Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1880-02-06
A Story of LincOln's Assassination.

There repuses in the trunk of William
Withers, Jr., leader of the California thea
ire orchestra, San Francisco, an ancient
Swallow-taIl coat, faded somewhat with
time, fTagmentary in condition through
the clipping Of pieces from it as memem-
toes, yet withal highly interesting gar
ment through historical association The
coat has two long knife cuts in it, one in
the neck and the other near the hip, which
were received in FOrd's theatre at Wash
ingtOn, where the coat, with Mr. Withers
inside of it, was present on the night that
President Abraham Lincoln was assassin
ated The gashes were inflicted by the
assassin, John Wilkes Booth, few mo-
nIsnts after he had fired the shot that re-
verberated through nation, and the story
of that night, as told by Mr. Withers, is as
follows:
The play, as you will recollect was
Our American Cousin" The house was
iaInmed from pit to dome with throng
whose admiration and attention were di-
vided between the Presidential box, where
sat Mr. and. Mrs. Lincoln, little Tad and
Major Rathbone, and the stage, where
Harry Hawk and Laura Keene personated
the leading roles. The first two acts had
procslled without unusual interest, Presi-
dent Lincoln appearing to quietly enjoy
the performance, and finally the curtain
rose on the third act and the dairy scene,
where Trenchard was TO propose to Mag
Meredith During the interlude | had
gone behind to talk with Wright, the
prompter had composed a song called
'HOnOr to Our Soldiers" in honor of the
occasion, which had not been sung at the
proper time, and went to see-about it. To
4olE Tr-itb him Irrhara ha stood bod 70 ~
der Spangler, the scene-shifter out of the
way.
had finished my talk with Wright, and
turned down the passage which led into
the alley where Peanut J ohm was holding
Booths horse, and which also led to the
door by which l returned to my place III
the orchestra. The passage was dark and
very narrow, so much so iD5 fact that two
men could not pass side q SIDE l had
travelsed nearly to the door ,ei l heard
a single pistol shot l stor.rsd, started,
and trying to think where tLert was a pis-
tol fired in the american Cousin" Then
l heard a strange murmuT, and looking
round l saw Harry Hawk rapidly running
up the steps that led TO his dressing room.
A second afterward | saw man running
across the stage He had jumped from
the box 10 the stage, on the other side from
me, but his impetus was so great that he
ran into a brick wall near me and the en-
trance TO the passage, putting out his
hands to break the force Of the collision.
Then II jumped for the passagcway, and
l saw his face, hut scarcely recognized
Booth. His eyes seemed starting from his
head his black hair stood on end, and his
dark, handsome face wore such a ferocious
expression that he did not seem like the
same man.
was completely paalyZed as herushed
into the passage and said "Get out Of my
way" ] could not have done SO, even if
had had my pgesenee Of mind, and in Il
second he WAS ON me with a dagger he
held in his right hand, The blow struck |
me, glancing on the hip, and made the cut
you see there, It turned ME partly round, /
and like a flash struck me and knocked