Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1886-05-07
THE MURDER OF LINCOLN.
SOME STRANGE BITS ABOUT A
GREAT TRAGEDY.
Story of an Eye-witness--A Stage
Managers Account OF Booth--A
First Attempt FRUSTRATED.

| Story OF an Eye-WlJneSS-A stage
Managers Account of Booth--A
First Attempt Frustrated.
"Carp" says in a Washington letter to
The Cleveland Leader: Mr.. Davis, who
has been leading lawyer OF Washington
;ince the days of James Buchanan, was
present in Fords theatre the night that
Lincoln was shot. He chatted with me
about ASSASSINATION last night. Said he: :
81 had not intended to 60 to the theatre,
but | saw it stated in the papers that both
The President and General Grant would
be there, and l went there more to see
Grant than anything else The play was,
you know, The American Cousin, and
The house was crowded. / sat within five
Or six rows of tie front in the pit, and
Joe Stewart, the six-foot, two-hundred-
| weight of a man who attemTied to C Itch
the assassin, was immeliss. W. %pnt of
! me. President lincoln Entered the thea
ire with his party when Dundreary was
telling why dog wags its tail The au-
aence greeted the President with cheers
aud clapping of hands, and as lie reached
The door of his private box he turned and
Oowed to the audience He then follow
ID Mrs. Lincoln into tn box, and took
ais seat at the front of it by her side The
Interior of the box was lined with Grim
son velvet paper, and the people within
It sho an out plainly from this as q back
ground. The front of the box was hung
with curtains made of American flags
and between these flags the President
looked out.
1.-The comedy went on until the third
act, and the Presidents party seemed to
enjoy themselves. Lincoln wac sitting
with his left arm on the balustrade of
the box, and with Mrs. Lincolns hand
resting on his knee. In the midst
of a scene pistol shot rang out
and scream from Mrs. Lincoln drew my
attention to the President. | saw clouds
of smoke coming out between the flags,
and through this l saw the Presidents
head fall upon his chest. Then out of
the smoke form sprang down on the
stage, his foot catching in the flag as he
fell. 1t was John Wilkes Booth. Tall,
thin black hair, and with eyes which
glittered like those of wild beast, his
face was as white as chalk. He rose half
upon his knees and waved a sword like
dagger which | can see glitter
ing before my eyes now. l heard him
say in trag tones, Sic semper tyrannis, )
and then he limped fast across the stage,
going behind the scenes. All this hap
pened in an instant, and all the time Mrs.
Lincoln was screaming. As Booth rush
ed from the stage he pushed aside Laura
Keene who was ready to enter for her
part, and within half minute he was in
the alley and away. The audience was
dumbfounded for moment Then
everyone sp.ang to his feet, but my friend
Joe Stewart was the only one who at
tempted to seize Booth. He rushed
through the orchestra, crushing violins
and trombones in his efforts to get upon
the stage, but the footlights burned his
fingers, and when he at last clambered up
he was to late. He was abe to see
Booth galloping out of the alley A mo-
ment later and the whole audience was
in the street.
"Lincoln was carried across to the
Peterson House, in which he died the
next morning. l do not think Mrs.
Lincoln ever recovered from the shock
of that night. did not see Grant, for
you know he was prevented from attend
ing the theatre by his baggage being
left at the depot instead of being brought
to the hotel, as he had directed On the
trial of the conspirators remember that
stage-shifter W among the witnes esses,
who, on being asked as to what Booth
had said as he went across the stage, re-
piled; He said; am sick; send for
McGinnis. )"
John T. Ford, who owned Ford's
theatre at this time, is now gray haired
man, and he is keeping theatre in Bal
timore. Ford talks very interestingly
about the assassination. He says Booth
was a good actor, and that he could have
made great deal on the stage He was
fine looking young fellow, and was one
of those acto whom the ladies go crazy
over. Booth came into the theatre
before, he dill the shooting and
then went out again and got glass of
brandy. About three e-quarters of an
hour later he returned, and slipping into
Linco.n's boz, hot him. His jump from
the box to the stage was fully nine feet,
and it was his shin bone that he broke
in the falling. Booths spur caught in
the picture Of Washington and tore it,
instead of in the flags as has been stated.
When he ran cut from the theatre he
met Mr.. Withers, the leader of the Or
chestra, and made thrust at him with
his knife. The knife cut through
Withers' clothing, and it was the SINE
knife that Booth had Just brand shed in
the air as he yelled 'Sic semper tyran-
MIS-" Withers thought Booth La stab
bed him at first, but b fore he was able
to do anything Booth hit him blow on
the back of the neck with the butt of
the knife and knocked him down. He
then jumped for the back door, seized
his horse, which was held by q
boy known as John Peanuts, or "Pea-
nut John, " and galloped off into Mary
land.
Booth is said to have attempted tn as
sassinate the President at the time of his
second Inauguration at the capitol Dan
ger was apprehended at this time and a
double row Jf policemen had been sta
toned in the fotunda to keep open the
passage way for the procession, which
was going from the Senate to the east
portico, where the President was to speak.
This procession was made up of the su-
preme court the diplomats, Congress,
and the other officials, and was headed
by the President and the Vice President.
AS it passed through the rotunda a man
rushed from the crowd behind the police
men and attempted to get to the Presi-
dent. A policeman, named Westfall,
seized him, and thinking he was a crank
or crazy, rushed him out. The process
sion then went onward. Westfall after
ward identified this man as John Wilkes
| Booth ON seeing Booths nhntonranh after