glossy, raven hair, and his
eyes, like some mad animals, flashing with
light and resolution, yet with a certain strange
calmness, holds aloft in one hand large knife,
walks along not much back from the foot.
lights-turDs fully toward the audience his face
OF stataesque beauty, lit by those basilisk eyes.
nasning with desperation, perhaps insanity
launching out in firm and steady voice the
words SIC senlper tyrdnnis-and then walks
with neither slow nor very rapid pace ciAgon-
ally across the back OF the stage, aud disao-
pears. (Had not all this terrible sceLe-mak
ing the mimic ones preposterous-had it not
all been rehearse1, in blank by Booth. before.
hand?)
A moments husS. incredulous-a scream
the cry of murder-Mrs. Lincoln leaning out
OF the box, with ashy cheeks aud lips, with in
voluntary cry, pointing to the retreating figure,
he has killed the President" And still
moments strange, incredulous suspense-and
then the deluge!-then that mixture of horror,
noises. .uncertainty-thes sound somewhere back,
OF a horses hoofs entering with speed--the
people 61rst through chairs and ratings, and
Dreak them up-that noise adds TO the queer
ness OF the scene-there is inextricabe con-
fusion and terror-women faint--auite feeble
persons fall, and are tramped on-many cries
OF agony are heard-the broad stage suddenly
NIL to suffocation with dense and motley
crowd, IKE some horrible carnival, the audi
ence rush generally upon it-at least the strong
men do-the actors and the actresses are all
there 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-two or three manage TO
pass up. water FROM the stage to the Presidents
box-others try to Chamber up--esc, etc.
In the midst of all this the soldiers of the
PRESIDENTS guard, with others suddenly drawn
gether-they storm the house, through all the
tiers, especially the upper ones, infiamed with
fury, literally charging the audience with fixed
Dayonets, muskets and pistols, shouting "Clear
out!-clear out!-you sons Of b-p' Such the
wild scene, or suggestion of 1t rather, idside
the play house that night.
Outside, too, in the atmosphere OF shock
and craze, crowds of people, filed with frenzy,
ready to seize any outlet for it, came near
committing murder several times on innocent
individuals. One such case was especially ex-
citing. 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 proceeding at once to
hang him on neighboring lamp post, when
he was rescued by 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 episode of the
whole affair. The crowd rushing and eddyiDg
to and fro-the night, the yells, the pale faces,
many frightened people trying in vain to ex-
tricate themselves-the attacked man, not yet
freed from the jaws of death, looking like
corpse-the silent, resolute half dozen police
men, with no weapons but their little clubs, yet
stern anu steauy tnr0ugn all tnose e1dy1ng
swarms-made indeed fitting scene to the
grand tragedy of the murder. They gained
the station house with the protected man,
whom they placed in security for the night,
and discharged him in the morning.
And IN the midst of that nights pandemo-
MUM of senseless bate, infuriated soldiers, the
audience, and the crowd-the stage, and all its
actors and actresses, its paint pots, spangles,
and gas lights-the life blood from those veins,
,be best and sweetest of the land drips slowly
down and deaths ooze already begins its little
bubbles on the lips.
Such, hurriedly sketcbed were the accompa-
niments of the death of President Lincoln So
suddenly, and IN murder and horror unsur-
passed, he was taken from us. But his death
was painless.