The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1884-08-02
THE LIACOLN ASSASSINATION
A "Reminiscences by the Manager of Ford's
Opera House.

A Star reporter finding himself cosil
seated in the Office of Ford's oper
house, and Harry Ford in vein c
"Reminiscences, led Mr.. Ford 8 mind bac
a score of years to the events attendin
the assassination of President Lincol
at the Tenth Street Theater. eth
day of the assassination" said MI
Ford, "about II M, Booth came dow
Tenth street to the theater and stoppe,
there to read letter. can remembe
very well seeing him sitting on the step
outside. / told him then that Presiden
Lincoln and General Grant were com
ing to the theater that night. l sale
that President Lincoln and Genera
Grant would occupy one box, an(
added, as joke to tease him, that JEFF
Davis and General Lee would be in an
other box. He denounced Genera
Lee very vigorously for having sur.
rendered the sword of Virginia. That
evening, after the performance began,
he came to the theater, and, as he
passed the box Office, he looked into
the window, and, putting his arm
through, placed cigar which he had
partly smoked on shelf inside, and
said in mock heroic bombastic furioso
style:
"'Who e'er this cigar dares displace
Must meet Wilkes Booth face to face.
"Then he passed into theater-"
s'Did he ever return for the cigarp"
asked the Star reporter.
"No. Those were the last words l
ever heard him speak. He must have
said them to mislead us, for his plans,
it seems were already laid and it was
part of the plan, as l heard afterward,
that Payne was to assassinate Seward,
Atzerott should kill johnson at the
Kirkwood house, and Booth shoot the
president simultaneously. So he knew
just what he was going to do, and how
much time he had.
slater in the evening"" continued
Mr.. Ford, we heard pistol shot in the
theater. Joe Sessford and / were in
the treasurer's office. We thought at
first that it was the pistol fired by ASA
Trenchard' in the play-Laura Keene
was playing sOur American Cousin
but then it struck us little too early in
the evening. We opened a little win
dow that looked into theater, and saw
Booth crouching on the stage with a
knife in his hand. Even then we could
not tell what had happened, and no one
seemed to know. We thought at first
that some one had insulted Booth and
he had pursued the man across the
stage. A few minutes, which seemed |
an hour, passed before the whole terri
bic truth was known"
"You were among those who were
were you notP" asked the Star
reporter.
81 was arrested, think, on the Sun
day following the assassination, and
taken down to the Carol prison, 'front.'
ing upon the capitol grounds. l was
treasurer of the theater, and my brother,
James R.Ford, better known as "Dick"
Ford, was manager. My brother, John
L. Ford, who owned the theater, was
arrested at his home in Baltimore, after
MS return from Richmond. He had run
Town there to see our uncle, mothers
only brother, William Greaner. Nearly
very body about the theater was put
inder arrest-the carpenter, the assist
mt carpenter, the property man and
others. Nearly every one around here
professionally related to Booth was ar c
ested, and the Virginia and Maryland t
along the river, who were sup I
'osed to have assisted Booth in his /
scape any way, by harboring him, {
living him food, or shelter, or boats, b
we're arrested, and they were all sent h
0 the prison were | was. So we had
lenty of company. u
'Dld | enjoy itP Well, | would not
ave missed the experience for great a
cal. 1t was rare mixture-deserters,
ounty-jumpers, and prisoners of state, v
overnors, legislators, and men of every 9
,ation. Still, it was rather rough the ;,
rst week. We were kept in close and =,
)litary confinement. Each man had :"
pom by himself and was not allowed
, leave it or to see any one. remem-N OF
or that when my brother was brought to
saw him in the yard. The guards 81
Guild not let me go to him or speak to
m. After John I. was arrested his
.mily came over from Baltimore. His cf
ife applied to Secretary Stanton for a ne
ASS to go to the prison and see him, XII
Id Stanton refused. There we were de
it alone in our dungeons in dreadful be
lcertainty. l remember the day of in
G funeral ceremonies at the capitol. iu
could see nothing, but could hear the
iSiDh ooOihihS VI Suhot ehO Nsioiini
ating of mufiled drums, playing dead an
arches, and the steady tramp of feet. VIZ
lat was not very cheering music for Gu
r ears. We did not know but the
ople in their excitement would mob 10,
3 prison and lynch us, for some of the d.
sn arrested had been stoned in the
eet. Our fare was coarse prison VI
ID, soup and beans ana dry bread. pc
en- this experience had its comic side.
3 used to have tin cups, and every
sning one of the prison guards would
ne through the hall, roaring, Cups, tn
os, you scoundrels.' We had to pass Sc
IN out to him. After that first week ess
had more liberty. and really had tb,
y jolly time" wi
Trouble With the Indians. Do
VI