Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1877-02-24

J. WILKES BOOTH.
HIS FLIGHT FROM WASHING
TON.
BY MEMO.


happy man whose name heads this artl-
Gle. In this we will tell what we know
of his escape from Washington, and his
whereabouts during the two weeks that
had elapsed between the shooting OF
President Lincoln and the death OF his
murderer. The details Of the death OF
the President may have been read by
most of your readers, but many, no
doubt have forgotten the circumstances,
and others perhaps have never heard OF
the fatal conspiracy formed by that lit
tic band Of mistaken men, who thought
perhaps to make themselves famous by
the perpetration of deed that has no
parallel in the history of nations. AS
to who was the instigator OF the con-
spiracy, or whose brain first gave 1t
birth, we have nothing to say; that is
one of the secrets which perhaps will
perhaps aever be known until the day
when "all secrets shall be revealed,
enough TO say that no sensible man for
moment would harbor the Unjust sus-
picion that the leaders of the then dy-
ing contederacy ever even heard OF the
plot, until the news was carried on the
wings of the wind. that the Nations S
head Law dead in Washington. Who
for moment could harbor such a
thought of such men as Robert Z. Lee,
Alex. Stephens or Jefferson Davis
No ! the plot was formed and executed
by none but those mistaken souls that
have paid the toll penalty OF the law.
What might have been their motives
we know not. Whether they thought
to sacrifice themselves like Curtius for
their country's good, or whether they
thought to make themselves famous, we
know not. If we are to judge by the
diving words of the slain actor in the
horrid drama, we must say that the for
mer was his motive: 'Tell my mother
died tor my country" Mistaken de-
yotion
1t was on the night of April 14th,
1865, that the President was shot. He
was in a private box in the theatre. by
some means the conspirators lad con-
trived to have a hole bored in the rear
door of the box, and through this little
hole from the corridor in rear OF the
boxes, the President was shot. After
shooting him Booth sprang through
the front of the adjoining box upon the
stage. As he sprang upon the stage
he hung his foot in the folds of Uni
ted States flag, which hung just under
the box, and falling, broke the small
bone of his leg. Though the pain must
have been intense, he sprang up and
waving his hat to the audience cried
out, ''Sic Semper Tyrannis," "Virginia
is avenged" rushed out IF the stage
door, mounted horse that was in wait
ing, and was soon galloping out upon
the road leading into Maryland.
Of his ride from Washington to DIR.
Mudd's we know nothing, but after
reaching the Doctors, his leg was so
painful that he had to stop. Here he
stayed for eight days, while the DR.. ex
ercised all his skill in healing the bro
ken limb. Here he was joined by Har-
old. Finding the neighborhood get
ting too warm for them, owing to the
troops that were securing the country
in every direction, they determined to
90 further South. Crossing the Poto-
mac in an open boat, at midnight, on
the dark and stormy night of the 23rd,
they landed in King George County,
Va. Striking across the country to-
ward the Rappahannock, they encoun-
tered two Confederate soldiers, Capt.
Jeth and Lieut.. Ruggles, who provided
horses for them and piloted them to the
ferry at Fort Conway. 1t was here
that the impetuous and incautious Har-
old, while waiting for the boat, dlvul-
ged their terrible secret to Messrs. Jeth
and Ruggles The latter gentleman
came TO the determination at once that
the sooner they got them off their hands
the better. So after crossing the river
into Port Royal, they tried at several
houses to get quarters tor them, but did
not succeed until bringing them to my
father under fictitious names, and intro
ducing Booth as wounded soldier,
they were rid of their troublesome COM
panion. Jcth and Ruggles went on to
Bowling Green, taking Harold with
them. The latter, as we said before,
came back the next evening. Many
have wondered why it was that they
(Booth and Harold) were so rash as to
stop at place so near the public road
as ours. Our theory is, that they did so
because they could do 10 better, being
out of money and afraid to tell who
they were. Then, it must be remem-
bered that Booth was severely crippled,
had his leg in splinters, and was walk
ing on crutches. And then we suppose
the poor fellow was in despair; bad pro-
badly given up all hope OF his life. But
we must go back. and tell how he was
TRACKED TO HIS DEATH.
Immediately after the shooting of
Lincoln, bodies OF troops with expert
enced detectives were dispatched from
Washington in every direction. One
detachment in command of Col. Conger,
with Lieut. (after Col.) Baker as detec-
tive, by some means struck the right
trail and tracked him to DIR. Mudds.
There they found the man that had
ferried the fugitives over the Potomac.
Crossing the river here, it was an easy
matter to trace them across the country
to the Rappahannock, where they found
out that Jeth and Ruggles had passed
over with two men who answered exact