The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-07-10
mo. AZ.

there I found a crowd of people
mostly, like myself, guests of the
hotel and en- dishabille.
! To our scared looks and frenzied
finterrogations Of "What has hap,
|pened2' the reply came in hushed,
awful accents, that President Lin
coin had been murdered by Booth
while he sat in his box in the
theater. ...s.s
''By Boothr' Iincreduously asked,
"hy John Wilkes Booth!!! Oh, no!
THAT is impossible"
AS the crowd sarged to and fro I'M
uncomfortable excitement, Bessie
Hale came in, and as she heard the
dreadful news she screamed, and
then, before any one could reacIf her;
fell prone upon the floor. She was
carried up to her room.
That night of horror seems like q
| frightful dream to me now. None of
US retired, but sat in the parlor in a
kind of dumb terror. Our gentle
men friends were out all night, and
the ladies sat close clustered togetlf-
.er in piteous condition, and not un-
til the gray dawn came stealing in
did we retire, sick at heart and with
heavy, wet eyelids; for we then knew
the worst-the President dying, the
Secretary fatally wounded, and our
favorite flying from justice with the
burden of a mighty sin upon his
guilty soul.
During the whole time Of the pur-
suit of Booth we awaited, in a dread
full state of suspense, the end. A
thousand rumors were flying about,
and people seemed nearly crazed
with all the startling events that
lowed so rapidly each other in sue.
cession. So
In all these hours Bessie Hale
kept in her room, and none but her
mother and physician was admitted
to see her.
A day or two after the assassina.
tion-a to-be- forgotten day
the report came substantiated that
John Wilkes Booth had been CAP.
tured and was being brought back
to Washington. 1t was told Bessie,
and she came into my room in a
fearful state of excitement, and the
proud, naughty, cold woman seemed
to have lost all control over herself.
did the best / could to calm her.
and finally succeeded. She wrote a
letter to Booth, telling him she loved
him, and concluded by saying she
would marry him even at the foot of
the scaffold. At last the news came
of his capture and death, and finally
all Washington turned out to view
the remains, though but few men
were allowed to look upon thecorpsc.
On the 9Th of April a small boat
received the remains of The actor,
and they carried the body off into
the darkness, and from that darkness
it will never return.
| Robert Lincoln never met Bessie
Hale afterward, but, ere long, mar
ried a daughter of Senator Harlan,
of Iowa.
Bessie never recovered from the
shock. The shadows of the past,
full of mingled sweetness and pain,
and Of ecstatic dreams and abborred
"reminiscences, left it's imprint ON
mind and brain, and, like one touch
Ell by lthurieps spear, she .shivered,
covered, and changed ia an hour
from a happy, radiant maiden into a
sad, silent, pale woman, who lived in
a live world, while she herself was
I { + 4 Is al !
dead. The Senator carried her to
Europe, hoping the change of scene
would make her forget the past,
Vain faith! | saw her years ago.
and the fair, sweet, though pain
drawn face, the hollow eyes, the
sad, patient smile haunts me like a
dream.
"But, Mrs. Temple" I said, chat
was years ago. What has become
of her now2 l saw marriage Of
Miss Hale announced in the papers
a few days ago. Was it Booths
Bessie HaleY''
YES she said, ''it was. Bat if
were to write her future life, do YOU
know what would denominate it?"
81 can not tell.n
q would call it "A DEAD Wow,
ANS LIFE" IN -
| 80
III! In, difficulty Of providing liof.
SEES Win forage in war has set the in.
Igenious 20 work in endeavoriDg to
compound a condensed horse biscuit
and Col. Ravelli. an Italian err.