, 1884-04-23
BOOTH IN HIDING.
An Untold Story of the Assassin oil
Pesident Lincoln.
A Gap Ia History closed Mt Last.
Booth'- Anxiety to Know What
Mankind Thought or
His Crime.

George Alfred ownsen in The Century
There is a gap in the history Of Wilkes
Booths crime, between his Disappearance in
the pines OF southeastern Marvlnnd and hi,
renppenrauce in virginia, where he was
killed, and this article 1.-THE information OF
which was supplIed by Thomas A. Jones, an
actorin the escaped. it is believed. closes this
gap. Jones' first encounter with the fugi-
tives Is described as follows: Booth and
Harold were sent into the snort pines. and
there Jones found them. He saws
that a. he was advancing into the
pines lie came upon IA bly mare wifi
Black legs, mane and tail. aud a white -tnr
on tire forehead; she was saddled, aud rowing
around In a little cleared place as If trying to
nihble something to eat. Jones took the
mare aud tied her to a tree or stump. He
then advanced and gave what he calls tho
rouutersign, or whistle. which he does not
pl,c.eely remember now, though he thinks it
"A> Two whistles in a peculiar way. and u
'h,stle after an interval. The first rerson
he SAN wa Harold. fully armed. and with
tcarb ne In his hand. coming out to ,rr
fho II was. Jones explained that
Ne had bcu sent out to see them.
tnl was then taken to Booth, who was
bat u few rods further along.
Booth was lying on the ground. Yi4Ipirtl
up IN blankets, with his foot supported and
bahdaged AMI a crutch hesihe him. His
rumplrd dress looked respectable for thai
cointry. aud Jones SAYS 1t was of black cloth.
His fuc. WINS pale At all times, aud never
ceased to he 80 during the several day, that
Jones saw him. Ho was in great pain from
his broken ankle, which had suffered "A
fracture Of one of the two bones in the leg.
down close to the foot. IL would not have
given him very much pain but FOR the cxer-
ton Of his escape, which irritated il by scrau.
ing the ends oil the broken bones in tue flesh
IL was now highly irrit.ted. aud whichever
way the man novel h-cypreS,ed by n t,yitrb
or a grOan the pain he felt. Jones Snys that
this pain was more or less continuous, and
was greatly aggravated by the peril of Booths
situation unable to cross the river without
assistance, aud unable to walk any distance
whatever. Jones believes that Booth did not
rise from the ground at any time until he
was finally put on Jones' horse to be taken
to the wutcr-side some days nfterwhrd.
Booth, inst solicitudc seemed to he ia
learn what mankind thought OF the crime.
That question he put almost immediately tn
Jones, and continued to ask what diTerrnt
classes of people thought about it. Jones
told him that il WINS Urntifvi,g now 70 -,
of the men of southern s~ympathics. He
frankly says that Inc himself at first rroat,lc 1
il as good news; but somewhat later. when
me saw lNc injurious consequences of the
crime to the south. he changed hi. mind
Booth desired newspapers if they c,uII n,
had which would convey tu him an idea of
public feeling. Jones soon obtained ,,a,vs
paper, for him aud continued to send tbsm
in; AMI Booth lay there, whern the mines ,y,.ru
90 thick that one could not Soc more tLn,
thirty or forty feet into them, reading what
the ~, rid he 10 say about his rn,e us
seemed never tired ot ~infornationo OF his one
subject, and the ouly tliug besides Ia. wa.
sollcitous nh-ut was to get across TN. rive,
INTO Virginia.
Jones says Booth admitted that he wa.
The man who killed Lincoln, and eyurps.ni
40 regret for the act. kuowinp all thu cons.
queucts 1t involved. He h,II,,I ngntn nnI
igaiu upon the necessity of In, rIns,inr An,
river. lie said II he could onIy get la VII.
Einia he could have medical atten Iara,.
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