National Republican., 1884-05-17
CLUE drill by q picked SQUAD.
THE AssAssIN's HORSE.

Chat with the Owner OF the Steed That
bore Booth, tho Murderer, Away tho
Night He Murdered Abraham Lincoln.
Much has been written about the move.
ments Of John Wilkes Booth after he had
assassinated President Lincoln but the ques-
tion has often been asked What became of
the horse that he mounted in the alley in the
rear Of Ford's theater and rode to the lower
part of Maryland, accompanied in his flight
by the young man HeroldW
At the time the tragedy was enacted by
Booth he had for some time previous been
guest at the National hotel. In the rear of
| the hotel, on G street, and upon the opposite
side, is a large livery stable, Of which, in
| 1865 Mr.. James w. Humphrey was, and is at
the present time, the proprietor.
Mr. Pumphrey, in a conversation yesterday
| with REPUBLICAN reporter, gave the follow
ing interesting particulars concerning tho hir-
| inc of the animal which Booth rode on Good
Friday, 1861 the night of the assassination.
| Said Mr. Pumphrey: Booth had been
taking rides for six months prior to the day
preceding the night of the assassination. He
| Generally came to the stable in the morning.
but sometimes in the afternoon. On Good
! Friday he came to the stable at about 1:30
n. III. and asked me for his horse. His
| fayorite horse was large sorrel. told him
the sorrel was hired out but that could let
| him have q small bay mare then standing in
stall. He said all right and asked me if
| | would go and have drink with him,
which I declined. While tho animal was
| being sadded and bridled, Booth, who always
wore spurs when riding, stopped down
aud commenced putting on the spurs, which
| had been handed him, right near pool of
muddy water, made by the washing of car
| riaCes ] demonstrated with him for doing
| SO, and asked him why he didn't put his foot
upon box? ooh! it doesn' mako my diff
ference" he replied. He showed the same
affable and pleasant manner SO characteristic
of him when coming to the stable, and
apparently had nothing special upon his
dark blhGbGHe Witt LAY Bf nc5tabq 70
match i saw him mount and leave tho
stable, but have never seen that bay marc
| since She was mare that could make very
good speed, and as horses were high at the
time l valued her at $3.50.
What do you suppose became Of the
animal?"
"All know about it is this: During the
trial WAS told by Herold that before Booth
and he crossed over to the Virginia side of
the Potomac they destroyed the horses they
rode"
Continuing, Mr.. Pnmphrey said: "At the
time Of the assassination police headquarters
were on Tenth street, where o military court
of inquiry had been established. Upon going
TO police headquarters l was shown a spur,
WnlCn L SWOre 10 having Deeu worn Dy bOOln.
was requested to be very careful in my tes-
timony, and was asked how or by what par
tcular mark l could tell tho spur was
the one usually worn by Booth? Because,
replied, it is fine steel spur
and as have handled it so often l ought to
know it. / was then asked to select from q
number of mats shown me the one that Booth
wore OH the day he hired the mare, and after
tumbling over several of them l selected the
one of which l have referred to. Tho spur
was found sticking in Il portion of the decora-
tons of tho box at Ford's theater from which
Booth leapod on the night of the assassina
tOn. j cannot say where the hat was found
whether IN the tho theater or the alley where
he mounted and rode OF | mover received
any compensation for the loss of the mare
On the night of the assassination, several o
the government detectives came to my stable
and was the first one to give them q clew t.
tho whereabouts Of Payne, Booth, and Herold
/ told them to go first to the residence O
John Surratt's mother, on IL street, and ther
to Surrattsvile. The result of this clew 10 o
course familiar to everybody.