The National tribune., 1885-07-02
Capturing John Wilkes Booth.
Baltimore Herald.1

We at once surrounded the barn Tsaid Capt
E. 2. Dohertyl and went to the door and tried
to open it, but it was locked with a paddock
Young Garrett had the key to the paddock " h
him, and. when he unlocked it, called oat 10
the men inside:
who you are, and want you. If You do not
come out, / have men enough to take you, dead
or alive
At first there was no answer Finally, in
loud, strong voice, Booth replied: Who are
you, and what do you want?'
Il said: It's no matter what we want;
deliver up your arms and surrender yourselyes'
He called out again: Who are yOu2'
q replied: That makes no difference. We
know who you are, and we want you. / have
50 men here armed, and you cannot get away'
Booth made some answer about his being
captured by his friends and then he asked for
time to think the thing over. Finally / said
to him: We have waited long enough it is
time for you to surrender Booth called out
i am crippled and alone. Take your men
back so yards from the door and will come
out. You ought to give me a chance for my
life'
i told him that we had not come to fight,
but to capture him, and he had better come out.
After awhile Booth called: There is man
here wants to surrender, and wants to surrender
awful bad.'
"At this, Harold came out to the door and
said: Let me out. / want to surrender I
said: Hand out your arms and Booth said he
had no arms. took my pistol and told Harold
to put both hands out at the door, He did so,
and L caught him and pulled him out Then
Booth made some stage-like speech that could
not distinctly understand, but remember he
said: Boys, prepare a streteher for me. An
other man is slain under our glorious banner
few minutes later he called out to me again
to take my men from around the barn and give
him a chance for his life. Just at that moment
somebody, whether one of my men or one Of
the detectives / am not sure, lit a match and
dropped 1t in the straw in the rear of the barn.
In an instant the whole place was lighted up.
We saw Booth standing on the floor of the barn
leaning over on his crutch. On the floor was
the straw, and outlining Booth as he stood there
glaring around as if trying to see US on the
outside. / do not think he intended to shoot
at us, but had made up his mind to kill him.
self. 1t was hardly a moment after the fire.
burst out before Booth dropped his erutch and
took his carbine in both hands, still glaring
about the barn, and really looked as if he were
about to shoot At this instant we heard shot.
Booth gave yell and for the moment stood
with the carbine between his legs. his head
bent over the butt. and then, as he was about
to fall, caught him under the arms and pulled
him cut of the barn. Some one called out He
has shot himself and it was for some time my
impression that that was the case. But Sergt.
Boston Corbett soon told me that he had shot,
intending only to disable Booths arm.
Booth lived about two hours. / took the
blanket off my horse, sewed him up in it, took
an old negro with his cart and returned to
Belle Plaine, where the steamer L. s Ide Capt.
Wilson, was waiting for me; returned to WASH
ingten with the corpse of Booth and David e.
Harold as prisoner, and at 3 a. m. on April Is,
1865, turned both over to the naval authorities
in charge of ironclad monitor Montauk at the
navy yard.
Booth had on an old business suit-black,
with little white spots. In his pockets were
lot of little onions. A diary was in one pocket.
l did not read it carefully. Several pages lad
been written after the assassination. He al
luded to himself as the greatest patriot known
to modern history. turned the diary over to
the War Department.. / think it was never
published.
"The prize money of $4,000 was divided on
the plan governing the distribution of prize
money in the Navy. was regarded as Cap
tain of vessel passing from one squadron to
another, and making capture on the way. I
received $500, Col. Baker So, ,750, Couger 81 CO.,
L. B. Baker $4,000, Corbett and the other
Sergeant S2,545, seven Corporals got s., POI, and
Is privates got S2.063. Nearly all the men live
now near Plattsburg, N. Y, where they invested
their money in farms. live in Louisiana, and
am engaged on Government work on the Red
River. / am happy to say have multiplied
my share of the $4,000 several times"