The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-04-01
WILKES BOOTH IN HIprse.

"Thsre is gap in the history o
Wilkes Booths crime, between hi
disappearance ia the pinss of south
eastern Maryland end his re-appear
anoe in Virginia, where he wss killed
and this article 1.-THE information 0
which was supplied by Thomas A
Jones, an actor ia the escape) il il
believed closes this gap. Jones fire.
encounter with the iugitiges is de.
scriped az follows: "Boesh an Her
old were sent into the short pines,
and there Jones found thsm. He says
that as he was advancing into the
pines he came upon bay mare, with
black legs, name and tail, and white
star on the forehead; she was sadaled,
and rowing around in little cleared
place as il trying to nibble something
to eat. Jones took the mare and
tied her to tree or stump. He then
advanced and gave what be calls the
oountersign, or whistle, which he does
not precisely remember now, though
he thinks it Was two whistles "a
peculiar way, and whistle aiter an
| interval. The FIRST person be saw
vas Herold, fully armed, and with
ca bine in his hand, coming cut to
see who it was. Jones explained that
he had been sent to sse them, and
was then ssken TO Booth, who was
but fsw rods further al)ng.
Booth was lying on the ground
wrapped up in blankets. With his loot
supported and ban6agsd, and q
crutch beside him. His rumplsd
dress looked respectable foy that
country, and Jones says it was Of
black cloth. His face was pale at all
times, and never CEASED to be so dur
ing the several days that Jones saw
him. He was in great pain f9OEG h's
broken ankIs, waicA bad suffered
fracture Of one OF the two bo8es
in the leg, down close to the foot. 1t
would not haze given him any very
great pain but for the e1ettion OF his
escape, which irritateG it by sersping
the ends of the broken bone perhaps,
il the hssb:it was now highly irri-
tsied, and whichever way the man
moved he expressed by twitoh or
a grosn tho pain he felt. Jones says
that this pain Was more or leso con-
:inuous, and was gyss.ly aggravated
by the peril OF Booths situation
unable to cross the river without as
sistsnce. and unable to walk any
distance whatever. Jones believes
that Booth did not rise from the
ground at any TINS until h8 was FIN
ally put on Jones" horse 70 be taken
10 the water eide some days after
ward.
's5oetb's FIRST sel:eitude seamed TO !
be to learn what mankind thought Of |
.he crime. That qEeation ne pat al
MOST Immediately 50 Jones, and ooo-
tinued to AK what Different @3asses Of |
people thought ab0gat it. Jones' tola /
MIN that il was gEasifyiDG Dews to-
most OF the men oS southern Gym
pathies. He iBaDkly says that he"
himself az Fret regarded it SO good 4
1ews; bat somewhat later, when he
Jaw the Injurious consequences of (
he crime to the aouth. lss cbsnged /
zig mind. Booth desired newspapers I
t they could be had !. which would !
,oavey 60 him an idea of public feel 1
ng. Jones s0oA obtained neW0rape. . 4
or him, aud oonfinue&to ssna them /
q; and Booth lay tbaze, whore the
pines we're 50 thick thai one could |
not ses more tSan thirty or foDty feet
nto them. reading -wast the world
nsd to say about bis oaae. He
seemed never tired Of iaiorma&5on on
this oae subject. and the only thing 4
besides he was solicitlous about was
to get across the river into Virginia.
"Jones says that Booth admitted
that be was the man who killed Lin
coin, and expressed no regret for the
act, knowing all the consequences ii
involved. He hsrped again AID agsin
upon the necessity of lis crossing the
river. He said if he could only ges
to Virginia he could have medical at
tendance. Jones told him frankly |
that be would receive no msaicsl as
tendance in Maryland. Said he: i
The country is full Of soldiers, and
all that I can do foT you.is to ge. you |.
of, if ] can, for CoI's- proteesion add
my own. and for your. o. q safety. /
That I will do for yos., if th,Te is aug
way in the world to doit.''
when I received the socoaat |
from Mr.. Jones I asked him question
after question to seeifI could extract
any information as TO what Booth To- i
quirei about wilhelm that wilder
ness. I asked ii he spoke OF his |
mother, or where be VAS going when
he reached Virginia. Of whether he !
meant to act on the stage again;
whether he blamed himself for jump
ing from the theatre box; whether
he expressed any apprehension for
Mrs. Surratt or his friends IN Wash.
ington. To these and to many other
questions Jones uniformly Yeplis1:
mo, he did not speak about any of
those things. He wanted food, and
to cross the river, and to know what
was said about the deed Booth, be
thioks wnre a slouched hat. At first