The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-04-09
Wilkes Booth in Hiding.

Wilkes Booth in Hiding.
An important feature of the April
Century is George Alfred Townsend's &C.
count of I" How Wilkes Booth crossed the
Potomac" There is gap in the history of
Wilkes Booths crime, between his dis
appearance in the pines of southeastern
Maryland and his temperance in Vir-
ginia, where he was killed, and this article
(the information of which was supplied
by Thomas A. Jones, an actor in the es.
cape) closes this gap. Jones's first en-.
counter with the fugitives is described as
follows: "Booth and Harold were sent
into the short pines, and there Jones
found them. He says that as he was ad-
vancing into the pines he came upon
bay mare, with black legs, name, and tail,
and white star on the forehead she was
saddled, and rowing around in a little
cleared place as if trying to Dibble some
thing to eat. Jones took the mare and
tied her to tree or stump. He then ad-
vanced and gave what he calls the counter.
sign, or whistle, which he does not pre-
cisely remember now, though he thinks it
was two whistles in peculiar way, and q
L
son 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 few rods
farther along. Booth was lying on the
ground, wrapped up in blankets, with his
foot supported and bandaged, and
crutch beside him. His rumpled dress
looked respectable for that country, and
Jones says it was 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 frac-
ture 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 scraping the ends of the
broken bone perhaps in the flesh; it was
now highly irritated, and whichever way
the man moved he expressed by twitch
or groan the pain he felt. Jones says
that this pain was more or less continu-
GUS, and was greatly aggravated by the
peril of Booths situation-unable to cross
the river without assistance, and 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
water-side some days afterward. Booths
first solicitude seemed to be to learn what
mankind thought of the crime. That
question he put almost Immediately to
Jones, and continued to ask what different
classes of people thought about it. Jones
told him that it was gratifying news to
most of the men of southern sympathies.
He frankly says that he himself at first
regarded it as good news but somewhat
later, when he saw the injurious conse-
quenoes of the crime to the South, he
changed his mind. Booth desired news
papers if they could be had, which ould
convey to him an idea OF public feeling.
Jones soon obtained newspapers for him,
and continued to send them in; and
Booth lay there, where the pines were so
thick that one could not see more than
thirty or forty feet into them, reading
what the world had to say about his case.
He seemed never tired of information on
this one subject, and the only thing be-
sides he was soicitous about was to get
across the river into Virginia. Jones
says Booth admitted that he was the man
WHO killed Lincoln, and he expressed no
regret for the act, knowing all the conse-
quences it involved. He harped again
and again upon the necessity of his cross.
ing the river. He said if he could only
get to Virginia he could have medical at
tendance. Jones told him frankly that
he would receive no medical attendance
in Maryland. Said he: The country is
full of soldiers, and all that can do for
you is to get You off, if l can, for Cox's
protection and my own, and for your
own safety. That | will do for you, if
there is any way in the world to do it,
When | received this account from Mr.
Jones, asked him question after question
to see if | could extract any il formation
as to what Booth inquired about while in
that wilderness. l asked if he spoke of
his mother, of where he was going
when he reached Virginia, of whether
he meant to act on the stage again /;
whether he blamed himself for Jump
ing from the theater box whether he ex-
pressed any apprehensions for Mrs. Sur
raft or his friends in Washington. To
these and to many other questions Jones
uhiioi hiy iePieu No, no uiu not speak
about any of those things. He wanted
food, and to cross the river, and to know
what was said about the Decd Booth,
he thinks, wore slouched hat. At first
meeting Booth in the pines, he proved
himself to be the assassin by showing
upon his wrist, in India ink, the initials
j. w. B. He showed the same to Cap
tain Jett in Virginia. Jones says Booth
was determined man-not Boosting, but
one who would have sold his life dear.
He said he would not be taken alive"