Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1884-05-17
TRIEfDf7RECATLED.
~ I -
HOW WILKES BOOTH CROSSED TIE
POTOMAC kIvHs.<r
A Broken Link In the Story Of the Great
LincoIn Assnssaaiion now Recovered.

An interesting feature Of the April
Century is George Alfred Townsend
account OF idH6w Wilkes Booth crossed
the Potomac" There is a gap in the
history Of Wilkes Booths crime, be
tween his disappearancef in the pines Of
southeastern Maryland and his reap
pearance in. Virginia, where he was.
killed, and this article (the information
OF which was supplied by Thomas A
Jones, an actor in the escape, it IS DC.
Iieved closes this gap. Jones's first en-
counter with the fugitives is described
as follows: Booth and Herold wercl
sent into the short pines, II there
Jones found them. He says that as he
was advancing into the pines nc came
upon a bay MODES With black legs, name,
and tale, and a white star on the fore,
hcadS shG MAs saddlel, and rowing
around in n little cleared place rs if try
ing 10 nibble something to eat Jones
took the mare and tied her to n tree or
stump. He then ? advanced and gave
what he calls the countcrsign, or whistle.
which he does not precisely remember
now. though he thinks 1t was two
whistles in a peculiar way, and a whistle.
after an interval. The irat person he
saw was Hcrold, fully armed with n car
bine in his hand, coming ont TO see who
it was. Jones explained That he had
been sent to sec them, and was then
taken to Booth, who was but a few rods
further along. 4
Booth was lying on the ground,
wrapped up in blapkeE,. with his foot
supported and bandagcd, and n crutch
beside him. HIS ,rnnpled dress looked
re~spectahleior that country, and Jones
SAWS it was; of black cloth. His face
was pale ut all times, and never ceased
to be 60, during the several days that
Jones saw him. He was IN great pain
from his broken ankle, which had suf-
fcred n fracture of one or two bones III
the leg, down close to the foot. 1t
wornh not .hnvea given him any great
pain hat for tho cxertiOn of his escape,
which irritated it by scraping the ends
Of the broken bone perhaps in the flesh;
it was now highly irritated, and which
ever way the man moved he expressed
by a witch or n groan the pain he felt.
Jones says that this pain was more or
less continuous, ami was greatly agra
waited by .ne peril of Booths situation
unable to cross the river without as.
sistance, and unable to walk any dis
lance whatever. Jones believes that
Booth did not rise from the ground at
any time until lie was finally put on
Jones's horse to be taken to the water
side some days afterward.
Booths first solicitude seemed to be
to learp what mankind thought Of the
s~,s's5s!sS|:,1tAl8sS,s$?sI | "A !bE1lBl5 e. E If If
vhat dliiatsaaa s|gaSM YsopN ,hYag!sa
gratifying ners fdHbst Mfhs hdhaSl
souihcsa sympit,ssss, s4e frankly sais
thai. Aa,!A iTsselk g ,tM{'t;isg ~ : ass
RooHucwr;+Mt soHhGhsekNtsM kdrSht
saw.sthe .ln;rrsssssSss Consequences ush Of III.
crime 70 the South We Changed hiz
mind. B~ootlndsaired newspapers if the.
could be had, which would econvey te
him an idea of public feeling. Jones
soon obtained newspapers for him, ant
continued to send them in; and Bootl
lay there, where the pines were SO thicl
that one could not see more than thirt,
or forty feet into them, reading what tn
world had to say about his case. II,
seemed never tired Of information ol
this one subject, and the only thing be
sides he was solicitous about was to &c
across the river to Virginia.
Jones SAYS Booth admitted that h
was the man who killed Lincoln, an,
expressed no regret for the act, KNOWN
all title Consequences it involved. II
said if he could only get to Virginia II
could have medical attendance. Jone
toll | him frankly that he would rccciv
10 mcl'cu attendance in Maryland
Said he: The country is full OF soldier.
and MI that I can DO for You is to <
You of. il I can, for CoA's rrotec.+~@~s
my own, as33ssptt~M own safHy.E IN,
will do 60, iftheraAs aiiy Ery
the world~WnAM.<eaas-rs srM
'Ncn Qeccik dnlis account fro,
MrxH0pcs. ask Nm Question aft,
1uGs@2@c5nId extract any IL
''rmation y & What Boolb in4nrs
about JVeSh nSsHildsrlcss | aAs
II Il" spoke sf l;s netlsr, OF where
YVES going when he reached. Virginia,
"icthcl he. meant TO act en- Tic s.ac
"G.ia,r MISUNDERSTANDING himself +,
j"WlinG 5Ion H.s1 ea.re box .whe.h,
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES ict My
SunI-H ssyinfrNe~<rienAs in " nal
inst6h. 1ni14xSs ssl 40 mns, 9TH,
l"ss,'cps senssrapiic.,a,v replied: N,
nesdid not,spsah about any OF tho
thfSs:. .He wansaJ tnod, a,d TO GRO