Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-07-12

PERSONAL "REMINISCENCES OF INCIDENTS IN
WASHINGTON CONNECTED WITH THE ASSASSIN
ALTON OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN.


|
WASHINGTON CONNECTED WITH THE ASSASSIN
ALTON OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN.
Written for the Troy Daily Times.
At the time that President Lincoln wa
assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in Ford
theatre. the writer was employed in the Wa
department at Washington. For severa
days prior to this sad national tragedy, tn
city had been celebrating the surrender o
Richmond and other Union victories, the re
suits of which were sure precursors of re
turning peace and happiness to tue who'll
nation. There had never been such torch
light demonstrations and illuminations a
were seen in Washington for several night
previous to this sorrowful event. and nearl,
every person assumed an air of gayety sucl
as had not been seen for years.
The morning after the president had beeI
shot a silent sadness could be seen depicted
on the countenance of every person met
On arriving opposite the White House. oil
our way to the office, there were some 20,
negroes of all sizes and ages at the gate
which opens through the grounds to the
presidential mansion, uttering the most pitt
ful groans and CALCULATIONS ever heard from
human beings The room We occupied con
tanned six clerks, and was under the imme'
diate supervision of Capt. y. A, resi-.
were the first in our room and sat down to
our desk and commenced reading the Incl
| dents of the assassination in the Morning
| Chronicle. Other clerks soon followed, each
with newspaper in his hand. but not utter
ing word only the ,5entlenanly salutation
"Good morning. and sat down and COM
menced reading. Actions spoke louder than
words the deep feelings pent up in the bosom
OF every clerk IN that room. The last of the
six who came in was Capt. "A. who also
commenced reading the GirOlicle. At length
| the captain broke the silence by an emphatic
icord, (Which is never countenanced by gen.
tlemen only on extraordinary occasions) fol-
| lowed substantially by these remarks, If
had the power. would obliterate every geo.
| graphical line of these -- rebel States, and
their names should never exist any longer
only in history There should be no more
South Carolinas or Virginias,"
When the news broke on the ears of the
inhabitants in the morning that the Pref
dent had been shot, many thought that it
was conspiracy which originated amongst
the principal leading men in the rebellion.
The city had begun to be filled with officers
and soldiers return ing from the recent victory
over Gen. Lees army, and it was feared that
bodily injury might be inflicted on some men
and families in the city who had sympathized
viii tue feDtl cause. AS II wis there were
few people early i'll the morning who made
some unguarded remarks relative to the as
sassination, and were roughly handled for
their temerIty. The various government de-
partments ordered all the offices to be closed,
and on going into the streets at 10 O'Clock a
perceptible change could be seen on ma jori-
~ OF the faces of the masses who thronged
the streets, from sadness to All indignant and
defiant air. All felt that some persons must
suffer for this outrage upon the American
nation. All the public and nearly all the
private buildings in the city were soon deep
|, draped in black. The streets were patrol
led both 10y citizens and soldiers, and the
residence Of every known rebel sympathiZer
was ordered at once TO be draped in black.
Discretion took the place of will. and this
mandate, il possible, was Immediately com
piled with. By II o'clock not q yard Of
black cloth suitable for such purposes could
be found i'll any store in Washington. and
dispatches were sent to Baltimore to forward
immediately by express all the black cam
bric that could be spared. for all such houses
th"t were not draped by o'clock p. III. were
threatened with demolition by the outraged
populace. Many divided their mourning
drapery with their neighbors. but still there
were many hundred houses which could not
get the wherewith TO comply with the re-
quest But before night there could not he
found IN Washington respectable house but
sh"@' Il lac emil i m~ If mourning for the
dead Presid.i.t. In scine cases there were
ludicrous lnci,.vI.ts connected with draping
houses
TIE most outspoken rebel sympathizers in
Washington were women who shielded them
selves from punishment behind their sex, or
because they were ,conien in certain sense OF
the word if i'll not all. Among this number
was a lady living on Pennsylvania avenue be-
tween Second and Third streets. She was
from an old Washington family who at one
at one time stood high in society, but
through financial reverses had lost all except
the brick house on the avenue. Her father
had been dead several years. but her mother
died OILY the year previous, leaving the house
to her daughter. Mrs &c. married 4 north
ern man, who at the time of the rebellion
was employed at the capitol and was q strong
Union man. But she was the reverse, and
nothing TOO bad could come from her lips
against the Union army. She Lad the charge
OF some 20 boarders, and ut one time, or for
two months, We had the honor of being Il
member OF her domicile, but her rebel tongue
was too hot for u-, and We left. On the
morning that Mr. Lincoln died, she boldly
made the remark before her boarders that
she Twas glad of it, besides many other un-
guarded expressions. and against the admo-
milton of her husband. who had no control
over the tongue ''of that wife OF his" About
II o'clock, one of the boarders came into the
house and told Mrs. &c. ;" that he feared she
was in danger OF being mobbed If she did
not drape her house She FASTENED out on
the street to procure some black cambric
but she was too late, and none could be
found for ''love nor money" By some re-
marks she was heard to make on the street,
her fears were increased, and she thought no
time must be lost Her mother, Mrs. L.,
died the year before and as a testimonial OF
respect she purchased u black Grape shawl 10
wear in mournful memory of her departed
mother. This expensive shawl she cut into
four pieces and when her husband returned
at noon he found his wife's Grape shawl hung
in festoons across the front side OF the house
As he told us that night his pleasure at the
fright of his wife far exceeded his sorrow III
tine destruction Of the shawl There were
many instances where black underskirts and
black dresses were ripped into breadths and
hung over the windows to show a hypocriti-
cal respect for the president
For several days after the assassination
every avenue leading out of the city was
strongly guarded, and no person could leave
nor enter without giving proper account Of
himself or his business. ANY person seen
in the hands of the police was set down at
once as being party to the assassination.
There were many cases where persons were
seriously injured by the mob. who would
gather around and hurl bIickbats, stones and
other missiles at their heads, caused by the
cry that the officers had one oi the assassins.
The private box which President Lincoln and
his family sat i'll on that fatal night was two |
boxes made into one by folding partition. |
Tb.s. fnllipu lnnrs W. taS tan.l Lasl thut |
night by round stick that night about three |
feet in length and the size oil broomstick |
handle. Among the audience was u clerk |
from the room adjoining ours by the name of |
Jacquet. He WAS among the first who went |
into the box after the president was shot and /
carried across the street into II house where |
he died. Jacquet saw this round stick on |
the door, stained from one end to the other |
with the blood OF Lincoln lie took it up |
and thought it good memento TO keep, and |
carried it home to his boarding house ln |
the morning he told several of his clerks |
what he had found and thought no harm in |
it He sawed oil about six inches OF this |
stick and gave to one Of his friends Some |
four days after the above occurrence, one al |
ternoon Detective Baker drove up to the |
generals Office in II covered |
carriage accompanied 10y two orthree officers
Baker inquired if II man by the name of Jac
4uet was employed there, and received an
affirmative answer. Jacquet was called. |
and the doctor told him that he wanted him
without telling him what for. There was NO
use to parley and the frightened man put on
his hat and started with his captors. When
they arrived at the carriage by the curbstone
there were some hundred persons there, at
tracted by Detective Baker and by the cry
that there was traitor i'll tho war depart
ment. With some difficulty Jacquet got into
the carriage without injury. but was nigh
halt dend with fright The stones came
thick and fast. and the driver. for his own
personal safety, put whip to his horses and
soon distanced the howling mob. On nrriy-
ing at the detectives office, some miles dis
tant they all went in without any trouble
Byt the mob soon made their appearance
with increased numbers. Baker told Jacguet
what he had heard and wanted TO know the
facts. and also the stick If in his posses
sion. These he obtained as heretofore stated
except the stick, which was at his room uu-