The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-06-26

hanging about the fate of this noted
criminal that invests with interest what
ever may tend to the final solution of all
remaining doubts.
1t has been ascertained that Captain
Oliver y. Leslie, now of Pittsburgh ,pos-
sessed personal knowledge of facts and
circumstances connected with the great
tragedy and its subsequent events, re-
porter of the Pittsburgh TeleGrd11h call
ed on him and received from him an ac-
count of the scenes of which he was an
eyewitness.
Captain Leslie was one of the earliest
friends of Mr.. Lincoln's youth, and it
so happened that he was in the vicinity
of Ford's theatre on the night when he
received his death wound, and was one
of the few who had reached the door
when the President was brought out on
his litter, and carried across the street to
Benefits, where he died. Capt. Leslie
says that he had often seen Booth act in
Cincinnati, and at other points and had
boarded with him at the Metropolitan
Hotel, in Washington, for weeks before
the close of his career.
In the corridors of the hotel he fire.
quently saw Booth put his hands into
his box-coat pockets and pull them out
filled with gold, exclaiming, 81 have
made two thousand dollars in ile' spec
ulations and / will strike lead in less
than month that will bring me in a
million" This was about ten days
previous to the assassination and Capt.
Leslie says his attention was attracted to
the circumstance by its repetition and by
subsequent events.
From his previous knowledge Of the
mans personal appearance, he is posi-
tive beyond doubt that the dead body of
John Wilkes Booth, which was brought
from the scene Of death by Col. and
Lieut.. Baker, was on the monitor Mon
tauk at o'clock on the morning after
he was killed by Boston Corbett, and
that it remained there under guard for
about forty-two hours thereafter. After
the body was placed on the boat, a guard
of six naval officers, of whom Captain
Leslie was one, was set to watch it,
Capt. Leslie and Captain Willoughby
were in the same relief, and served two
hours on and four hours off while the
body remained on board the monitor
While these men were standing guard
the multitude was allowed to view the
body, passing on the stern of the Mon
tauk by bridge of scows, and off at the
bow in the same manner, after looking
at the remains for few seconds. Among
these were many persons who had
known Booth more or less intimately,
including about three hundred actors
The Captain relates the instance of
large, fine-looking man, having the ap-
pearance of an army officer, who, in
passing, placed the palm of his hand on
the forehead of the dead assassin, and
invoked the most frightful imprecation
on the soul of the departed.
During the time the body lay on the
Montauk several propositions were made
for the final disposition of the body,
which were voted upon by the five hun
dred or one thousand officers aboard
OF these Captain Leslie remembers but
two of three of the more remarkable
One was that two of the widest steeds
that could be obtained should be har-
messed together and chained to Booths
heels and taken to the Bladensburg
duelling ground, and there turned loose
to run until the body was dragged to
| pieces.
A gentleman who had the appearance
of foreign officer proposed that tower
should be built from three hundred to
five hundred feet high, and that thereon
should be placed a cauldron, in which
the body should lie until it was wasted
away by the sun and storm, and des-
stroyed by the birds of the air.
1t was also suggested that this tower
should be left standing for ages as a
memorial of the infamous deed of the
murderer. These and other proposit tions
were rejected, and it was finally agreed
to deliver the body to the two Bakers
who captured the traitor, to dispose of
in such manner as they might be di-
rected. The body, which at the end of
the forty-two hours it had lain on board
the Montauk was in an advanced state
of decomposition, was accordingly CIV
en- into the custody of the Bakers, who
were required to take the following
oath.