The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-08-20
THE MURDER OF LINCOLN.

- ~ Al OAGOG1C OI AkNCOLN.
Of the actual murder of Abraham lin
coin, though SO much has been written.
probably the facts are yet very indefinite
in most persons minds.
The day, April IA, 1865, seems to have
been a pleasant one throughout the whole
land; the moral atmosphere was pleasant,
TOO; the long storm, so dark, so fratrici-
dial, full Of blood and doubt and gloom.
over and ended at last by the surprise of
such an absolute national victory and Ut
ter breakdown Of Secession-we almost
doubted Our own senses! Early heritage,
early flowers were in bloom. I remem-
per where l was stopping at the time
there were many lilacs in full bloom. By
one OF those caprices that give tinge to
events without being at all part of them.
l md myself always reminded of the
great tragedy Of that day by the sight
and color of these blossoms.
But must not dwell On accessories.
The deed hastens. Tho popular after
noon paper Of Washington, the little
Eoening Star, had spattered all over its
third page, divided among the ADVERTISE
ments IN a sensational manner, in hun
dred different places, t'The President and
his lady will be at the thea,er this even
ing"
Lincoln was fond of the theatre. I
have myself seen him there several times.
! remember thinking how funny it was
that he, in some respects the leading ac-
tor in the stormiest drama known to his
tory's stage through centuries, should sit
there and be so completely interested and
absorbed in those human iackstraws.
moving about with their silly little ges-
lures, foreign spirit and flatulent text.
On this occasion the theatre was crow
ded, many ladies in rich and CAV cos
tunes, officers in their uniforms, many
well-known citizens, young folks, the
usual cluster Of gaslights, the usual mag
netlsm OF SO many people, cheerful with
perfumes, music of violins and flutes
and over all and saturating all, that vast
vague wonder, Victory-the nations VIC
tory, the triumph Of the Union-illinc
the air, the thought, the sense, with ex-
Vibrations more than all the music and
perfumes.
The President came betimes, and with
his wife witnessed the play from the large
stage-boxes on the second tier, two thrown
into one and profusely draped with the
national flag.
There is a scene in the play represent
ing modern parlor, in which two IN
precedented English ladies are informed
by an impossible Yankee that he is not
man of fortune and therefore undesirable
for Misunderstanding purposes; after
which, the comments being finished, the
dramatic trio make exit, leaving the
stage clear for moment.
Through the general hum following
the stage pause, with the change of 20
sitions, came the muftled sound of
pistel-shot which not more than one
hundredth part Of the audience heard
at the time and yet a moments hush,
somehow, surely vague, startled thrill
and then through the ornamented,
draperied, starred and striped space-way
OF the Presidents box, a sudden figure
raises himself with hands and feet, stands
a moment on the railing, leaps below to
the stage, falls out of position. catch
ing his boot-heel in the copious drapery
of the American flag, falls or one knee,
quickly RECEIVERS himself, rises as if moth
ing had happened, and so the figure,
dressed in plain black broadcloth, bare
headed, with full head of glossy raven
hair, and his eyes like some mad ami
mails flashing with light and resolution,
yet with a certain calmness, holds aloft
in one hand a large knife, walks along
not much back from the footlights, turns
fully toward the audience his face
of statuesque beauty, lit up by those
basilisk eyes flashing with desperation,
perhaps insanity, launches out in a firm
and steady voice the words ''.Sic. semper
tyrannis," and then walks with neither
slow nor very rapid pace diagonally
across to the back Of the stage and disap-
pears as if this terrible scene had all been
rehearsed by Booth.
A moments hush-a scream the CRY
of "Murder!' Mrs. Lincoln leaning out
OF the box with ashy cheeks and lips,
with involuntary cry, pointing to the re-
treating figure, ''He has killed the Presi-
dent
And still a moments strange, incredu-
ious suspense, and then the deluge!-
then that mixture of horror, noises, IN
certainty-(the sound, somewhere back,
of horses boots Gathering with speed).
The people burst through chairs and rail-
ings and break them up. The noise adds
to this queerness Of the scene.
There is inextricable confusion and
terror-women faint; quite feeble per-
sons fall and are trampled on, many cries
Of agony are heard, the broad stage is
alled to sufocation with a
dense and motley crowd like some horri-
bic carnival, the audience rush generally
upon it, Cat least, the strong men do,) the
actors and actresses are all there in their
and painted faces with
mortal fright showing through the rouge,
some trembling, some in tears. The
screams and calls, confused talk--redou-
bled, trebled; two or three manage to
pass up water to the Presidents box;
others try to Chamber up. !
In the midst OF all this the soldiers of |
the Presidents Guard, with others sud-
denly drawn to the scene, burst in-some |
two hundred altogether. They storm the |
house through all the tiers, especially the |
upper ones, inhamed with fury, literally !
the audience with fixed bay
onets, muskets and pistols, shouting,