The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-09-11
Canturing Booth.

self"
Capturing Booth.
A reporter of the New Orleans Rcay-
une has recently interviewed Capt. Ed
ward P. Doherty, who commanded the
detachment that captured Booth and
Harold after the assassination of Presi-
dent Lincoln. The story is told as fol
lows: latter Garrett had designated
the direction of the barn, Captain Do
herty said to Sergt. Boston Corbitt:
'Dismount your men, detail few to
watch the house, and bring the re-
mainder here.' Captain Doherty then
surrounded the barn with his men, and,
going to the front door, placed lighted
candle, which he had held in his hand
for some time, near the front entrance
of the barn. Unlocking the door, Cap
tain Doherty called upon those in the
barn to come out and surrender, but no
answer was made to this and subse-
quent frequent and loud demands of a
like character. Captain Doherty then
passed around among his sentinels who
surrounded the barn, when he was in
formed that whispering and the NOV
ing of hay had been heard from the in
side.
Captain Doherty then said: IF you
don't come out I'll set fire to the build
ing and burn you out As there was
no answer even to this, Captain Doherty
ordered Corporal Newgarten to pile
some shavings and hay in the opening,
and set fire to it. While he was piling
it up q voice said to the Corporal: II
you come back there I'll put a bullet
through YOU Captain Doherty, who
was standing near Newgarten. then
quietly ordered him to desist, and de.
termined to wait till daylight before
making any further demonstrations.
"At this time quite long converse
ten took place between Captain Doher-
ty and j. Wilkes Booth. The former,
after hearing the threat of the latter,
called again for surrender, when
Booth replied: Who do you take us
forP' Captain Doherty responded: IT
don't make any difference who take
you for, am going to arrest you.
Then Booth said: Boys, fetch me q
stretcher. Another stain in our glorious
banner -
Walking around the barn and re-
turning near the door, Captain Doherty
heard whispered conversation between
Booth. and Harold from the inside.
Booth then said aloud: l am crippled
and alone; give me n chance for my
life; draw your men up at twenty-five
PAGES and I will come out
Captain Doherty replied: I didn't
come here to fight, but to capture you.
have fifty men here and can do it,
"In the meantime Harold had ap-
preached the door, when Captain
Doherty said to him, Let me see your
hands, when Harold put both hands
out through the door and Captain
Doherty, seizing them, handed Harold
over to the Corporal at the door.
"While this conversation was going
on, and as Captain Doherty was in the
act of taking Harold out of the front
door. the barn had been fired in the
rear. The flames burst suddenly forth.
Booth, who had left his position in the
barn to the right of the opening refer
red to above, near the candle, took a
position in the centre of the barn facing
the door, and, raising his carbine,
pointed it in the direction of Harold
and Captain Doherty, when Sergeant
Corbett, who was stationed at one of
the openings in the barn to the left of
Booth, observing the movement, level
ed q alarge-sized Colts revolver at Booth
and fired, intending to hit him in the
arm for the purpose of disabling him,
but the ball entered his neck, about one
inch from the same point as Booth shot
President Lincoln.
"On hearing the shot, and being at
the time ignorant of the movement or
intention of Booth, Captain Doherty
supposed that he had shot himself
rather than surrender, when the officers
rushed into the barn, and by the light
of the burning building saw Booth with
the carbine between his legs, one of his
crutches having dropped, and Booth in
the act of falling forward, when Captain
Doherty caught him with both arms
around the body and carried him out
side of the barn, and laid him down;
but the heat becoming too intense,
Captain Doherty ordered him removed
under the veranda of the Garrett man.
sion. .-- -..--
"Soldiers were then dispatched in
different directions for doctors, but
only one, DR.. Urquart, could be found,
he arriving about six a. m, and, after
probing the wound, pronounced it fatal,
the ball having ranged upward, cutting
a vital part.
Prom the time that Booth was shot,
five o'clock, to the time he expired,
two hours later, he spoke but once, and
that was to Captain Doherty, shortly
before six o'clock, when he said to him,
Hands Captain Doherty lifted up
his hands, when Booth looked at them
for an instant, and, shaking his head,
exclaimed, Useless, useless A short
time after this he became unconscious,
and so remained until he expired.
Captain Doherty, after wrapping
the body of Booth in his saddle blanket,
sewed the blanket together with his
own hands, and, having placed the
body on a cart which was obtained
from an old negro residing about two
miles distant, proceeded with the body
and the prisoner, Harold, to Belle
Plain, where the Ide was awaiting the
return of the command, which arrived
at six p. M, when the Ide proceeded te
Washington, where the body of Boott
and the prisoner, Harold, were turned
over to the officers of the United State.
iron-clad monitor Montauk, Captain
Doherty having received orders from
the department commander so to do
This was at three o'clock on the morn
ing of the 9th.
"In reference to the different state
ments that Booth was never captured
or killed, and that he is alive to-day
Captain Doherty says that it is tn,
sheerest nonsense in the world, as, il
the first place, Captain Doherty knew
j. Wilkes Booth personally, and was il
his company at the National Hotel il
Washington about two months previ
| ous to the assassination, In the secon(
place, at the post n,ortem examination
held on the 27th of April, Booth wa
fully identified by DIR. May, his attend
ing physician, who had performed Al
operation upon his neck, and by Mr.
Dawson, proprietor of the Nationa
Hotel, where he boarded during hi