Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1878-06-26

together, then the English lady, mex
to her, and the Senator and his wifi,
completed the group. The supper pass
ed off pleasantly enough; I noticed
nothing whatever excited in Boothi
manner; he was unusually entertain
ing, and his laugh rang out as loud anc
clear as a man whose mind and con
science were at perfect ease. 1t wa.
the last meal he was to take on earth
and yet he was careless and at rest
AT last Booth arose from the table
and drawing out his watch said: at i.
after s o'clock; l must 60 land Their
dropping into a quotation, MS was hi
wont. he added: But ,a..
When shall we three meet again
Bessie who had cultivated q strong
love of Shakespeare under Booths tut
ton, took the part of one Of the weird
sisters, and answered promptly
When the hurry .burly's done,
When the battles lost and won.
"And then Booth threw himself into
a melo-dramatic attitude and replied
'Hark! I'm called, my little spirit, see!
Sits In foggy cloud, and stays for me-
He then made us all one of his
grand bows, and walked to the door,
and just as he passed out, some recol.
lection or memory seemed to strike
him, and he returned abruptly to the
table, and said to Bessie, using fami-
lar quotation of Hamlet:
- 'Nymph, In thy prisons
be all my sins rcmembered'
"He took her hand, and gazed with
one long, lingering look in her face.
noticed his eyes grow soft with a beau
tiful mystic radiance. and his sensitive
mouth quivered and showed the pearly
teeth beneath the mustache, and then
he shook his head with determined
movement, dropped her hand, turned
and disappeared through the open door
way, and as we gazed, none of us
thought our eyes were looking the last
in this world upon the maynard genius
who had won so upon all we who loved
him.
II cannot tell you how we passed
that fearful evening-much, no doubt,
AS the rest; we laughed, talked, and
jested, as was our wont, and no shadow
of the impending awful event fell upon
us. The hours sped swiftly by, until 10
o'clock struck, and then our little circle
broke up. As l kissed Bessie good
night, l couldn't help saying to her,
My dear you look exquisitely lovely
and prettier than l
ever saw YOU She only smiled and
left the parlor.
" l went to my own room, and being
tired, undressed and went to bed. It
seemed rs if l had been asleep but a
minute when I was aroused by an indie
Unable noise that. served to wake, but
was not loud enough to startle one.
Doors were slamming I'LL ove- the house,
and murmur Of voices was heard. l
thought at first that some one was sick,
and that doctor was being hurriedly
sent for: but the noise still continuing.
l imagined that there must be fire in
the vi,inity. This idea caused me to
Jump up at once and open the window
and l heard the sound of many horses
feet striking the pavement in full run,
but no fire bells or alarms; but still the
inexplicable sounds continued,
"The rebels have stormcd the city !
was the next impression, and with that
l hastily threw on my wrapper and
hurried to my parlor. There was no
one there, and l kept on until l got to
the grand salon, and there l found q
crowd of people-mostly like myself,
guests of the hotel and Ell dishabille.
"To our scared looks and frenzied
interrogations of What has happened P
the reply came in hushed, awful ac-
cents that President Lincoln had been
murdered by Booth while he sat in his
box in the theatre.
"By Boothp incredulously asked /;
'by John Wilkes Booth Il! Oh, no that
is impossible
Gas the crowd surged to and fro in
uncomfortable excitement, Bessie Hale
came in, and as she heard the dreadful
news she screamed. and then, before
any one could reach her, fell prone
upon the floor. She was carried up to
her room.
That night of horror seems like a
frightful dream to me now. None OF
us retired, but sat in the parlor in a
kind of dumb terror. Our gentleman
friends were out all night, and the
ladies sat close clustered together in a
piteous condition, and not until the
gray dawn came stealing in did we re-
tire. sick at heart, and with heavy, vet
eyelids; for we then knew the worst
the President dying. the Secretary
fatally wounded, and our favorite flying
from justice with the burden of q
mighty sin upon his guilty soul.
"During the whole time Of the pur
suit of Booth we awaited, in dreadful
state of suspense, the end. A thousand
rumors were flying about, and people
seemed nearly crazed with all the