The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-12-22
Booth in the Barn.
HOW THE ASSASSIN OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN
WAS SURROUNDED AND SHOT.

HOW THE ASSASSIN OF PRESIDENT LINCOI
WAS SURROUNDED AND SHOT.
William Garrett and Miss Kate Garrett, wi
were present at the death of the assassin Jol
| Wilkes Booth at their fathers farm in Virgini
were both interviewed few days ago BY Il
correspondent of the Philadelphia Press
William CARROTS story was graphically toll
He said: .Some time after Harold came fro
Bowling Green, and they went away to tt
woods together. Before they returned faith,
had determined that they could not remain
the house over night He had become COZ
WINGED that they were some kind OF suspicior
characters. We imagined that they were men
tbers of Mosbys gang, and might steal OF
sleep IN the house, they asked if they could ne
20 under the house Father said that woul
not do, as the dogs would get after them"
Let US 60 out into one Of the outbuilding
said Booth. Father finally consented to thi
and they went out into the barn, which wa
filled on one side with corn blade fodder an
on the other side with farming utensils and
lot of furniture belonging to refugees fror
Port Royal. After they got into the barn
went and locked the door with q paddock O
the outside, so that they could not get gu
without making noise. When | returned t
the house was not exactly satisfied with tina
precaation, and said to Brother Jack that W
would take our pistols and goto sleep in til
cofn-crib near the barn that we might NOR
readily prevent any attempt on their part t,
| steal the horses. About two o'clock in tn
/ morning we were awakened by q commotiol
at the house, and Jack and both ran up a
fast as possible and found father in his nigh
clothes in the custody of the soldiers wht
were threatening to xiii him if he did not re
veal the whereabouts Of the two men. Whei
Brother Jack came up he said to the soldiers
Il Will show you where the men are" ant
the officers released father and took Jack an(
ME into custody
ssThe men are in the barn. said Jack, ant
the officers ordered him to lead the way there
! A moment later the soldiers had surrounded
! 1t, and Jack and were put under arrest. One
| of the detectives demanded OF Booth that hi
surrender, and then unlocked the door anC
pushed Jack in, with the command that he &c
and tell them to come out and give themselves
up. Ny brother approached the point where
Booth was lying on the corn blades and said
"The soldiers here are after you and they
want you to surrender. IF you don't come
out they threaten to burn the barn and des-
troy all our property"
"Getont of here, young man. whispered
Booth, desperately, "or I'll take your life You
4 have betrayed NE"
| Brother Jack tried 10 argue with him as to
the uselessness of resistance, and appealed to
Booth to prevent the destruction of our prop
erty. Booth became very violent, and my
brother came out and repeated to the officer
that Booths only reply had been threat to
! kill him. The officer then took my brother
| and me and placed US a short distance from
the barn and set light directly in front of
ia. Two men were placed to guard us, with
instructions that the first time Booth fired up
on any of the party they should Immediately
shoot us. Booth, who had been watching the
| operation through a crack in the barn and
heard the order OF the officer for our execu-
| ton, shouted at the top of his voice:
Chat is unfair. Those men are innocent
These people do not know who am"
"The officer then revoked the order be had
given, and Colonel Conger, one Of the detec-
tives, ordered me to pile dry brush against the
corner Of the barn, SO that it could be fred
/ had piled but little, when Booth called to
me and said
Young man, you had better stop that If
you put any more against this place will
shoot you"
Colonel Conger then ordered me to stop, and
Lieutenant Baker began parley for the sur
render of the fugitives Booth was determ-
ined from the first that he would not be taken
alive, and he so informed Lieutenant Baker
Harold, however wanted to give himself up,
"Au aSOotuJ dltcA ullu du dITdut coward,
virtually drove him out Of the barn into the
hands of the officers. There was quite an ex-
tended pariey between Baker and Booth, dur
ing which Booth begged the officer to draw
his men off fifty yards, then twenty five yards,
and then he came down to ten yards and give
him q chance for his life.
"Be fair, Captain" said Booth, "and give
me show. could have killed you dozen
times tonight, but / took you to be brave
p,on Navx, fr;u o,,,o q oh frr
you must surrender" replied Lieutenant
Baker; 1--WE came to take you prisoner, not to
kill you"
Il will never be taken alive" retorted Booth,
you may make up your mind will fight to
the. death"
Hardly had the last word died upon his
lips before blaze shot up among the dry fod-
| der. Colonel Conger had during the talk slipp-
ed around to the back Of the barn, and, light
ing a handful Of dry straw, had passed it
through crack in the boards and fired the
building. The combustible material inside
| the barn burned like finder, and in moment
the whole inside of the building was blaze Of
| light, and in the middle Booth could be seen
leaning upon his clutches, with his carbine in
his hand, trying to get sight and shot at
his enemies He could not see beyond the
| light which surrounded him, while those out
side could see him plainly. At last, when the
ire was approaching him, he started for the
door, as If about to take his last desperate
| chance for life. He had only advanced step
or two when the crack Of carbne was heard,
and Booth fell, MORALLY wounded, shot through
the neck by one of the soldiers who had been
| sent to capture him.
Lieutenant Baker and myself were the first
| to reach him after he fell and to carry him
! from the burning building Both of us then
thought that he had shot himself, and | am
not yet Convinced that he did not. He at
| tempted several times to speak, but his words
| were incoherent, and as soon as possible we
bore him to the house and laid him upon the
porch, and did everything possible to ease his
! dying moments. The story of the death scene
| is the same as that of thousands of other men
who died IN the war from gunshot wounds
| He suffered great deal After his death he
was sewed in a blanket, and they got Ned
Freeman, an old colored man, to draw the
body to Port Royal in his rickety old wagon.
Brother Jack and myself were taken to Wash
ingtOn and kept in prison thirty-one days.
| We were never called to testify, although our
written statements were taken by Colonel
Baker, the chief detective. have always
thought we were not called as witnesses by
Baker for fear the authorities would award us
some portion of the reward offered for the
capture of Booth. This is how it was that
our story has never before been told"
1t is easy to picture Booth in the burning
barn. He had determined never to surrender;
and when the blazing fodder suddenly lit up
his hiding place, soaring the sleeping swallows
from their nest among the rafters, and bring
ing each individual beam, girder, and single
into bold relief, it only increased his purpose
70 die game. There was no evidence of fear
either in word or act. He stood in the centre
of the barn framed by a sheet of fire, erect and
fearless, supported by his clutches, while he
yainly endeavored to get glimpse of bis pur-
suers that he might sell his life as dearly as
| possible. The lurid glare of the leaping
! flames which made him visible to them, drew
an impenetrable veil between his enemies and
| him. When the fire drew so close about him
that he saw that he must either die by the
flames or the sword. he threw down his car
bine, and with pistol in hand, started for the
door. He had made his choice; it was that he
would die in the fight rather than the fire. A
disobedient soldier put a bullet through bis
neck. What thoughts and purposes were in
his mind as he determined to face death in a
band-to-hand struggle with the soldiers, none
| will ever know, but had he not been killed
| from behind it is evident from his every act
that his fight for life would have been des
perate one There is something inspiring in
courage even though 1t be found in muir
derer.
While Mr.. VIM. Garrett was reciting the
story of Booths last hours, his sister Kate
stood near, and when he had finished said;
when Capt. Jet brought Booth to oul
house thought he was the handsomest man
had ever seen. He had the most magnificent