Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1879-04-29
THE MURDER OF LINCOLN.

On Monday evening, April Il, on the
fourteenth anniversary of the great trag-
cdy " hich the speaker had taken as hi,
subject. the poet Walt Whitman made
his first appearance as "a public lecturer.
The Death Of Abraham Lincoln was
his topic. and the lecture was delivered
in New York.
AS a pen picture Of rare merit We have
no doub; the following extract graphic
account by an eyewitness, VIII be read
with interest:
uf the actua, murder of President Lin
coin. though So much IA, been written.
probably thc facts are Yet very indefinite in
most persons minds I read from my
memoranda. already published, written M
tac time uu the spot, and revised frequent
Is and finally since.
The day, April H. l>65, seems 20 have
been pleasant one throughout the whole
lauJ-thc moral atmosphere pleasant too
the long storm, 80 dark, 80 fratricidal. full
OF blood and doubt and gloom. over and
ended 80 last by the sunrise of such an alb
~olute National victory, aud utter break
down OF >cCe> >ion-wc almost doubted our
own senses Early heritage, early flowers.
were oUt. / remember where | was stop
pin. 40 the time the season being advanced.
thor, were many hiac> la fun bloom. By
one 81 those capriccs that enter and give
tmec 90 event, without being 40 all q par,
of them I iud myself always reminded of
the great tragedy OF that day hy The sight
and udur of these blossoms. IL never
fails.
But must not dwell on accessories. The
deed ha>teu>. The popular afternoon pa
pcr ~ Washington, the little ErsHuty N'ar.
had >pattered all over IL third page, divided
among it> advertisements IN a sensational
manner iu a hundred different places. ''Ihc
Prc>i ent and his Lady will be AZ the
Thea re- this evening. Lincoln was fond
OF t.r theatre. ! have myself seen him
there several times. ! remember thinking
how funny 10 was that he iu some respects,
the leading actor I'm the StormieSt drama
known 90 real history stage. through cen
turtles. should Ill there and be- 80 completely
interested and absorbed iu those human
iack->traW>. moving about with their silly
little gestures. foreign spirit, and hatuleut
text
ON this occasion the theatre was crowd
ed. many ladies i'm rich and gay costumes,
officers I'm their uniforms. many wel-known
citizens Young folks. the usual clusters of
sasughts, the usual magnetism of 50 many
people. cheerful, with perfumes, music of
violin, and flutes. and over an, and sat
uratiug ALL that vast vague wonder, i'ic-
fDrg. the Nations Victory, the triumph OF
the Union, filling the air the thought, the
sense. with eNhilaratiOn more than all music
and perfumes
The President came betimes. and, with
his wife. witnessed the play from the large
>tage-boNeS OF the second tier, two thrown
into one. and prOfu>ely draped with the
National flag There is a scene in the play
rcprc>rnting modern parlor, in which
TWO unprecedented English ladies are in
formed by an impossible Yankee that he i
not a man OF fortune. and therefore unde-
sirable for marriage-catching purposes
after which, the comments being finished,
The dramatic trio make exit, leaving the
stage clear for moment At this period
came the murder of Abraham Lincoln.
Great a. that was, with all its manifold
train. circlng round il, and stretching into
the future for many century, in the poll
tics. history. art. etc. OF the New World.
i'm point of fact the main thing, the actual
murder. tran>pired with the quiet and sim
pliCity of any COmmOucst OCcurrence-the
bursting Of a bud or pod in the growth OF
vegetation. for instance. Through the
General hum following the stage pause,
with the change Of positions came the
mutfled sound Of pistol shot, which not
Que hundredth part of the audience heard
al the time-and vet a moments hush
somehow. surely vague startled thrill
and then. through the ornamented, dra-
period. starred and striped Spaceway of
the Presidents box. sudden figure, a man
raises himself with hands and feet. stands
q moment or the railing, leaps below To the
stage a distance of perhaps fourteen or
fifteen feet, falls out of his position,
catching his bOot-heel in a cOpiOuS drapery
the American nag, falls on one knee,
ouicklv RECEIVERS himself, rises rs ifnOthing
had happened he really SprainS his ankle,
but untelt then and 50 the figure Booth.
the murderer, dressed in plain black broad
cloth bgre-headed. with a fun head of
Glossy. raven hair. and his eyes like some
mad animals. flashing with light and reso-
lution. vet with a certain calmnesS, holds
aloft i'm one hand a large knife-walkS
alon~not much back from the footlights-
turns fully toward the audience his face OF
StatueSque beauty. lit by those baSilisk
ewes, flashing with desperation, perhaps in
sanity-auncheS out in firm and steady
voice the words, Sic SeHlper tyrdhRtS-and
then walks with neither slow nor very rapid
pace diagonally across to the back OF the
stage and disappears. $500. Quad not al