, 1885-03-17

uiII ACCOUNT Oh Tue event. Oh fiRfn To- A'0fI
and his complete statement OF his moral con-
dition and OF his absolute knowledge Of the
tinthfulness OF Splritnalism and Of ths
duty Of overy ono to embrace u, as we'll as
tho wickedness OF those who rejected H.
The test was soon to come.
Among those present was n foxy, earnest
and incisivo officer OF the United States
army. ON tho retired list. He cut across the
stream Of emotional, and moral, and repor.
torial questions with this one.
Il wish TO ask tho spirit where his body
was buriedf'
uInstantiy l tipped out amid breathle-l
silence;
Under the floor OF the old arsenal, on the
Island. at Washington
There were those present who knew l had
never been IL Washington, and, therefore.
could not be aware OF a locality 20 definitely
given. There were those present intensely
Interested in the question Of where Booth
was buried, for l had made them interested
In IT, The answer was plump, prompt and
positive. Other questions about who buried
him, who was buried with him, etc. were
beyond my knowledge Tbs spirit, there-
fore, parried them by an assurance that
such disclosures panied him to exhaustion,
aud il would be better to summon the spirits
of his comrades In the assassination.
RhN ARAANAl NAathhA - NV - ~ saa@t
any OF them were unsuccessful. There was
n general expression OF regret that the feel
ings OF tie ~contrite Booth had been lacer-
ated unduly. The colonel. at the last. ex-
pressed himself satisfied. He said he had
been stationed at hat arsenal when hs WIS
a subaltern. He described the locality by
saying that a canal. then and now a dry
ditch, had leon built between ono point on
tho upper Potomac and another on the
lower Potomac, making tho land between II
and the river bank an island. On that land
the old arsenal was situated II was APP
preached by a road running out
from Sixth street, nearly opposite the Ma
tional hotel, ON Pennsylvania avenue.
The discussion In the press as TO how and
where Booth was buried revived about this
time. Finally, after nearly three months.
Surgeon General Barnes wrote an open let
ter TO an inquiring friend saying that Booth
was buried under the floor OF the old
arsenal, on the Island, in Washington" and
giving generally the time and circumstances
That was official.
Ny old friend the colonel took immediate
occasion In a letter to a S~piritnalistic paper
10 declare that, while the tardy information
Of the surgeon general was correct the
Spiritualists, or at least some OF them, had
known the fact for some time, because the
spirit u DDOln uhui Nnlu ~ lluu tbtplEV
was present, given distinctly the informa-
ton Of the place OF his burial to a rising
young journalist ahemD who was one Of the
most careful and impressionable mediums he
had ever seen.
And to this letter the gallant colonel
signed his name, after | had with difficulty
gotten him to loaye my name out and had
suitably blushed at his characterization Of me.
My memory OF AMI tru,t in what Baker
had told me, when ho was under an excess
both Of animal and OF ardent spirits. stood
me in good stead. They who had been of
little faith on The World were rebuked. ]
know they were, though they never said so,
In ls0S-9 ! was sent to Washington as cor
respondent OF The World and OF The Eagle.
In February OF the latter year l began the
preparation OF an interview with President
Andrew johnson, to be published on March
4, 1865, as his farewell u%tterance as psesi-
dent, 10 the American people. It required
me 10 meet him very frequently, question
him very closely and listen TO him very at
tentively. Then, as the different chapters
finished, he and l would go over them care
fully. At that lime the administration had
given up to relatives all the bodies Of the
conspirators which had been requested, ex-
cept that Of Booth. The disintcrment of
each body had been reported with a progress
sively increased se~nsAtionalism, which be-
came offensive to Mr.. johnson and Mr..
Seward. They considered tho idea Of refus-
ing the request Of Booths relatives for the
remains OF tho actor, and gave out In the
press that they had refused the request At
the snme time, the relatives were notified
that the request would be granted. If they
could promise that the disinterment
should TX conducted with absolute privacy.
Tln % f1rna rauraratal rrara AfrarfaH 20 oh.
serve the utmost secrecy and to SEQ that 10
publicity was given to the fact Of disinter.
ment
Matters unnecessary to recall convinced
mo that this was the programme and re
solved to get on 10 1t, II possible The other
correspondents considered that the an
nouneement of the refusal TO give up the re-
mains of Booth was genuine. / believed IL
was not-and / waited and watched. On an
afternoon In mid February, 1899, l was sit
ting with the president and working with
hun On the projected farewell interview.
Something would happen. It was in tho air.
While We were thus engaged a long, quiet
thin, solemn man was admitted, n he
handed Mr.. Johnson a paper, which the lat
tor signed. Then before returning
1t he said very severely: "You know,
sir. that it its my wish thei
this be- lone with the utmost privacy and
dispatch" The man replied: THAT is per-
fectly understood, Mr. President. You
directions shall be implicitly obeyed.p Then
he went ont Quick as a flash the eonyic-
tiun went through me, that man is an un
d~ertaker; that paper Is an order for Booths
body" dissembled, for il was necessary
to do 30 under the searching eyes OF the
keenly observant president. Asking him 70
excuse me for u moment, l went out Of til
room and dow stairs in time TO see the man
going toward the war department. Follow
lug him In l Jaw him IN conversation with
Acting Adiutant General Townsend, whom
/ knew would have to countersign al order
Of that kind. When l came out
there wns a long box wagon with q
hagro ON the seat standing in front. In Tho
aagcn was Il long, white wooden box
such as they use to carry collins in. Thai
was evidence enough for me. Ths negro wa
waiting to drive the man TO tho "o.t
arsenal 1 at once walked TO Willard's no
tel rapidly, hired a carriage and made II al
object" to the driver to get 70 the old arsena
as poon as possible We arrived there ver1
quickly and l sent the carriage back, pre-
ferring TO ride back TO the town with the I'm
taker.
In about eight minutes he came up witt
his box wagon. l stopped him at the en-
trance by throwing up my hand and said t.
very CURLY;
Have you an order sirP
He instantly replied very civilly: @Yes
sir, here it Il, y handing 1t to me.
1t was in due form directing the officer IL
charge of the arsenal to deliver to the man
The was a Baltimorean and his name, as
remember, was Weaver the body Of Johr
Wilkes Booth, to be by him given TO the lat
ter's relatives and duly ~receipted for. II
was signed by President johnson and coun
tersigned by Gen. Townsend.
Looking at the man with great solemnity,
! said to him in a dry, official way
"You know, sir, that IL Is the presidentl
wish that this DO done with the utmost pri
vacy and dispatchF'
The use OF the very words spoken by Mr..