The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-01-22
Last Houfs Off. wilkes Booth, Ky
Ose who Was with Him.
From the Shepherdstown Register.

Ose who Was with Hin.
From the Shepherdstown Register.
Editor Register:--I have been re-
auested by several of your readers 70
write for your paper description OF the
death of John Wilkes Booth, the slayer
of Abraham Lincoln. Though many
wears have passed since then, and though
YOUR correspondent was but child, the
incidents conf ected with his death are as
fresh in my memory as il they had just
occurred. To comprehend fully the de
tails of his capture, l will have to give
short description OF my fathers house
and farm where he was shot.
Our farm is situated in Caroline coun-
ty, Va, little more than two miles
south of the little village OF Port Royal,
on the Rappshsnnock river. Our house
is on the right of the stage road leading
from Port Royal to Bowling Green, the
county seat, and about quarter OF mile
from the road.
1t was in the afternoon Of Monday,
April 24.h, 1865, that Booth came to
INV fathers house. He was brought
there by two ex-Confederate soldiers,
Willie Jett and Lieute nant Ruggles, and
introduced to my father as james w.
Boyd, q Confederate soldier who had
been wounded ut the battle of Peters
burg. 1t will be remembered that Mr.
Booth had broken his leg IN jumping
from the stage OF the theatre In Wash
ington after shooting The President. Mr..
Jett asked my father if he could accom-
modate Mr.. Boyd for few days until
he got better and could travel You
know true Virginisn never resists an
appeal like that, and of course MIR. Boyd
was welcomed at once Messrs. Jet and
Ruggles then rode away towards Bow
ling Green. Mr.. Boyd and my two
brothers, who had just returned from
Appomstox, renamed on the porch talk
ing until supper was announced. After
supper Mr.. Boyd complained OF his
wound, and said the riding Jared it.
He retired early. slept in the
same room with him that night and
noticed that no had two handsome re-
volvers, and dirk with a pearl
handle. The latter he said was the
gift OF friend. He slept soundly, and
when | arose in the morning he was
still sleeping. remember looking at
him ~ | left the 70 ON, and i thought
that had never seen finer specimen
Of manly beauty, and l still think
that he was the handsomest man l ever
saw. He was ve'y fair, and his jet
black curls were brushed back from
forehead rather low, but very broad.
His glossy black mustache shaded a
mouth rs soft and tender rs wonsn's,
while his square chin told of a resolute
will.
But am DEPRESSING from my subject.
Nothing Of interest occurred during the
forenoon OF the next day Tuesday,. My
brothers went away in the morning and
did not return until dinner. After din
ner they amused themselves firing at n
post in front of the house with pistols.
Mr.. Boyd surprised us all, for he would
strike the mark every time. About the
middle 81 the afternoon another man
came, whom Mr.. Boyd called Davy
This man was Harold, who attempted
to kill stanton. They then asked
my brothers 1t they could hire the
horses to go to Milford Station, on the
X. +. u Z. Il. H., the next day. My
brothers replied that they could not spare
their horses, but that there was colOred
man who lived near who would take
them They went TO see this man and
engaged him to take them away early the
next morning. He did SO, but he only
Took the bleeding corpse OF one and the
inanglcd wretch who was so soon TO ex-
plate his crime upon the galiows.
That night Tuesday, Booth and
Harold proposed to sleep in the barn,
~ they wanted to make an early start
and did not wish to disturb the family.
My brothers, fearful of losing their
horses slept in an adjoining barn. About
2 o'clock on the morning of the 26th,
father was awakened by noise at the
door, and on going to answer the knock,
Was confronted by man who placed
cooked revolver at his head and
led him into the yard, where
no was greeted with cries of
chang the id Rebel! "Hang him,
here is rope" &c. The whole premises
were surrounded by horde of excited
men, searching in every house and cor
ner. They soon found out that there
were men IN the barn, upon which they
surrounded it, not forgetting to leave my
poor old father in the yard IN his night
clothes, guarded by two men, who even
refused to let him put on coat, but kept
him in the chill night air, old and feeble
rs no was, without anything to protect
him from the cold.
At the barn, more than fifty men were
engaged in trying to persuade one man
u surrender. Failing in this they re
sorted to the bright idea of burning him
out. The barn was fired, and then they
seemed no nearer their object than be-
fore, until at last one man, more humane
than the rest, walked up to the side of the
barn, put his pistol through crack and
fired. Then my brother and soldier
rushed in and dragged him out and laid
him upon the grass In the yard. Finding
that life still remained, they brought him
On the porch, when mattress was spread
for him.
A man was dispatched for a doctor.
who soon arrived, but too late, for human
skill could not avail where death had a.
clsmmy brow now wet with the cold
dews OF death, told us that the fatal bull
let bad but too surely done Its work
RevIving for a momeut he asked to see
his hands. They were shown him. He
looked ut them for while, and
murmuring useless, useless" fell back
upon the pillow. The thread of
life that remained was parting very
gently. A few strands yet remained,
but the tension was increasing. Again
he revived, and whispered, Tell my
mother l died-for my country. l did =
whst-1-thought -was-best.' A gasp
"a shiver, and the erring soul WAS be-
fore its Judge. The poor bleeding clay
was cold in death. lie might have
erred, bat, reader, If you could have seen
him as saw him struggling IN the arms
of death, yours would have been hard
heart indeed that could not have pi,ied