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

from his f~rmar house, lie was vet
:eiy near tidewatcr. The new farm
was very much retired, was not on the
public road, and consisted Of clcarings
amidst rain-washcd hills anti deep g,il-
lies, almost i,nptnetinbla short pines,
and sc,ne swamp and forest timber.
Henry Woodland, the black servant.
who was then q years old, was still
Jones' chief assistant, and was kept al-
ternately farming mid fishing.
The Young man who came from Cox's
was told If stopped on the road to say
that he was going to Jones' to ask If he
could let Cox have some seed corn,
which In lha. climate is planted early
in April. He told Jones that Col. Cox
wished him to come Immediately to his
house, about three miles to the north.
The young man mysterioualy intimatea
that there were very remarkable visitors
ut Coxs the night before. Accustomed
to obey the summons of his old friend,
Jones mounted his horse and went to
Cox's. Coxs property, called Rich
Hill, made an agreeable contrast to
the sember short pines which at no
great distance seemed to cover the plain
almost as thickly as wheat straws in the
grain-field.
Taking Jones aside, Cox related tn,
the previous night the assassin Of Pres
ident Lincoln had come to his house in
company with another person, guided
by a negro, and had asked for assistance
to cross the Potomac River; and, said
Cox to Jones, "you will have to get him
across Cox indicated where the fugi-
tives were concealed, perhaps one mile
distant, few rods west of tho present
railroad track, and just south of Cox's
Station. Jones was to give signal by
whistling in certain way as he APP
preached the place, else he might ba
fired upon and killed. Nobody, 1t is
believed, ever saw Booth and Herold
after this time in Maryland besides
Cox's oyerseer, Franklin Robv, and
Jones. Cox's family protest that the
fugitives never entered the house ut NIL
his adopted son, still living, says Booth
did not come into the house Herold,
who was with Booth. related to his
counsel, as the latter thinks, that after
they left Mudd's house they never were
in any house whatever in Maryland.
The negro who was employed to guide
Booth from DIR. Mudd's to Cox's testified
that he saw them enter the house: but
as the Government did not use him on
the trial, Il is probable that he related
his belief rather than what he saw.
But there is no doubt Of the fact that
when DIR. Mudd found Booth on his
hands Saturday with broken ankle,
and the soldiery already pouring into
Bryantown, he and Booth and Herold
became equally frightened. and in the
early evening the two latter started b,
a road to the east for Cox's house, turn
ing Bryantown and leaving it to the
north, and arriving about or before
midnight Mt Coxs. There the negro
was sent back. Herold advanced te
the porch and communicated with Cox
anu Booth sat on his horse off toward
the outer gate. The two men cursed
Cox after they backed out to where tho
negro was--hc remaining at the outer
gate-and said that Cox was no gentle
man and no host. These words were
probably intended to mislead the negr,
wheI they sent him back to Dr. Mudd's
This negro was arrested, as was
colored woman in Cox's family, a;.G
with the same remarkable fidelity
have mentioned, the woman confronte,
the negro man and swore that what Ii,
said was untrue.
Nevertheless, Booth and Herold wer,
sent into the short pines, and ther,
Jones found them. He SAYS that rs Ii,
was advancing into the pines he cam,
upon bay mare, with black legs
name, aud tail, and n white star ON til,
forehead; she was saddled, and royin,
around in little cleared place as j
trying to nibble something to eat
Jones took the mare and tied her to
tree or stump. He then advanced an,
gave what hc calls the countersign, o
whistle, which he does not precisely 10
member now, though he thinks it wa
two whistles in peculiar way, and
whistle after an interval. The frs
person he saw was Herold, fully armc,
and with carbine in his hand. comm!
out to see who it was. Jones eyplaine,
that he had been sent to see them, an,
was then taken to Booth, who was hu
few rods farther along.
Booth was lying on the ground
wrapped up in blankets. with his foo
supported and bandaged, and a crutcl
beside him. His rumpled dress locke,
respectable for that country, and Jone
SAYS it was of black cloth. His fac
was pale ut oil times, and never cease,
to be SO during the several days tina
Jones saw him. He was in great pai
from his broken ankle, which ha
suffered fracture of one of the tw
bones in the leg, down close to the foot
1t would not have given him any yer
great pain but for the exertion of hi
escape, which irritated it hy scrapin
the ends Of the broken bone perhaps j
the flesh; it was now highly irritated
and whichever way the man moved Ii
expressed by q twitch or groan til
pain he felt. Jones says that this pal
was more or less continuous, and wa
greatly aggravated by the peril ,
Booths situation-unable to cross til
river without assistance, and unable
walk any distance whatever. Jont
believes that Booth did not rise froi
the ground at any time until he WI
finally put on Jones horse to be take
to the waterside some days afterwar,
Booths first solicitude seemed to l
| to learn what mankind thought OF til
crime. That question he put almo:
immediately to Jones, and continued
ask what different classes of peopl
thought about it. Jones told him thl
it was gratifying news to most of I'll
men of Southern sympathies. II
} frankly says that he himself at iir
regarded it as good news; but som
+ what later, when he saw the inluriol
consequences of the crime to the Sontl
4 he changed his mind. Tooth deslr.
/ newspapers il they could be had, whis
| would convey to him an idea Of publ
! feeling Jones soon obtained new
. papers for him, and continued to Sci
, them in: and Booth lay there, whe
: the pines were SO thick that one cou
: not see more than thirty or forty fe
into them, reading what the world hs
to say about his case. He seemed new
/ ..t. inf &l L.,