The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1884-04-10

When I received this account from
Mr.. Jones, askc him question after
question to see If / could extract any
inscrmatirn 4. ts What Booth inquired
about while III TINT wilderness. | asked
il he spake OF his mother, or whore he
was going when hc reached Virginia;
whether he blamed himself for jumping
from the theater box; whether he ex-
pressed any apprehension for Mrs.
Surratt or his friends Ii Washington:
To these and to many TT CT que ,tions
Jones uniformly replied: NO, 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. he thinks, wore
slouched hat At first meeting Boosh
IN tic plies, he prorel himself to be
the. assassin by showing upon his wrist,
in India ink, the initials j. w. B. He
showed the same To Capt. Jett in Nir-
ginia. Jones SAYS Booth was de-
terminel man, not bolsting, bnt one
who would have sold his life dear. He
said he would not be taken alive.
Mr.. Jones went mp to Port Tobacco
in day or two to hear about the mur-
der. and heard detective there from
Alexandria say. Il will give 100000
and guarantee 1t to the man who can
tell where Booth is. When we consider
that the end of the war had come. and all
the Confederate hopes were blasted and
every mans slaves set free. we may re-
fleet upon the fidelity Of this poor man.
whose land was not his own, and with
inevitable poverty before him perhaps
for the rest Of his days. when the next
morning he was told that to him alone
would be intrusted that man for whom
the Government had offered fortune,
and was increasing the reward. Mr..
Jones says it never occurred to him for
one moment that it would be good
thing to have that money. On the coa-
trary, his sympathies were enlisted for
the pale-facea yonng man, SO ardent to
get to Virginia and have the comforts
of doctor.
Said he to Booth: "Icn must remain
right here, however long, and wait till
can see some way t, get you out and
do not believe j can get You away
from here until this hue and cry is
somewhat over. Meantime will see
that you are fed. He then continued
to v sit them daily, generally about 10
o'clock i'll the morning. He always
went alone, taking with him
such food as the country had
| ham, whisky, bread, fish, and
coffee. Part of the way Jones Lad to 60
by the public road, hut he generally
worked into the pines rs quickly as
possible. His intercourse at each visit
with the fugitises was short, because
he was III great personal danger him.
self, was not lnIuis tive, and was wholly
intent on Keeping his faith with his old
friend and the new ones. He says that
Hcrold had nothing to say OF the least
Importance, aud was nothing but pilot
for Eooth. Not improbably Cox sent
/ his own oyerseer into the pines some-
| times to see these men or to give them
something. but he took no active part
III their escape. The blankets they
possessed came either from Cox's or
from DR.. Mudd's.
Booth, as has been said, rode small
! bay mare from the rear of Ford's
Theater to Cox's pines. Herold rode a
horse of another color These horses
We're hired Mt different livery stables in
I Washington. Jones is not conyersant
with all the facts about the shooting of
these horses. but the testimony of Cox
before lie died was nearly rs follows
After Booth entered the pines he dis
tinctly heard, the next day or the day
following, a band Of cavalry going along
the road at no great distance, and the
neighing of their horses. He said to
Herold: IF we can hear those horses,
they can certainly hear the neighing Of
ours, which are uneasy for want Of food
and stabling." When Jones, Sunday
morning, came through the woods and
found one Of the horses loose, he told
Cox. rs well as Booth, that the horses
ought to he put out OF the way. Cox
had Hcrold advised to take the horses
down into Zekiah Swamp and shoot
them both with his revolver. which he
did
The weather during those days and
nights was of n foggy. misty character
hot cold, but uncomfortable, although
there was 10 rain. At regular inter
walls the farmer got OH his horse and
went through the pines two or three
miles to the spot where still lay the
yearning man with the great crime be.
hind him and the great wish to see Nir.
ginia. Booth had sympathetic nature,
and seldom failed to make good inn
preston; aud that he made this impress
sion on Jones will presently appear
No incident broke the monotony ol
these visits for days. Jones sent his
faithful negro ont with the boat to fisl
with gill-nets, SO that it should not b.
broken up i'll the precautions used b,
the Eederals to prevent Booths escape
Jones was now reduced to one pool
boat, which had cost him SIS in Balti
more. He had lost several boats in til,
war. costing him from so to S1a:
apiece. This little gray or lead-colore,
skill was the only means by which til,
fugitives could get across the river
Every evening the man returned it t,
the mouth of the little gut or marsl
called Dents Meadow, i'll front Of tin
Huckleberry Farm This is not tw,
miles north of Pope's Greek, and iron
that spot Booth and Herold finally es
capped.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, an,
Thursday passed h,, and more soldier
came in and began - ride hither IN,
thither and to examine the marshes
but they did not penetrate the pines a
, all, which at no time were visited. Tn
; houses were MI examined. and old 81
, Thomas brick buildings. of Il yenerabl
, and imposing appearance, above Chape
! Point, We're ransackel. The stor
went abroad that there wer
) vaults under the priests hous
leading down to the river, and iinall
the soldiers tore the farm and terrace
/ all to pieces. Yet for SIX nights and day
, Booth and Heroll kept in the woods
: and Friday Jones slipped over to
| little settlement called Aliens Fresl
. two or three miles from his farm, to sc
ii he could hear anything. A larg
t body OF cavalry were in the little town
| guided by Marylander, and Will
+ Jones in his Indifferent way was loitel
iu,r al,pt In baa ri tLa af}i.ar Suy. aN