The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1879-09-10

Booth personally, ana was In his COM
pany at the National Hotel in Washing
ton about two months previous to the
assassination. In the second place, at
the post-mortem examination, held on
the twenty-seventh of April, Booth was
fully identified by DR.. NAV, his attend
ing physician, who had performed an
operation upon his neck, and by Mr..
Dawson, proprietor of the National
Hotel, where he boarded during his resi-
dence in Washington, and also by other
weL-known citizens, to the full satisfac-
ton Of the government.
g In the third place, after the body of
Booth was buried in cell in the peniten-
tiary at the Arsenal at Washington, the
re Mains were delivered over to his rel
atives four years later, upon application
to President johnson, and they now rest
in the family vault near Baltimore, Md,
thus proving that the members of his own
family recognize the fact that the body
lying there is the last mortal remains of
j. Wilkes Booth.
Harold was tried, convicted and
hanged with Payne, Atzerot and Mrs.
Surratt in July, 1885.
"A total reward of $50, 900 was offered
by the government, the city of Wash
ington, and the city of Baltimore. The
reward of 100000 offered by the Gov
ernment was paid, but those offered by
the cities of Washington and Baltimore
were repudiated. Capt. Doherty entered
suit in the United States District Court
for the District of Columbia to recover
the $4,000 offered by the city of Wash
ington, but the suit was decided against
his claim, the court holding that the
city of Washington had no authority in
law to offer the reward.
Capt. Doherty appealed the case to
the Supreme Court of the United States,
where it is now pending, and from
whence a decision is expected to be
reached this year. In the case of the
claim against the city of Baltimore,
which offered $30,0 900 for the arrest of
the assassin, Capt. Doherty did not sue
to recover, the mayor and aldermen
telling him point blank that they would
not pay it, as the reward was offered un-
der previous administration. This
claim has now lapsed by limitation
" Of the $4,000 offered by the govern
ment, $4,000 was paid on the basis of
prize-money in the navy. The command
consisted of twenty-siX enlisted men,
two citizens (detectives) and one COM
missioned officer. The commission ap-
pointed to distribute the money consisted
of Judge Advocate General Holt and
Gen. +. ID. Townsend, Adjutant-G General
of the army, who awarded to Captain
Doherty 5000; to each of the citizen
detectives, $4,000; to Sergt. Boston Cor
bett and Sergt. Wandell 50, 200 each, the
commission deciding that the fact of Cor
bett having shot Booth did not entitle
him to more than the non-commissioned
officer of the same rank who was also
present at the capture.
Gen. Lafayette G. Baker, chief detec-
tive of the War Department, was held to
be the same'as an admiral, who detaches
a ship and orders it to another squadron.
In transitu, that ship captures prize,
and Capt DohertY being in the position
as captain of the ship. received two-twen-
tieths of the whole amount, while the
admiral, who in this case was Gen.
Baker, received one-twentieth, or 3d.
$50. The remainder of $4,000 was dis
tributed pro rata among the men.
Capt. Doherty was informed from
high authority that "a wheelbarrow full
of claims were put in for this reward.
almost every detective in the United
States representing that he was entitled
to share. The adjustment of this mass
of claims occupied the members of the
commission little over year before
they could determine who were entitled
to the reward"