Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-05-27
miscellaneous &eading.
THE ASSASSINATION OF LINCOLN.


sequences.
The landmarks of the bloody deed are
still standing as they were twenty-one
years ago. The National Hotel where
John Wilkes Booth made his home looks
lust as it did then, with. some internal inn
provements. Ford's Theater, the scene OF
the assassination, is standing, although it is
now occupied by the Army and Navy Med
ical Museum and the box in which Presi-
dent Lincoln sat has been torn out and the
spot is in mid-air between two floors with
nothing to mark it, oThe house in which
he died across the street bears the same
quiet face it then had. A plain mar
BILE tablet in the wall tells the passer-by of
the event which makes the house historic.
The Surratt house is exactly as it was then.
1t is tenanted by department clerk, who
paws S25 month for it. The alley, shap-
ed like carpenters square, leading from
F. Street to the rear of the theatre is un-
changed. Now and then some curious Wis
itor wanders down in behind the big build
ing and realizes in his imagination the wild
Gathering ride of the assassin OF the hill
on his flight for life.
The dranaatis person9 of the assassination
have not Jared so we'll. Few are to be found
here in Washington who were present at
Ford's theatre that night, or who had any
direct knowledge of the event. MIR. Peter
son, in whose house Lincoln died, lives here.
Allison Major, of whom Booth hired his
horse, remains. Captain Dougherty, who
captured Booth, resides here. Maj. Rath-
bone who accompanied the President that
night came to tragic end two years ago in
Europe. Laura Keene, the star OF that ia
tai eve, is dead. John r. Ford, the mana
ger of the theater, is living in Baltimore,
still engaged in running theater. John
and Anna Surratt are in Baltimore also, she
the wife of druggist and he engaged as a
teacher. DR.. Mudd, who set Booths leg,
died two years ago. Spangler, the scene
shifter, served his term on the Dry Tortu-
gas and died several years ago. McLaugll-
lin, another of the accessories, is dead.
Some queer things have happened in con-
sequence of President Lincoln's assassna-
ton. Ford's Theater was never opened af-
ter the night of April II. 1t would have
made fortune for any man to have kept
the house open, but Secretary Stanton stood
invincibly opposed to the idea, and through
his instrumentality Ford's Theater was
soon purchased for one hundred thousand
dollars. Another result of the tragedy
is stranger still. John Wilkes Booth
was the younger brother of Edwin Booth
Americas greatest actor. Edwin Booth has
never been seen on any stage in Washing
ton. Marvellous temptations have been en-
ployed to induce him to relent from his de-
termination. Unparalleled offers have beer
made, and persuasions from social anu po
litical celebrities have time and again beer
gently but firmly put aside as if they hao
been the idle listing of the wind. Anoth
er thing, not SO queer is that no Pres
ident has since then been without body
guard on all public occasions. Nothing il
said about it but the man in the back grount
with revolver in his pocket has been al
almost insperable feature of Presidential
receptions.
Among the interesting things connected
with the assassination of President Lincoln
are what are known as the Booth relics
Out of the fifty millions of people in thl
country perhaps not one hundred have seel
them. They are in the custody of tn
Judge. .Advocate-Gene of the army, ant
are kept in a small green safe in his office Il
the Winder building, just west of the State
y War and Navy Department building
: These are possibly the most interestln
; things connected with the sad affair. Their
is little velvet medallion, covered with
> watch crystal, in which are kept a numbe
of small pieces of bone taken out OF tn
= wound in the Presidents head. Here, too
: is Booths diary, in which were found sever
= = al photographs, two of unknown women
' remarkable beauty, sweethearts OF his, n
doubt. One was the photograph OF Mr.
= Bowers, the actress. In the pocket OF tn
z diary, too, were a dozen slivers Of pine
. which Booth and Harold had used probabl
II in kindlng fire. A little iron horseshoe
- with a blue ribbon tied to it, is kept wit
the other things. It was found tied in til
, buttonhole of the old gray coat Booth wol
:. =. when caught. The pistol with which tn
>, =, deed was committed is asmall, short, thic
!. bulldog sort weapon of the old-fashionet
- single barreled, self-cocking style. Thel
- is but one entry in the diary. That is
! rambling bit of talk by the assassin, sount
" ing very much like some of Guiteaus ute
!" v, ances, in which he declares that he shoute
~ "sic semper tyra1uis," before he fired, as
- to give the President warning. A numb'
- y. of pages were torn out of the diary, Whit
~ ~ led to the charge by many that they boz
~ ", evidence incriminating prominent men
- the government, and were removed by O
der of Secretary Stanton to shield the
~ persons. This story isan idle one, of cours
as the pages were evidently torn out
= Booth himself, Wheneverhe wanted to wri
note. There is also shown the pine ba
- about three feet long, with which Boo
of braced the door leading to the President
5; box. Some curiosity-monger sawed
r about an inch of this bar the day after Il
e. tragedy, and for his pains was arrested al
of confined in the old capitol prison for
re month. Public excitement ran so high
I'd that time that it was dangerous to make al
I'd comment on the assassination for fear of q
s. rest. The piece cut off of the bar is now til
We to it with a string. The hat which Boo
g, dropped in the Presidents box is preserve
10, as is also the hat which Payne, the nj
or who attempted to assassinate Secretary Sc
ly ard, left in the Seward mansion. The wo
en- drawers leg which Payne wore on
" head when he entered Mrs. Surratt's house
in | O'Clock in the morning with spade on
1t. shoulder, after wandering through t
to woods outside of the city in a vain attem
| To olc tapt hero