Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-01-12

Ell Clle QOOr he Salu
"'The President has been murdered, an(
there has been 500, 900 reward offered for the
capture of the assassin"
"Brother Will, who sat next to Booth, said
How wish he would come this way and
could catch him."
"Booth turned quickly upon my brother ant
said: would you betray him for S1OO,0 il
you knew him p Brother Will made some
light reply, and Booth turned away and fin
shed his dinner in silence"
''Did he ever speak Of the assassination OF
the President ?"
''IIe referred to it only once, and never until
brother Jack had brought the news. Then he
said that he had heard of the assassination of
the President the forenoon before he came to
our house, but that he did not believe it,"
"Did he seem disturbed or uneasy at any
time during his stay?"
HAROLD JOINS BOOTH.
''In the afternoon of the second day Harold
came to our house, and Booth seemed to De
very much disturbed by his arrival, and took
him out to the left of the house, near the fence,
where they had long conversation. He then
came back to the porch and was standing
there in his shirtsleeves, when the soldiers,
who afterwards arrested him, passed down the
road to Bowling Green. He then seemed very
much worried. | was standing on the porch,
near my father, who said to him:
"'YOu seem very much excited. Have you
been doing anything that makes you afraid OF
the soldiers If you have you will have to
find some other place to stay than here p"
"'Oh, no. replied Booth. 4 did get into a
little difficulty over in Maryland and one man
believe was killed, but it was nothing with
which the soldiers could possibly have any
thing to do"
He seemed so restless, however, that it
caused remark and in Il few moments after
the soldiers had passed he and Harold walked
off toward the woods and did not come back
until near duSk.n
II suppose you know nothing of what hap
pened that night 20
ooh, yes, saw everything nearly. was
the first one of the children out after father
was arrested. Father and mother slept in
this very room where we are now sitting, and
he was awakened by noise at the door which
leads out toward the servants quarters. lie
opened the door, and the soldiers at once grab
bed him and pulled him out into the yard
They stationed soldier in the door, and they
would not let any of us out, or would not let
us hand father any of his clothes, for fear, as
they said, that we would pass him a revolver.
[ watched my chance, and Slipped by the
soldier who stood at door with a pistol in his
hand lie cursed me, most violently, and,
pointing his revolver at me, ordered me to re-
turn. Isaid, "No, sir, Pm going to see that
fire." The barn was then burning, and in a
few moments after got out, the fatal shot
was fired, and Booth was brought up and laid
upon the porch, with his head near the door
through which you came in. They tried to
| lay him upon mattress but he would not let
them, neither would he allow pillow to be
placed under his head. He seemed to suffer
a great deal, especially just before his DEATH"
THE DEATH SCENE.
"Did he talk?''
ssIIe could not talk much as the wound was
| through his throat. 1 heard him say: Tell
Mother--' and the detective who stopped
over him said the balance Of the sentence
was-'that I died for my country The de-
tectives would not let us come very hear him.
They were constantly bending over him SO us
| to catch any word he might utter, for he was
very frequently muttering. The detectives
would call for what they wanted and my two
older sisters, who were then young ladies',
would get it. They would constantly ask for
brandy for him, and sister would saturate
| piece of cloth which the detective would place
| to Booths lips, and he would suck it eagerly.
| This would revive him for the time being, but
| of course nothing could help him then. / can
never forget the sad scenes of that night.
| They fixed themselves indellibly upon my
mind. l remained around during all the bus
tie that attended them, and looked on, little
realizing the meaning of what was passing.
| Booth died as the sun came up"
| The bright young lady gave these interesting
details of Booths last moments in a graphic
and intelligent manner, and as l arose to 60,
both sisters walked out upon the porch with
me, and, at my request, pointed out the varl-
Gus objects connected with the story. One OF
them, as she cast her eye over the scene, said,
rather sadly, ''The old place looks desolate
enough, now that there are no men folks here
| to keep it up"
''There," said she, pointing to a rough
crooked Georgia locust tree which stood only
few feet from the porch to the right of the
path leading to the gate, lis the tree to which
Harold was tied from the time he surrendered
until after Booths death. 1t must have been
painful position, for he was tied back so that
his body was shaped to the bend of the tree, as
you see it. ''There," she continued, pointing,
to the left of the porch between great cherry
and towering Lombardy poplar Which stood
near it, "is where Booth and Harold held their
long conference before the soldiers passed by
on their search for them"
| ''Where was the barn in which Booth and
Harold were secreted, and where Booth was
shot ?''
| Onucr 10 Clc lelI OL lIt ouC "
Piled ''and here is where he was brought and
laid upon the porch" said she, pointing to the
spot near the door where Booth breathed his
last.
Looking in the direction in which she point
ed the stains of the blood, which gurgled from
Booths throat as he lay in the death agony,
were still plainly visible.
ssThey say that murlerers blood can never
be washed out,o she said. 'lt seems to De
true. For years the stains upon the porch
where he died remained very distinct, and you
see that they can yet he easily traced"
WILLIAM GARRETT's RECOLLECTIONs.
With many thanks for the courtesy with
which these young ladies had treated my search
for information took my leave, and in five
minutes had again turned off the main road
and was on my way to see the brother and
sister who had played amore important part at
the death of Booth than those had just left.
Less than in hour after l had left the scenes l
have described was seated before wood lire
talking to Mr.. William Garrett and Miss Kate
Garrett, whom Miss Lille, the mistress OF the
farm house, had introduced.
| Mr.. William Garrett is, should Judge, ap-
preaching thirty-five years of age. lie is
rather tall, slender man, with full suit OF
black whiskerS. lie is a farmer, and was
dressed as became his vocation.
81 have been over to visit your old home
and gather some points about the death OF
Booth, and have come to visit you for the
same purpose
sThose were serious times indeed" he re-
piled, ''and it has always been a wonder tome
that the real facts about his sojourn at our
house have never yet been truthfully told. l
was Booths constant companion nearly all the
time he was ut our home. Between two and
three o'clock in the afternoon of the 18th OF