The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1882-01-14
USELESS! USELESS

:
Some New Eacts About the Denlh of Wilkes
Booth.
The following is from the letter of
correspondent who has visited the
Garrett farm, where John Wilkes Bootl
was shot: William Garrett is, I should
Judge, approaching thirty-fve years O
age. He is a rather tall, slender man
with full suit of black whiskers. h
Is farmer, and was dressed as became
his vocation.
have been over to visit your ole
home and gather some points about the
death of Booth, and have come to visit
you for the same purpose"
"Those were serious times indeed,
he replied, !" and it has always been 6
wonder to me that the real facts about
his sojourn at our house have never vel
been truthfully told. I was Booths
constant companion nearly all the time
he was at our home. Between o'clock
and o'clock on the afternoon of the
18th of April, Captain Jett brought
Booth to our place. He told father
that Booth was wounded Confederate
soldier; that he had surrendered with
Lees army, and that he had gone to bis
home in Maryland, where they had de-
manded that he take the oath of alle-
glance; that he would not do this and he
was now making his way back to join
Joe Johnston's army in North Carolina.
Father said that he would of course do
what he could for him, and he took
him in. came home shortly after
ward and was with Booth almost con-
stantly until he was shot,"
What was the general tenor of his
conversation ?"
Whatever he had to say was about
the war. He never alluded to the as
sassination of the President. He reiter-
ated the story that Captain Jet had
told my father, and he also said that he
had been engaged in the riots in Balti-
more when the Massachusetts troops
were fired upon. Although he talked
SO much of the war I could not ascer-
tain what regiment he belonged to-
had been Confederate and had Con-
federate uniform, which he wanted, and
| agreed to exchange with him
sc am going back into the army and
need your uniform, and you are going
to be citizen and need my citizens
Clothes he argued
"My!" said Mr. Garrett, with shud.
der, "what narrow escape had. Sup
pose Booth had been captured with nv
uniform on, and I had been found in
possession of his clothes?"
"Was he well dressed:"
"Not particularly. He had on very
good suit of clothes for those times,
and thought I 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 represented himself to be 2
Nothing whatever. The last night
he was at our house lie slept in the
room VITA my brother and me, but he
had very little to say. The next day
he and | were around all day together,
and yet / suspected nothing. I had o
pistol, and we went out to shoot at a
mark"
"Was he good shot?"
she claimed to be, and said he would
shoot five balls in succession through a
knothole in the gate some two inches
in diameter. He took position abont
two rods off and fired all the five shots,
and then sent me to see the result. I
couldt find where any of the balls had
struck, and Booth said he had put all
the five balls through the knothole.
When we came to examine the pistol,
however, to reload it, we found all five
balls still in the pistol. the powder
having exploded without driving out
the bullets. He laughed as heartily as
I did at the fizzle, and we tried no mo e
...aSkmanship." ~
na .sS.eSs YOU the one who brought the
80 ,er annonins1g Iincoln's assassina-
tion?" 18th. I'll,
~ -, all at dinner when that oc-
W. Brothe Jack said that the
I U.ns;dant was she and that 800, 900 re-
80 Mad been Gel for the apprt-
% Mans of hism derer. ! said:
.Gracious! don't wish he would come
his way and l ould capture him;
Pooth turned upi me and said with
great earnestness 600 900
s ..Would you hay himfo s1o0 600
Il 3T would, indl,' l replied; $780,
ooo is a great lot none :.
wv e.Rooth turneaway and became
tbouohtful, and very little to say
e.ar that. Sontime after Harold
49, aa,oe from Bowl Green, and they
o cat away to the ads together. Be-
sora thew returniather had deter
.o ,;uea that they cI not remain in the
honse over night. had become con.
v;nced that theyP some kind OF
s,,snicious characl We imagined
s s,,st thew we're beers of Mosby's
s aang and and might spr horses. When
go told them they'd not sleep in
No house they asf they could not
90 under the housather said that
Gould not do, as logs would get
after them. 49,.
buildings said B Father finally
oonsented to this, hey went out
into the barn, WHEELED on one side
With corn blade foSd on the other
With farming utenfa lot of fur
m;ture belonging tees from Port
ROYAL. After theyl the barn l
A'oJ 1.oJod n with q mad