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

! your unllOrIn, anu you dTe going W ut d ClIl-
zen and need my citizens clothes, he argued.
"My ~ said Mr.. Garrett, with shudder,
s'what narrow escape had. Suppose Booth
had been captured with my uniform on, and 1
had been found in possession of his clothes ~
"Was he we'll dressed %
"Not particularly. He had on very good
suit of clothes for those times, and thought
was making a good bargain by trading my
old Confederate uniform for them"
''Was there nothing in his manner which led
you to suspect that he was not what he repre-
sented himselfto be %
s'NOthing whatever. lie played his part to
perfection. The first night he was at our house
he slept in the room with my brother and me,
and he had very little to say The next day he
and l were around all day together, and yet I
suspected nothing. I hada pistol and we went
out to shoot at mark"
BOOTH AS A MARKSMAN.
"Was he good shot 20
''IIe claimed to be, and said he would shoot
five balls in succession through knot-hole in
the gate, some two inches in diameter. He
took position about two rods off, and fired all
the five shots. and then sent me to see the re-
suit. I couldn't find where any OF the balls
had struck, and Booth said he had put all five
through the knot-hole. When we came to ex-
amine the pistol, however, to reload it, we
found all five of the balls still in the pistol,
the powder having exploded without driving
out the bullets. He laughed as heartily as
did at the fizzle, and we tried no more marks
manship."
''Were you the one who brought the paper in
announcing Lincoln's assassination ?"
mo, sir, that was my brother Jack. We
were all at dinner when that occurred. Broth
er Jack said that the President had been shot,
and that one hundred thousand dollars had
been offered for the apprehension of his MUIR
derer. 1 said Gracious don't wish he would
come this way and could capture him. Booth
turned upon me, and said with great earnest
ness:
"'Would you betray him for 100000, if
you could p
"I would indeed, I replied, 100000 is a
great lot of money
"Booth turned away, and became thoughtful,
and had very little to say after that. Some
time after Harold came from Bowling Green,
and they went away to the woods together.
Before they returned father had determined
that they could not remain in the house over
night. He had become convinced that they
were some kind of suspicious characters We
imagined that they were members OF Mosbys
Gang, and might steal our horses. When he
told them that they could not sleep in the
house, they asked if they could not 60 under
the house. Father told them that would not
do as the dogs would get after them"
BOOTH IN THE BARN.
"'Let us 20 out into one of the out-build
ings,' said Booth Father finally consented to
this, and they went out into the barn, which
was filled on one side with corn blade fodder,
and on the other side with farming untensils
and lot of furniture belonging to refugees
from Port Royal. After they got in the barn
I went and locked the door with a paddock on
the outside, so that they could not get out
without making noise. When l returned to
the house was not exactly satisfied with that
precaution, and said to brother Jack that we
would take our pistols and 60 to sleep in the
corn crib near the barn that we might more
readily prevent any attempt on their part to
steal the horses. About two O'Clock in the
morning, we were awakened by cOmmotiOn
at the house, and Jack and both ran up as
fast as possible, and found father in his night
clothes in the custody Of the soldiers, who
were threatening to kill him if he did not re-
veal the whereabouts of the two men. When
brother Jack came up he said to the soldiers
"'I will show you where the men are, and
the officers released father and took Jack and
me into custody.
g The men are in the barn, - said Jack, and
the officers ordered him to lead the way there.
A moment later the soldiers had surrounded
it, and Jack and I were put under arrest. One
of the detectives demanded of Booth that he
surrender, and then unlocked the door and
pushed brother Jack in with the command
that he 60 and tell them to come out and give
themselves up. My brother approached the
point where Booth waslying on the corn blades,
and said:
"'The soldiers are here after you and they
want you to surrender. fyou don't come out
they threaten to burn the barn and destroy all
our property, -,
Booth, desperately, 'orl'll take your life. You
have betrayed me-
ON THE VERGE OF THE GRAVE.
''Brother Jack tried to argue with himas 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 Inc and placed us short distance from
the barn, and set light directly in front of us.
Two men were placed to guard uswith instruc-
tions that the first time Booth fired upon any
of the party they should Immediately shoot US.
Booth, who had been watching the operation
through crack in the barn and heard the Or
der of the officer for our execution, shouted at
the top of his voice:
''That is unfair; these men are innocent.
These people do not know who am"
'"The officer then revoked the order he 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 fired. L
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 l Will
shoot you."
Colonel Conger then ordered me to stop, and
Lieutenant Baker began parley for the sur
render of the fugtives Booth was determln-
ed from the first that he would not be taken
alive and he so informed Lieutenant Baker.
Harold, however, wanted to give himself up,
and Booth after calling him an arrant coward,
virtually drove him out of the barn into the
hands Of the officers There was quite an ex-
tended parley between Baker and Booth du-
ring 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 a chance for his life.
BEGGING FOR A CHANCE.
''Be fair, Captain" said Booth, 'and give
me a show. could have killed you dozen
times tonight, but took you to be brave
man. Now give me chance for my life"
''You must surrender" replied Lieutenant
Baker, ''we came to take you prisoner, not to
kill YOU"
81 will never be taken alive, "retorted Booth,
''you may make up your mind will fight to
the death.''
''IIardly had the last word died upon his
lips before blaze shot up among the dry fod
der Colonel Conger had during the talk
slipped around to the back of the barn, and
lighting a handful of dry straw had passed it
tl,ronnh q crnnl, in tho hnarfls and fired the