The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1884-04-18
BOOTH In HIDING.
A Hitherto Untold story OF the hsseasin
OF President Lincoln.

OF President Lincoln.
There is a gap in the history of
Wilkes Booths crime, between his dis
appearance in the pines of Southeastern
Maryland and his reappearance in Vir
ginia, where he was killed, and this
article (the information of which was
supplied by Thomas A. Jones. an actor
in the escape). it is believed, closes this
gap. Jones's first encounter with tho
tugitives is described as follows:
Booth and Harold were sent into the
short pines, and there Jones found
them. He says that as he was advano-
ing into the pines he came upon bay
mare with black legs, name and tail,
and a white star on the forehead; she
was saddled, and rowing around IN
little cleared place as if trying to nibble
something to eat. Jones took the mare
and tied her to a tree or stump. He
then advanced and gave what he calls
the countersign, or whistle, which he
does not precisely remember now
though he thinks it was two whistles
in peculiar way, and a whistle after
an interval. The first person he saw
was Harold, fully armed, and with
carbine in his hand, coming out to see
who it was. Jones explained that he
had been sent to see them, and was
then taken to Booth, who was but a
few yards further along.
"Booth was lying on the ground,
wrapped up in blankets, with his foot
supported and bandaged and a crutch
beside him. His rumpled dress looked
respectable for that country and Jones
says it was of black cloth. His face
was pale at all times and never ceased
to be so during the several days that
Jones saw him. He was in great pain
from his broken ankle, which had
suffered fracture of one of the two
bones in the leg, down close to the foot.
1t would not have given him any very
great pain but for the exertion OF his
escape, which irritated it by scrapin2
the ends of the broken bone perhaps in
The flesh; it was now highly irritated
and whichever way the man moved ne
expressed by twitch or groan the
pain he felt. Jones says that this pain
was more or less continuous, and wa;
greatly aggravated by the peril Of
, Booths ituation-unable to cross the
river without assistance, and unable tt
walk any distance whatever. Jones
. believes that Booth did not rise from
The ground at any time until he wa'
finally put on Jones's horse to be takeI
to the water-side some days afterward
; "Booth's first solicitude seemed to b.
l to learn what mankind thought of tn
crime. That question he put almos
t Immediately to Jones, and continues
F, to ask what different classes of peopl
thought about it. Booth desire
newspapers if they could be had, ,whlc
would convey to him an idea CT publ
C feeling. Jones soon obtained news
S papers for him and continued to sen
d them in; and Booth lay there, wher
s the pines were so thick that one coul
# not see more than thirty or forty fec
S into them, reading what the world ha
n to say about his case. He SCENE
IS never tired of information on this on
o subject, and the only thing besides b
70 was solicitous about was to get aero:
u the river into Virginia.
3 "Jones says Booth admitted that l
le was the man who killed Lincoln, an
N expressed no regret for the act, KNOWN
s all the consequences it involved. I
W harped again and again upon the nj
rt cessity of his crossing the river. /
ID said if he could only get to Virginia
II. could have medical attendance. Jon
er told him frankly that he would recel
IN no medical attendance in Marylan
er Said he: The country is full
IS soldiers, and al that l can do for y,
ia is to get you off, if can, for Cox's pl
Vn lection and my own, and for your o'
ID safety. That 1 will do for you,if the
is is any way in the world to do it.
er "When l received this account fro
lg Mr.. Jones 1 asked him question af
dl- ouestion, to see if l could extract a
OF information as to what Booth inquiI
II about while in that wilderness.
ng asked if he spoke of his mother,
ep. where he was going when he reach
nd Virginia, of whether he meant to
m on the stage again; whether he blan
'ep himself for jumping from the thea
ia box; whether he expressed any app
ou. tensions for Mrs. Suratt or his frieI
lth IN Washington. To these and to ma
'se other questions Jones uniformly
'nd plied. No. he did not speak about
"A of those things. He wanted food,
to cross the river, and to know W
md was said about the deed Booth;
IND thinks. wore slouched hat. At T
alis meeting Booth in the pines he pro
ne himself to be the assassin by show
re- upon his wrist, in India ink, the
'us tials ]. w. B. He showed the SAINT