The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1878-04-18
JOHN WILKES BOOTH.
Tbs Disposition of BIS Remains.


Washington Cor. New Orleans Picayune.l
Another absurd story has just been
added to the many conflicting ones. each
of which has gained some degree of Gre
denoe, respecting the final disposition
of the remains of j. Wilkes Booth. The
latest, now going the rounds of the
press, is the seaman's yarn, spun by one
Capt. Leslie, to the effect that the BODY
was sunk in lake seven miles below
the adjacent city of Alexandria, Va.
Visitors to the United States Medical
Museum, IN Washington, are generally
shown section of human vertebrse.
taken from just below the base of the
brain, which is kept in glass bottle,
numbered and designated in the official
catalogue as belonging to the spinal
column of Lincoln's assassin. This
museum is located in the very building
where the tragedy occurred-the old
Ford's Theater, which, you remember,
was never used for the drama after that
fatal highland this bottle, with its
ghastly contents, is supposed to stand
over the exact spot where the President
sat, smiling at the play, when Booths
pistol did its murderous work. Many
are the comments indulged in by the
credulous, You may be sure, as to the
"retributiye Justice" displayed in this
disposition of the supposed backbone.
An eminent physician of this city uses
peculiar but not very beautiful ink-bot-
tie, made of human skull, which, it is
currently reported, is that of Booth, and
fell to his share when the doctors scalp
els had finished their horrible work on
the corpse. All these sensational re-
ports are disproved, however, by the in
controverhble facts, which are rs fol-
lows: The remains were temporarily
deposited in the Arsenal building, and
ordered by President johnson to be deliv-
cred to the friends of Booth; whereupon
Baltimore undertaken, Mr.. John Wea-
YER, was sent from that city to convey
them to his relatives for interment.
Upon arriving at the Arsenal, box was
taken up and delivered to Mr.. Weaver,
purporting to contain the corpse he
came for. He conveyed the rude coffin
to Baltimore, where it was opened. and
found to contain skeleton, wrapped in
an old army blanket, upon removing
which the bones were discovered to be
completely plastered with powder-like
substance having the appearance of
soapstone, and which disappeared On
being rubbed between the fingers, as
that material will do. On the right foot
was an army shoe, cut open at the top
its entire length, as If to accommodate q
al
cavalry boot The leg was broken just
above the ankle, the fracture being
clearly marked. The portion below it,
being lifted out of the box, showed the
ends of the bones to be perfectly white,
thus leaving no doubt as to the fact that,
when Booth leaped from the Presidents
box to the theater stage, he broke his
right leg, instead of spraining it as
many supposed. Still, in view of all
the rumors afoat, the identity of the
remains was not sufficiently established
in the minds of his friends, especially
as there was no portion of the spinal
vertebr@ missing, and no marks of any
bullet upon them. A,brother of Booth 8
was then sent for, and requested to think
of some popularity, if any existed, by
which the body could be identified be-
yond doubt. After considerable med
itation the brother said he could remem-
Der but one, and that was that J. Wilkes
had tooth plugged with gold in a sin
gular manner. He described the loca
ton of the tooth, and drew with his
pencil the shape of the plug, which was
of unusual size. So the teeth of the
skeleton were taken out, and the identi-
cal tooth was found, exactly as described
Thus the mooted question was forever
settled, and all that remained of the
once handsome young actor was buried
in the Government Cemetery in the care
fully -tended inclosure where sleep his
father, grandfather and other members
OF the Booth family.